Taylor Wessing Photographic prize

joescrivens said:
I look at some photos here including and my own photos and those words come right into my head so they aren't poorly chosen for expressing my opinion. The reason I wouldn't use them here for crit is because it's not constructive to the community.

I wasn't providing crit to the photo that won the TW prize. I was expressing an opinion of something in the public eye that I think is poo, pelt and beyond lame. and I'm sure next year if a photo wins that I think is rubbish I'll say so again :thumbs:
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So still not eloquent then? Why do you think its 'beyond lame'? What about the photo is so wrong in your eyes? Or are you just trying to get a reaction...:eek:
 
menthel said:
So still not eloquent then? Why do you think its 'beyond lame'? What about the photo is so wrong in your eyes? Or are you just trying to get a reaction...:eek:
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I think it's dull, uninspiring and boring. The background is monotonous and uninteresting. The guinea pig seems pointless and it tells me nothing about the girl apart from she is holding a rodent. It doesn't even look like she likes it or hates it, she looks indifferent.

It doesn't tell a story, it doesn't make me want to look around it and find out who she is or why she is holding a rodent. I don't find it pleasing to look at for the sake of it either.

To me (an this is just my opinion) it is a complete pointless "nothing" shot

others in the running I find much more interesting and better photographs
 
joescrivens said:
I think it's dull, uninspiring and boring. The background is monotonous and uninteresting. The guinea pig seems pointless and it tells me nothing about the girl apart from she is holding a rodent. It doesn't even look like she likes it or hates it, she looks indifferent.

It doesn't tell a story, it doesn't make me want to look around it and find out who she is or why she is holding a rodent. I don't find it pleasing to look at for the sake of it either.

To me (an this is just my opinion) it is a complete pointless "nothing" shot

others in the running I find much more interesting and better photographs
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There we are, wasn't difficult was it? ;)
 
Alastair said:
Whilst those two schools of thought do exist, there are clearly three opinion groups on this thread:

[*]It's a good/great portrait.
[*]It's a good/great portrait, but a predictable winner in the T-W which has a substantial history of picking winners featuring 13/14 year old girls with a tendency for redheads and the inclusion of fluffy animals.
[*]It's a terrible portrait and should never have won an award.

Personally, I'm in the second group. And you do need to look at the winners from the last three or four years together to understand why. Each winner is individually a technically and artistically very competent image, but if they appeared on the same short-list you couldn't but help draw some conclusions about the bias of the selection/judging panel.
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Nail on the head and I'm in the second camp as well; ie the TW is becoming too formulaic.
 
fixedimage said:
Most of the comments on this thread at least equal those found under youtube videos in terms of inanity, immaturity and bitterness.

Are you all just jealous that you didn't win the prize or are you really as ignorant as you all sound?
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Clearly we are all ignorant, but in this free world we are entitled to express our ignorance and it is of no less value than that of the educated.

Since I know my own limitations, I personally didn't enter so am certainly not jealous though I can't speak for others.

Would we only be entitled to comment on this if we agreed with the selection? Where would the discussion be in that? If we all agreed with each other all the time how would any progression be made?

I have been following and learning art all my life. I will continue to do so. It is only in the act of critique that we learn understanding, that does not mean that agreement follows, since it is only sheep who follow each other blindly.

We must agree to differ
 
Winning image thoughts aside - each to their own opinions it seems.

Although not illegal, I wonder if the photographer saught the consent of Harriets parent(s) before taking the picture given that she is a minor after all out of common courtesy.
I guess we have to presume that she did.

Only saying that As I see no info that suggests they are related.

On a side note - I think Harriet and Gentleman Jack should get a cut of the £12,000 wedge!!!!! Only fair :D
 
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joescrivens said:
I think it's dull, uninspiring and boring. The background is monotonous and uninteresting. The guinea pig seems pointless and it tells me nothing about the girl apart from she is holding a rodent. It doesn't even look like she likes it or hates it, she looks indifferent.

It doesn't tell a story, it doesn't make me want to look around it and find out who she is or why she is holding a rodent. I don't find it pleasing to look at for the sake of it either.
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Perhaps you just don't like pictures of young people holding small animals?

What about these two?

Another guinea pig
Puppy
 
stupar said:
Winning image thoughts aside - each to their own opinions it seems.

Although not illegal, I wonder if the photographer saught the consent of Harriets parent(s) before taking the picture given that she is a minor after all out of common courtesy.
I guess we have to presume that she did.

Only saying that As I see no info that suggests they are related.

On a side note - I think Harriet and Gentleman Jack should get a cut of the £12,000 wedge!!!!! Only fair :D
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In a public place, I don't think consent has to be sought if it's not for commercial use.
 
joescrivens said:
Up till now it's not the fact that people have used terms like this that has been mentioned it's the sheer fact people don't like it that you and ding are complaining about.
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When did I complain? Those complaining are surely those saying a load of rubbish etc.

I said show me something better, yet even then rather than show an example you say look at a random selection on 500px.

Think of how you would critique them on this form if you were to offer them advice. Might actually be a constructive twist on the usual better on the forum rubbish we see every time this comes round!
 
ding76uk said:
When did I complain?
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posts 52 and 59.

ding76uk said:
I said show me something better, yet even then rather than show an example you say look at a random selection on 500px.
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Its because I feel that there are so many better shots on a site like that that you could pretty much close your eyes and randomly hit the screen with your hand and land on a better shot than the winner of this.
 
Notes for preparing a photographic critique.

Emotional response
• What are your immediate impressions?
• If I like a photograph. Why?
• If I don’t like a photograph. Why not?
• Does the image remind me of something – an event, another image,
a painting or other artwork, a film.
• It reminds me of ………..
• I can relate to the subject because………
• I understand what the photograph/photographer is trying to illustrate,
the mood they are trying to convey and the message. Which is………?
• What did you see that made you press the shutter?
• For more impact I would………?
• Is any narrative apparent?
• Is the image 'Street Photography' or Documentary - is there a difference?
• What about social comment? Does the image succeed?
• Consider truth - Is the image telling the truth? It may be deliberately trying to deceive you?

Artistic content
• What is the subject – the focal point?
• Is there a concept? It may be an Advertising concept?
• Is it unique / creative?
• How?
• Why?
• What do you see first – what catches your eye?
• Is the positioning of the subject and the composition pleasing to the
Eye? Are there some elements that detract from this? What? Why?
• Does the perspective work? Is the choice of lens good (what lens? For example a wide angle or a telephoto)
• Are there lines within the composition? A horizon? A diagonal If so where is it? Is the image 'dynamic' If so why?
• Are the lines aligned or not aligned? Is the rule of thirds evident?
• Does this add to the strength of the image? Or are they in fact distractions?
• Look at the use of any symmetry within the image, does this help? If so why?
• The composition would/may be more compelling or stronger if…………
• My eye wants to/is drawn to –???-- is lead into/out of the image by……..
• ????? leads the eye into the shot….. toward/away from the subject……..out of the frame …….
• If the subject (or another element) was moved to (left- right –up- down -closer -further away) (the angle of…a in relation to b) it would possibly create, more dynamic composition, greater symmetry, more tension, a better use of space………
• What part do the foreground/background play in the image?
• The object/shadow/highlight/tone/colour (near left – extreme right – top left hand corner) is distracting/aids the composition………helps to frame the subject……..
Colour
• Was the photographer's choice to use or not use colour sound? If they used colour, does the colour contribute to the image, or would it have been more effective in B&W? If its B&W, does that help to focus on the essentials of the image, or are we missing something important? This will always be a subjective judgement, of course, but hearing other people's opinions on this is often useful.
• Does the colour help to convey any emotion (for example yellow can convey jealousy in some cultures)?
• Has colour been employed thoughtfully - Do they harmonise? Is a strong contrast evident? Is a clever use of colour accent apparent?
Effort
• Did the photographer (you) use everything available to them to make the image?
Or did they just capture what was in front of them with little noticeable effort?
• What approach would have been more interesting/dynamic/creative/powerful
• For stronger impact I would crop tighter/less tight – more to the right/left.
Leave more space/less space ……..to the left/right……..
Technical
• Is any part of the image in focus? Is it intentionally blurred?
• Is the main subject in focus or something else?
• The careful use of selective focussing…….has given separation between….
has brought a greater sense of depth………….isolated the………drawn the viewers
eye to…………
• The subject /background is blurred which allows the subject to be the strongest element within the image…………….
• Motion blur – gives the impression of speed ……..etc
• OR needs to be (more) blurred which would ……. Give more separation
• Does the overall exposure work?
• Is the shot high key or low key?
• The exposure is about right. I used………. in camera metering (spot metering) ……….and hand held meter? Was this a good choice?
• Are there areas/elements that are under/overexposed?
• The sky? Could have used a graduated neutral density filter or made a composite
of light/darker exposures Using Photoshop/HDR
• The image is too dark, too light, suffers from excessive contrast,
• Is too ‘muddy’?
• Has the image being over 'Photoshopped' in some way.
• Over sharpened, too much contrast, loss of detail?
• I would change......
• I would add or remove......
• Was a tripod used, should a tripod have been used?

Media and presentation considerations
• If a print then is it a good print, is the choice of surface and substrate appropriate?
• Is the size of print appropriate for the viewing distance and information within the image?
• Do any borders help the image?
• If on screen then does it work in the chosen format and resolution?
• Consider the presentation, framing and or mounting. Do these enhance or detract?

These bullet points are intended as a starting point they are not intended as a list of questions all to be addressed. Hopefully they will trigger your own responses and enquiries into your own and others images by providing some relevant prompts.
 
Each year our Photographic Society has a "Themed" competition. If I get to choose the theme it will be "In the style of a TW winner"... ;)

Personally I think the TW judges this year spent too much time staring at Olympic Posters before looking at the entries.

So much of this smacks of "The Kings New Clothes" and pretentious elitism, but: That's ART :cool:
 
It's not the best shot on the shortlist by a long way. It's remarkable only for its ordinaryness. Perhaps that's a virtue.

It's very hard to assess a good portrait of someone you don't know, and for that reason Dolly Parton wins for me. Not that we are great pals, but at least I know who she is and can relate to that image. Great shot.

Here's an interesting test - based on the photos, who would you most like to chat with over a coffee? Dolly again for me, but those weird twins look pretty interesting and there's a lot of story conveyed in the image.
 
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DemiLion said:
Are you so ignorant about the TW that you don't recognise a cliché when you see it?

The photo was a shoe-in as soon as the entrants were announced, and not necessarily for it's photographic prowess (although it's a decent portrait):

Young girl/woman... check
Redhead............... check
Cute animal........... check
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thats me in for a shot next year lol

lynne.jpg
 
i had to double take then as i thought you'd just embedded the winning photo in the thread

:D
 
On a personal level, I preferred No.3 - Malega, Surma boy. I thought the lighting was exceptional, the lad's eyes had a piercing intensity, and the background was uncluttered and nicely OOF.
For me, the winning shot was a bit awkward, the background was cluttered, with nearly OOF shapes at odd angles. Looking at it again, the guinea pig is absolutely mahoosive!
I could not do better, but I have seen potraits posted on this forum, which in my opinion are streets ahead of this one.
 
A mate of a friend of mine overheard this bloke down the pub whose cousin knew somebody who was the hairdresser of one of the TW judges, and apparently she told him the judges argued more or less exactly the same as this thread has before the Chairman said "Look, sod it, let's just give it to the picture of the redhead again so we can go down the pub"
 
ianmarsh said:
A mate of a friend of mine overheard this bloke down the pub whose cousin knew somebody who was the hairdresser of one of the TW judges, and apparently she told him the judges argued more or less exactly the same as this thread has before the Chairman said "Look, sod it, let's just give it to the picture of the redhead again so we can go down the pub"
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:lol::lol::lol:
 
I like it, its a nice photo.
Deserving on the top prize in this competition ?, well I dunno, that is the subjective element and point of the thread.
Seems to me with a quick flick through to be no less deserving than any of the others.
To say its just flat out carp is at best, less than constructive, but then where would we be without controversy.

still on page 1 probably...:)
 
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