Is it unreasonable to be dissappointed This picture has been archived? I thought I had captured something a bit different. Anyway I am disappointed, unreasonable or not:)
This one too

Also, I am confused HERE as it appears to be in Photography-Animals Gallery and yet has the archived asterisk beside it.

I KNEW I should have kept out of my Control Panel!!

Images may still be archived occasionally after they are moved to the "permenant" galleries (we really need a better name for them...)

Personally I don't think the first image has anything which makes it outstanding enough to warrant a place in the perms... the second is a much more worthy candidate to my eye. Actually I think I will have to go through and give the flower gallery a bit of a spring clean... some rather ordianry looking shots in there at the moment IMO... you can all blame Lyn for bringing it to my attention.

;-)

I thought the reflections on the first one were unusual and not often seen, and took it out of the 'not just another flower' category, which is what we are often encouraged to do.

All those hours I spent searching for reflections . . . lol
Oh well, we are all entitled to our opinions and I will continue to think it is the best flower photo I have :) :)
Can you tell me what its failings are for future direction?

The lamb picture must have gone in and out of the perms very quickly - I only uploaded it in August.

Mint sauce time lambie:)

Lyn, all three are good images.

I am going to digress a little here, as I think what Sam had said in relation to another subject matter is appropriate in answering your query of 'can you tell me what its failings are for future direction' and I quote (Sam, that is):

"If you are waiting for a concise set of "rules" to tell you exactly what to do, you aren't going to get it..."

I make mention of this as I am curious as to what you mean by 'future direction'?

Reiterating what I recall from other discussion threads ... technical proficiency to a degree ... and more so, originality/uniqueness coming into play for ascension in the ranks to the 'perms' are the two main contributing factors as I understand and recall it.

It would seem to me ... that by having a pre-planned approach, a formula that would guarantee 'permanability' (what? it's a word :oP) ... would be anathema to one's creativity. No?

Isn't the process of discovery, exploration ... pushing yourself ... yourself ... isn't that what growth is about? Whether it be personal or artistic enrichment?

I do like the reflections in the drops of water ... very much so. Not sure if you maxed out the macro capabilities of your camera on that shot ... however, I would pursue some more exploration in that vein.

As is, and as it stands with your first image ... the reflections are somewhat lost in the overall composition. Kind of a bonus, not the main visual prize as it sits in my eyes.

Get closer if you can. Even your title; "PLEASE look closer #1" infers somewhat that what awaits the viewer needs to be 'searched' for within the image ... to an extent ... to an extent.

I will say ... that possibly ... possibly with a stronger composition incorporating that element it might have turned a few more heads. My humble opinion.

Good focus and clarity on that first one, but the colours are a tad washed out ... and the light seems a little flat to me.

But ... but ... all three are good quality shots. There's no question about that aspect. :o)

A few things I can mention about that photo: The clarity could be better in places; I think the border treatment (which I personally don't like) doesn't help there. Also I think it lacks a centre of focus, maybe you were trying to use the reflected flowers for this but I think they are too small... although I did view the image at full size the first time I didn't actually notice them until you mentioned it.

I don't think it's a "bad" photo at all, but not "outstanding" IMO. The second one has a more appealing composition, focus is sharp where it needs to be, and it has a clear focal point. The one thing I don't like about it is that the stem is in so much shadow that it is hard to see and this makes it look a bit unbalanced, like the flower is floating there. I would have tried to bring it out a bit more but it's a minor criticism.

As for the sheep photo, we have been doing a spring clean of the perms for the last month or so and archiving quite alot of images so I suspect it was probably done then. The amout of time the image has been in the perms wouldn't be taken into consideration.

I wouldn’t fret about it Lyn – I just had an image moved to the perms and then apparently archived back out again almost instantly which must be the shortest shelf life ever ;-)

Thanks guys!

*Not sure if you maxed out the macro capabilities of your camera on that shot*
well no actually Les, it was cropped from THIS IMAGE and was not on the macro setting at all. The reflections were just an extra that of course I did not see when taking the shot. And some did not see even after cropping and clarifying - mentioning no names of course !As for a pre -planned approach- not a bit of it - I just click merrily and randomly and hope for the best. Probably get my cookie rations withdrawn for saying that lol. I really meant future direction as to what is worth working on post-clicking (I accept I am not a good photographer and probably never will be, that is why I spend time 'improving' - lol and sometimes not improving, images) not with the object in mind of making the perms. If I did that I would probably upload very little, taking into account that 247 of my 269 flower pictures are archived.

It is very easy to get carried away by favourable comments and high voting scores, and a mistake to wonder why many images in the 50's are permed while 70's and 80's are not - another reminder that the c-index can be misleading and not to be taken too seriously.
And a reminder also not to get too excited (I lead a very quiet life you know) by what to me was a miraculous reflection -

Anyway, thank u both for for your input, I have something to reflect on!

Ah Phil, then I am not alone - a case of the old now you see it now you dont trick.
I'm not fretting - but the lamb is devastated, will probably be as tough as old boots when it makes the sunday dinner table. :)

Lyn?

I think you have your new photographic challenge in hand.

Shouldn't be too too hard to replicate those incredible drops and now knowing what the results can be ... experiment with the objects involved. Plants, flowers ... whichever and whatever. Perhaps, add something into the water that would increase the viscosity (sugar?) so that they, the drops ... cling longer and allow you to set-up a bit more for the shot.

Additionally to test to see what adding something to the water does to the refracting and reflective properties of the liquid. You just might strike 'liquid gold imagery'.

I did not make that particular point clear enough in my own posts above ... 'miraculous' might not be the descriptor I would personally use, however ... 'visually intriguing and captivating' as a phrase? Most certainly. :o)

Looking forward to seeing the results and by all means, please apprise me when you upload should I miss it for some reason.

This ... this ... is going to be good.

*gets comfy ... waits*

p.s. Dish soap brings a lovely irridescent quality to bubbles ... might work for drops too? Just a thought.

That all sounds like WORK - can't I just rely on good old fashioned raindrops and the odd 'visually intriguing and captivating' miracle?
It does sound intriguing though and I may give it a go - so long as there are cookie prizes for effort (choc covered of course)
After this week maybe - have a hectic 7 days ahead - starting tomorow which looking at the clock I see is today so will say goodnight :)

I totally disagree with Samatar!!

The first image is stunning and should be in the perms!
So should the tulip..both are very very well done and beautiful shots.

If shots like that cannot make it..there is something wrong here.

Well you are free to disagree with me... but I gave clear and detailed reasons for my opinions. Perhaps you could provide details of what you beleive makes the image exceptional compared to most of the other flower images on the site?

On your first subject I think Sam raised some valid points – the focal clarity isn’t all it could be. On pale subject matters such as this, the focus has to be either razor sharp across the board or with balanced and soft DOF. Neither really applies here. Aesthetically it’s a lovely shot; but doesn’t stand up to any real close scrutiny. As for the framing, well in my opinion (and I’m sure I will be shot down in flames for this one) framing serves ONLY ONE PURPOSE – to accentuate and draw attention to the subject it is framing – not to detract from it. Again, on a pale subject, a frame should be as simple as is humanly possible to the point of being imperceptible otherwise it will draw attention away from the main focus. The same applies to it’s polar opposite.

The tulip example I think overall is a far better balanced composition both in its composition, colour and framing. Clearly, it is much easier to be passionate about a piece than it is to be objective about it – this is always the case with any art form. The flipside of that being that you have to take the rough with the smooth if you choose to offer up your work for any kind of critique or scrutiny. Having had discussions with Lyn before, I’m sure she would realise that any comments like this from either myself or from any other source that offers constructive critique, are meant in the be taken in the spirit they were offered as just that – constructive critique. In my experience she’s big enough to take it on the chin and try, try again. Anyone, in my opinion, who is ever happy with the their work implicitly is lacking – to a larger degree – in any scope of ambition, progression or achievement. Nothing we do is perfect and hopefully never will be. To believe oneself perfect is a stupid conceit so more power to Lyn for questioning her work and taking on board feedback she gets – as the old adage goes – if you don’t want an awkward answer – don’t ask an awkward question.

They are very well edited. I cannot fault the clarity and the imagination.
Especially the first shot..those droplets have stunning reflections and it is superbly done.
I cannot find a fault with it at all and consider it quite professional..and better than some of the perm flowers.

Concerning the clarity, I agree it is not top gun. Your original looks clear. In conclusion, I would say it was not your skill or camera that led to the issue of clarity but the result of cropping and loss of quality. The cropping has also caused some color degradation along the edges. I suggest you move in closer if possible in the future rather than extreme cropping. I like the resulting composition from the crop.

I would not have posted here if I had not wanted constructive comments - I believe it is the only way to learn and take the emotional attachment factor out of our own appraisals by seeing images trough others' eyes, so thank you for these further comments.

If anyone is still following this - I would like to add that I much prefer the original uncropped version - however, the voters and the viewers definitely did Not - there is a 20 point difference in the scoring and 155 more people have viewed the cropped one.

I agree Darryl a closer view would have been preferable to cropping and if I had seen the reflections I would have done that but I only noticed them post-click:) I have just had a quick look through the flowers gallery and regarding the clarity, although not perfect, it compares ok with some of the images there.

I take your point Phil about frames, although I do not totally agree. I think sometimes a frame can add to the total impact of the whole image in some cases, not necessarily this one. The frame is big because the crop was small and the faded edges were deliberate. Compared with some of my other frames (which I know many hate) this is about as simple as I could manage :) Perhaps the more unobtrusive framing on the original image was more suitable?

Sam, have you edited your post or am I going ga-ga? - I seem to remember you said something along the lines that I felt it necessary to have to draw viewers attention to the detail in the image by my title, and now I don't see that. EDIT - IT WAS LES SAID IT, OH DEAR I AM GONE GA-GA
Actually my intention with the title was not that - I was trying to say as a general statement "Please look closer" . . at what is around you, there are often things passed over or missed because we don't. The tulip stem - on my monitor it is perfectly visible - I think maybe I have my monitor set too light as once or twice before I have suspected this especially when people mention a black border and such, when in actual fact I see them as green or another dark colour.

So, Les, Phil, Bonnie, Darryl - thank you all so much for your input. I have filched some of Les's cookies to dish out - so please all take one.
Bonnie - you can take TWO :)

To finish up
Am I still disappointed? - Yes
Is that unreasonable? - probably
Will I get over it? - Yes:)
Will I come back here again asking for opinions? - Most definitely.

Eve, I can see the tulip stem fine on my monitor. That image is a favorite of mine. The daisy could definitely use a tighter crop but I still like the image, but the real burning question in my mind is how is the lambie with the mint sauce? ;=)

Lyn?

I have been known to have that effect on people.

:oP

Mimi - I am so relieved to know I do not need new glasses - or new monitor :)
As for little lambie - it is still in the paddock across the road - much bigger and much fatter (not a good thing for a prime lamb !) and it bleats every night - I hear it now. I think it's saying "as if archiving was not bad enough, now they are chopping the mint . . . . . " Then it's friends and all their mothers join the the chorus. Soon it will just be the mothers crying for their little lost lambs :(


:) :) :)

Wait a moment ... *backs up the truck* ...

"I accept I am not a good photographer and probably never will be ..."

0_o

Don't make me, 'cause I will ... proof to the contrary.

:o)

*goes off to save lambie*

Photography like so many art forms relies on a certain degree of chance where everything can come together at a fortuitous moment and other times fall part quite badly. In any medium, the law of practise makes perfect always rings true, nobody is perfect and although historically, artistic masters have created works of genius they have equally created large amounts of trite garbage. It’s the garbage that pushes them to brilliance. It’s only when people accept garbage as brilliance that the rot sets in and they become victims of their own ego. Thankfully Lyn isn’t one of those people so long may she carry on snapping regardless trying to push her own envelopes instead of playing it safe with formulated and predictable work because no one, in their right minds, is interested in that.

Phil, don't get me wrong, but are you saying that we, the users (contributors of photos) should go around snapping away day after day till we hit that 1 in a million photo? We are not all trying to win the "Photo of the Year" at Time/Life but just posting our non-professional average kind of product which we try to improve with the help of some software before showing it to the public. As regards "practice makes perfect" do take a look at my standard signature sentence below.

no that wasn't what I was saying.

'If practice makes perfect and nobody is perfect, then why practice?'

if you held that as a philosophy in life then you may as well save yourself the trouble and stop breathing. perfection is an illusion but that isn't to say you shouldn't strive for it or at least somewhere near there that you are happy with personally rather than what anybody else thinks.

No, I didn't hold that philosophy in my life - that was just a joke. But to try for perfection (what is perfection to one may not be perfection to another) may become like practicing at Tennis trying to beat Roger Federer!

if you don't try to be the best that you can be and to a level that you are happy with, then what would be the point of trying at all?

:-)

You don't have to take shots constantly all day to grab the best, just practice lots when you can and you get a beauty come out...I practice as much as possible as I'm learning but I can't see it ever stopping.
The learning that is.