"Comments Required"

Challenge #1 in the Dialog series. Hosted by Mister Mike, Michael Foran.

Challenge has finished

Each entry must be accompanied by a Note or Comment from the photographer describing the artistic intent or vision behind the picture. Each photographer who enters agrees to be honor bound to vote and comment on all the other 24 entries to this challenge.

Show full rules

Announced:

Monday, 7th November, 2011 (GMT)

Submissions:

Monday, 14th November, 2011 – Sunday, 20th November, 2011 (GMT)

Voting:

Monday, 21st November, 2011 – Sunday, 27th November, 2011 (GMT)

Processing rules:

Whatever is needed to fulfill the vision, including all post processing, artistic filters, composites and HDR. However, no scanned images.

Capture date rules:

Images must be shot after the announcement date of the challenge.

Additional rules:

Rule 1: Each entry must be accompanied by a Note or Comment from the photographer describing the artistic intent or vision behind the picture. Entries without a MEANINGFUL description will be DQ’d as fast as the host can get to them.
Rule 2: Each entrant must, on their honor, vote for the other 24 entries.
RULE 3: Each entrant must, on their honor, write a helpful Comment/Critique for the other 24 entries DESCRIBING THE RATIONALE FOR THEIR VOTE. Failure to comply with this rule will result in entrant losing all honor in their life for 24 days. Do not enter this challenge if you are not prepared to honor this rule.
Rule 4: No offensive entries.
Rule 5: No shots entered in other Challenges.

Maximum number of entries per user:

Maximum number of entries in challenge:

submission
phase has

ended

21 entries

voting
phase has

ended

105 votes

Voting results: 21 entries Slideshow of 2 1 Page: 4 Rows:

1^st

(winner, joint)

1^st

(winner, joint)

3^rd

(runner up, joint)

3^rd

(runner up, joint)

5^th

6^th

(joint)

6^th

(joint)

6^th

(joint)

6^th

(joint)

6^th

(joint)

11^th

12^th

13^th

14^th

(joint)

14^th

(joint)

16^th

(joint)

1 / 2

Challenge comments

Total comments: 37

Thank you again, Mister Mike, for the great challenge!
Too bad about the breakdown in the voting system.

I had some thoughts about 'artistic intent' in another thread, but I'd like to repeat them here:

Just reading through the comments on 'Comments Required' challenge, it seems that the viewers of the photos often come up with a different 'meaning' for the photo than the photographer who took it. That's wonderful. That's the learning bit.

We hope a photo will say something, but when other people don't get it - and see something else entirely - we have to ask why, and then try harder next time.

Seems to me a photo that's intended to 'mean' something should be understood by some viewers - would 50% of them be too much to hope for? If most people see (or feel) something different in the image, then the photographer missed the mark.

That's a generalization, of course. Some photos will be incomprehensible - but still worthwhile.

1 upvote

Everyone's participation in this challenge has exceeded my hopes. I feared the rules asked too much from each entrant and the challenge would not catch on. But for my own learning I wanted lots of comments and critiques so I gave it a go. Even the broken dpreview voting system has not hurt. It almost seems like this type of challenge is just as good without voting. After the new year I will try to host another similar challenge, perhaps with some type of theme. Thank you for the time you took to critique and comment.

2 upvotes

A successful challenge indeed, although seeing the expected 21x20 = 420 votes would have been a nice addition :) I feel sorry for you that dpreview chose to throw a stick into your spokes.
I do like the challenge format, 25 entries was a lot of work but a good number. I would actually like to see a more open challenge as the next one, with the same voting and commenting requirements. For example "Your most artistic shot ever - describe your vision and tell the story.".

0 upvotes

Fortunately this challenge is the least affected by the voting problem - as the votes are not really as important as the comments, which do not disappear (yet ;).

1 upvote

Well, I've tried over & over all week to vote in this challenge. It's the holiday weekend and I have things planned, so I'm going to start leaving 'what I *would* have voted' comments. It's really too bad this problem messed up such a great challenge. :(

0 upvotes

Its really strange because sometimes a vote or two - out of many - will "stick" while the others disapear. This seems true in all the challenges and multiple trouble messages have been sent to dpreview. UGH!

0 upvotes

Same happened with me.. I was not able to vote. After refresh my voting gets disappear . :(

0 upvotes

Votes disappeared, can vote for whole day :(

0 upvotes

Well after 3 attemps to vote per page, I was able to vote on the thumbnails finally.

Edit: dang, after returning, all but one votes are lost again

Comment edited 7 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I do hope the voting problem is fixed before this challenge is over... but if it isn't and I'm still unable to vote, I'll let all the entries know what I *would* have voted. :(

2 upvotes

Me too! :-)

0 upvotes

I'm not seeing a voting problem. Is this a dpreview issue or a host problem?

0 upvotes

Try voting on any challenge - you probably get a few that register, but refresh, and notice that it never changes. I have 7 votes registered here and can't get the rest done, nor can I change my votes for the 2 entries of hylton herd that are the same person.

0 upvotes

I also have huge problems with this :( does anyone know if dpreview is working on the issue?

0 upvotes

There has been a response in the thread in challenge discussions that they have been made aware of the situation and will report back. I'd link it or provide more details... but in another site quirk of late I can't get back to that page right now.

0 upvotes

Ok...Find out the problem...Unfortunately we have to vote with IE...Firefox and Chrome don't seem to work...
Very very sad! :-))))
I hate IE!:-))

0 upvotes

Does anyone know why the pictures Poking Tongue, by ju_ju, and Amsterdam Markets, by alexander1232231, are no longer in the challenge?

0 upvotes

Poking Tongue was withdrawn by ju_ju. Amsterdam was DQ'd because it was a scanned image.

1 upvote

Thank you for your reply. Can we also know what you pretend to do with the 2 images submitted by the same person (Hylton Herd and Eagle Vision)?

1 upvote

I was asked to provide some evidence about the fact that Hylton Herd and Eagle Vision (and Forest Light) are the same person.

Almost all the evidence can be found in this thread:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1044&message=39893712

Summing things up a bit:

1) Both images in this challenge have the same watermark "Hylton Herd (Black & White Photography)"

2) Both images are in this Hylton Herd's gallery:
http://pixmag.ning.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=2gcthkntdtq9n

3) You can go to the gallery for each user and play a matching game:
http://www.dpreview.com/members/647807713/galleries
http://www.dpreview.com/members/5506525330/galleries
http://www.dpreview.com/members/7785715519/galleries

2 upvotes

Thank you Paulo. Both images have been DQ'd.

3 upvotes

I had a good long look at all 25 entries before commenting - but other members saw things that I missed completely. I guess we all see a photo differently - some look for technical details and others feel the emotional content. It's been fascinating to read the comments and then go back for a second look at the image to see it from a different perspective. This has been a great challenge, yes?
. . . . Steve

1 upvote

Indeed!!! Clap! Clap! Clap!

I evaluated the technical details (what little I know) as long as the emotional impact and beauty of all photos.

I did this without reading any comments before so I could compare them later, which is very interesting because, in addition to learning a lot, it made me change my opinion of few photos.

I spent a few hours writing all the comments, but would take less if they had been written in my first language. It was worth!!!

0 upvotes

Paulo you're right!...I wish i can spend more time commenting entries...But for me,the limit is the language (it takes too much time to express what I think)...And beside this,
I choosed not to have internet connection at home (I work in a software house) and I can only surf the web at work...
However this is the most amusing challenge I've ever took part!

0 upvotes

Boar - I will vote for the picture - not for the person who took the picture. I'm sure others will do the same. It's all good!
. . . . Steve

1 upvote

Dear friends...I just realized I'm an idiot.... :-)
...I replied to all your comments about my entry...But I thought the site can guarantee the anonymity till the end of the challenge...
I'm very sorry for this...
If you deem it appropriate I'll withdraw my photo.No problems at all!
I beg your pardon for my gaffe!

0 upvotes

Hi friends...I beg your pardon in advance cause i had some "little" problems when i commented your entries...I'm not so skilled in english...:-)))
I'm really sad because i would have added more technical considerations but i'm afraid to write a lot of nonsenses! :-)))

Thanks a lot for this great challenge! :-))

0 upvotes

Do whatever is your best and we will surely appreciate it.
I will do the same... :)

0 upvotes

Me too! I'm really enjoying the comments. Everyone sees an image differenly - from their perspective, based on their experience, knowledge, and personal preferences, and because their vision is different from your own - you learn.

Thank you, Mister Mike and Michael Foran for a great challenge !

Someone should start a thread in the 'challenges' forum so other members will know how well this is working. Maybe the idea will catch on.

0 upvotes

Oh I am loving this challenge! Reading the comments coming in on entries that I myself have commented on has been so interesting and the ones I have received myself already on my own entry have been very helpful indeed. I still have a lot to learn but now can see the direction to take. Thank you so much for this great challenge!

0 upvotes

I would like to ask the hosts two questions:
1) Would you like the comments to be submitted as the vote is cast?
2) You state "...DESCRIBING THE RATIONALE FOR THEIR VOTE". Does that mean we should include our rating in the comment? That would make sense after all.

Seeing that the challenge is full we could start commenting (& voting) already, only leaving the indicated vote to be cast once voting opens officially.

0 upvotes

My hope for this challenge is to promote some healthy dialogue that we can all benefit from. I plan to comment on each submit, even though I don't think I can vote. For myself, I was debating whether to start posting comments now or wait until voting is open. I decided to wait, but I see no reason why everyone shouldn't start immediately, and then vote later. I think it would be a good idea to include your vote in your comment but I'm not sure this should be mandatory.

0 upvotes

I see some very useful dialog going here without focus on the vote that will be placed and this is more interesting to me than how the challenge votes end up. I plan to give my first impressions of what I feel or see when looking at what has been submitted.

About posting a vote: I won't know my vote until I do voting , then review what I voted on, and modify so I hope general comments back will be OK.

0 upvotes

I like the two identities you have.
...would allow you to submit more than one picture in a challenge...

0 upvotes

Don't be an idiot . . . 2 people can Host a Challenge together.

1 upvote

Please don't be overly harsh. My name is the same as my son's (and my Dad's who passed away from a lengthy fight with Parkinson's a few years ago), so the co-hosting names were confusing and I should have clarified this up front.

2 upvotes

I like the rules you have!!

2 upvotes

Total comments: 37

Shortcut keys:

p previous

n next

Editorial content

Product database

Community

Finishing today
Multiple Modes of Transport	43/100 entries
Bubbly !	49/50 entries
1 day left
-All Dressed Up~Couples in a Photo Shoot- (Full Colours Only with Border)	11/35 entries
Power of Play	30/100 entries
Music people	93/100 entries
2 days left
Men who eat quiches	5/ entries
My Camera Bag! (Capture Date Rule)	7/ entries
3 days left
Catalog filler: Summer picnic	0/100 entries
Wndy	52/70 entries
4 days left
- National Parks I- (Full Colours Only + Border, Title, Date)	30/55 entries
Australia 1 : Nature	19/35 entries
Rainbow in the Sky	26/100 entries
5 days left
View from the top - Forests	5/60 entries
Hugs, hugs and HUGS	10/ entries
National Food	16/100 entries
Art made from old electronics	1/100 entry
Wooden Statues of deities	6/100 entries
Chasing	15/50 entries
6 days left
Beetles	12/100 entries
Wind Turbines	12/100 entries
Everyday Life: MACRO	16/100 entries
Full challenges
New Life - Spring Flowers	50/50 entries
At the zoo	50/50 entries
Colorful: Red and Yellow	75/75 entries

Finishing today
Bluebonnets	104 votes, 6 entries
Scorching !	829 votes, 50 entries
Betta Fish	103 votes, 11 entries
1 day left
-The Migrant Worker- (Full Colours Only with Border, Title and Date)	95 votes, 13 entries
Silence	1480 votes, 99 entries
Candle people	254 votes, 33 entries
Cell Phones: Dog faces only (1 or more)	342 votes, 33 entries
New Life - Newborn Animals	463 votes, 50 entries
Lover of the Light	472 votes, 49 entries
2 days left
English Springer Spaniel... (Capture date rule)	13 votes, 1 entry
White trash	128 votes, 14 entries
3 days left
Plastic Fantastic	657 votes, 70 entries
Magazine editorial: A test of faith	328 votes, 61 entries
Blenders	35 votes, 10 entries
Texture: Detail	964 votes, 70 entries
Underwater	363 votes, 40 entries
4 days left
- The River - (Full Colours Only + Border, Title, Date)	360 votes, 67 entries
Singapore	473 votes, 30 entries
Mushrooms in Nature	1000 votes, 100 entries
5 days left
The World of Sweets	327 votes, 79 entries
Simulated flight	11 votes, 4 entries
Patterns in wood	726 votes, 100 entries
Corkscrews	104 votes, 22 entries
Old telephones	136 votes, 29 entries
Children with mirrors	31 votes, 10 entries
Natural Light	402 votes, 60 entries
6 days left
Circles in Nature	109 votes, 99 entries
Flowered Balconies	38 votes, 38 entries
Everyday Life: Morning routine (Capture Date Rule)	21 votes, 14 entries


	Voting results 21 entries My entries Login required My votes Login required