You had a great idea in capturing the bowl performance in this nightime image. You were concerned about the low index score. I'm guessing it has to do with your main subject being out of focus. Perhaps due to wrong camera mode and/or camera shake. Full screen shows the orchestra quite blurred.

IMMHO it was probably the people being out of focus (most likely shake in the camera - try a tripod) and the graininess that contributed to the rating. Not picking on you, just pointing that out =)

PS - did you paste it onto a screenshot of a video or something like that? 'Cause if I move the image around it looks like there's something going on behind those dots, although when I tried saving it to my hard drive they didn't show up, but oh well. =)

It's a great idea with lots of potential. Just a pity about the blur, that's all. Don't worry about it. Happens to me all the time. If you get another chance like this maybe try using a tripod. Not easy when you've maybe paid to get into the show so an alternative would be a small beanbag balanced on the chair in front. A lot easier to carry around.

It's a nice concept....and just another suggestion: when an image does have potential...and yet is flawed....you can play around and manip it into something artsy....?

I'm no photography expert, but it looks out of focus. Great idea though. Maybe you could manipulate it a bit in a paint program or something.

To be honest, I kinda like it. I read the thread on the lack of comments. If you are looking for a nice crisp picture in low light, you do need to find something to hold the camera still. I just recently bought a tripod, but I have years of experience palming the camera onto rocks, railings, and the trunks of trees to get clear shots. For this one, though, I like the idea of it being soft with some noise. Makes it a bit abstract. Truthfully, I woulnd't find a straight shot of it all that appealing. What you need to do is show them that, yes, the photo didn't come in crisp as you expected, but you can salvage that by increasing those effects. If you would like an example, I will do a rework for it and email it to you. Just send me a message.

Yup. Focus is a terrible thing to waste. No seriously. Your idea here is a good one. The inverted bowl makes an excellent frame for your subject. But this brings up an issue I've run into with some of my photos too. When you think about it, the architect really did the creative work here. You took a photo of his (her, their) creativity. This may contribute to the low ratings as well. I have done this myself, so I am right there with you.

Also, usually when your image gets low ratings people don't leave comments. They only vote in the voting booth, and if your image doesn't make a big impression they won't click on them to leave a comment. Likewise if the image doesn't stand out strongly on the "New Images" page people won't click on it. The average user just doesn't have time to click on all the images they don't like, and explain why they don't like them. On the other hand the images the do like - that's different. There are relatively few of them, and they are more easily handled.