Thursday, May 31, 2012

dp+ pick winner - photo challenge 6 - exceptional flower photo

dp+ Winning Entry - Photo Challenge 6
theme: Exceptional Flower Photo
photographer: Jane Woodhouse
title: Breath of Fresh Air
camera: Canon Powershot A470
total judges score: 279/500

Out of 5 judges for dp+ Pick, 3 included this entry to their top 3 picks. 2 voted it as their 1st picks and 1 voted for it as his 2nd Pick. Compared with Lennox Tpc's Top 2 entry with 184/500, it is 95 points higher and 109 points more than Top 3 tied entries of Ric Tan and Derlin Zhang with 170/500. The rest of the 5 remaining entries chosen by the judges got 1 vote each from the judges.


Here are the remarks of all the judges who included this entry to his/her top 3 picks:


Judge 2
1st Pick
Remark: Great element of design !!!

Judge 3
2nd Pick
Remark: The totality of the picture is well-presented. I very much like the choice of camera angle and although it's "crowded", it leads your focus on the main subject being the darkest in the whole frame. The sun behind the subject produced a brilliant light that seems to cuddle all the objects together, making them a bit flooded on the edges to make the main subject come more "alive". I would have preferred a little bit darkness to the total presentation, but in one package I love the WHOLE picture as presented.

Judge 5
1st Pick
Remark: A well thought and planned composition in a simple honest shot. Exceptional in the way it is presented without much photo whizbangs. Unique in its own way, a refreshing traditional approach but quite effective nevertheless. An honest to goodness "breath of fresh air" as it is so aptly entitled.


This entry placed 10th in the dp+ Popular Votes Pick where dp+ members vote through Likes on the entries. It gathered 30 votes compared with 1st placers, Lily Vinluan and Lennox Tpc with 47 votes each.

Quite unlike all the other entries in approach and presentation - it is undoubtedly an exceptional flower photo, very well composed and an altogether beautiful piece of work. Bravo Zulu*, Jane Woodhouse! 



*Bravo Zulu - from the words of dp+ member, Monching Corpuz, is a naval signal conveyed by flag hoist or voice radio meaning, "Well Done".



Wednesday, May 30, 2012

dp+ Pick - top 9 ranking - photo challenge 6 - exceptional flower photos

10 entries made it to the dp+ Pick for photo challenge 6 with theme Exceptional Flower Photos. It means only 10 entries made it to the judges' top 3 choices. If all 5 judges would each have their own different set of top 3 picks, there would be 15 entries included here instead of 10. It means that one or more judges chose the same entries as their top 3 picks.

Instead of 10 rankings, however, there will only be Top 9 Ranks. 2 entries tied at Top 3 both scoring 170/500 each. They are Ric Tan and Derlin Zhang. Both of these entrants also got a 10 points deduction from the 2 judges who voted for their entries. 5 points deduction from each judge for having watermarks on their entries. Top 2 entry went to Lennox Tpc with a score of 184/500 and Top 1 went to Jane Woodhouse with a score of 279/500.

It should be noted that for this challenge, only Jane Woodhouse was picked by 3 judges. Top 2 and 3 were picked by 2 judges and the rest were picked by only one judge each.

There were 5 judges as before, 2 are part of the dp+ administration and 3 are select members of the group. Each judge picked their top 3 choices from all the entries and scored them based on 4 criteria which include Quality or the technical aspect of the photo (30%), Creativity and Originality (30%), Theme Adaptation (20%) and Overall Impact or Impression (20%). Each also gave their reasons for their picks. A total of 100% per judge is the perfect score in all categories per entry. Final perfect score is 500 points with 100 point percentage from each of the 5 judges. The one who gets the highest score wins. 

So congratulations to the 9 entries who made it to the dp+ top 9 ranks and here are their rankings in reverse order from top 9 to top 1:


Top 9 - Entry 3 - Steven Ee Kim Cheng - "Banana petals" - Canon 7D

Top 8 - Entry 40 - Paolo Tabirao - "Crown of Thorns" - Nikon D90

Top 7 - Entry 41 - Jennifer Hamilton - "Magnolia" - Nikon D3100

Top 6 - Entry 4 - Lily Vinluan - "Lone Young Cherry" - Canon 600D

Top 5 - Entry 19 - Eden Ee - "White Lily with Little Frog" Ixus 11OS

Top 4 - Entry 9 - Lara Juan - "Dancing Lady Orchid" - Nikon D5000

Top 3 - Entry 33 - Derlin Zhang - "Why you have to..." - Canon 5D

Top 3 - Entry 2 - Ric Tan - "Mimosa Pudica" - Canon Powershot SX40HS

Top 2 - Entry 14 - Lennox Tpc - "Glowing through the darkness" - Canon 60D

Top 1 - Entry 10 - Jane Woodhouse - "Breath of Fresh Air" - Canon Powershot A470






Monday, May 28, 2012

Judges top 3 choices for dp+Pick, photo challenge 6

Judge 1


3rd Pick - Entry 33 - Derlin Zhang - "Why you have to..." - Canon 5D2

Quality 25/30
Creativity 30/30
Theme Adaptation 20/20
Overall Impression 15/20
POINT DEDUCTION: - 5 (watermark on entry)
TOTAL: 85/100

Remarks: This photo plays with one of the basic rules of composition -- color. With a mixture of rustic and fire tones, it captivates you with blend of colors that are similar and related, yet at the same time, distinctive enough to isolate the subject from the background. A firely impression lands this on 3rd place.



2nd pick - Entry 40 - Paolo Tabirao - "Crown of Thorns" - Nikon D90

Quality 30/30
Creativity 25/30
Theme Adaptation 18/20
Overall Impression 18/20
TOTAL: 91/100

Remark: A technical masterpiece! With an outstanding touch of the shutter speed and the shallow depth of field, it captures the flower and its supporting drops of water frozen perfectly in dramatic fashion.


1st pick - Entry 9 - Lara Juan - "Dancing Lady Orchid" - Nikon D5000

Quality 30/30
Creativity 20/20
Theme Adaptation 20/20
Overall Impression 20/20
TOTAL: 100/100

Remark: Simply Perfect. Outstanding play of lights. Outstanding composition. This picture should set the benchmark for all other contests to come.


Judge 2


3rd pick - Entry 2 - Ric Tan - "Mimosa Pudica" - Canon Powershot SX40HS
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 16/20
Overall Impact - 17/20
POINT DEDUCTION: - 5 (watermark on entry)
TOTAL - 78/100

Remark: Love the choice of flower, wonderful DOF - emphasizing the details of a very complex subject.



2nd pick - Entry 3 - Steven E. Kim Cheng - "Banana petals" - Canon 7D
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 17/20
TOTAL - 85/100

Remark: Crisp, lovely subject, simple composition but very effective.



1st pick - Entry 10 - Jane Woodhouse - "Breath of fresh air" - Canon Powershot A470
Quality - 26/30
Creativity and Originality - 26/30
Theme Adaptation - 19/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
TOTAL - 89/100

Remark: Great element of design !!!


Judge 3


3nd pick - Entry 14 - Lennox Tpc - "Glowing through the darkness" - Canon 60D
Quality -29/30
Creativity and Originality - 26/30
Theme Adaptation - 19/20
Overall Impression - 17/20
TOTAL - 91/100

Remarks: Very good quality of the picture -- very sharp down to the core. The contrast is good but to me it sort of brought down the realistic presentation of a flower. The sunflower has been photographed many, many times by landscape photographers and this presentation has been "repeated" or "copied" many times before, as well. So, even though it is attractive in itself, one begins to realize that this has been "seen" before and thus lowers the essence of originality. There is no "depth" as you could probably feel because of the dark background. And your eyes seem to have been halted right there and instead one wonders what lies behind, or around it. However, it is a well-executed photograph--something that shows the photographer's experience in playing with light. Good job!



2nd pick - Entry 10 - Jane Woodhouse - "Breath of fresh air" - Canon Powershot A470
Quality -27/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
TOTAL - 95/100

Remarks: The totality of the picture is well-presented. I very much like the choice of camera angle and although it's "crowded", it leads your focus on the main subject being the darkest in the whole frame. The sun behind the subject produced a brilliant light that seems to cuddle all the objects together, making them a bit flooded on the edges to make the main subject come more "alive". I would have preferred a little bit darkness to the total presentation, but in one package I love the WHOLE picture as presented.



1st pick - Entry 4 - Lily Vinluan - "Lone young cherry" - Canon 600D
Quality -29/30
Creativity and Originality - 29/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
TOTAL - 98/100

Remarks: The photo itself is smooth and has excellent contrast, and the shadowy branches in the background seem to double as a shadow and gives added interest although not killing the main subject. I like the light color combination of the main focus (the flower) and the general background. It makes the viewer's eye feel as smooth as the photo itself--it didn't tire my eyes looking at it... over and over! Very nice indeed!


Judge 4


3rd pick - Entry 14 - Lennox TPC - "Glowing Through The Darkness" - Canon 60D
Quality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 23/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
TOTAL - 91/100

Remark: Great clarity, and love the dramatic contrast of the black background. The cropping/placement of the flower creates interest.



2nd pick -Entry 2 - Ric Tan - "Mimosa pudica " - Canon Powershot SX40HS
Quality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 28/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 19/20
POINT DEDUCTION: - 5 (watermark on entry)
TOTAL - 92/100

Remark: The quality, DOF, and colors in this macro shot make for a stunning photograph!



1st pick - Entry 19 - Eden Ee - "White lily with little frog" - Ixus 11OS
Quality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 29/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
TOTAL - 99/100

Remark: The clarity and lighting of this shot is beautiful. The photographer captured amazing ripples/light in the water, and the frog sitting there perfectly is a bonus!

Judge 5


3rd Pick - Entry 33 - Derlin Zhang - "Why you have to..." - Canon 5D2
Quality 27/30
Creativity 27/30
Theme Adaptation 28/20
Overall Impression 18/20
POINT DEDUCTION: - 5 (watermark on entry)
TOTAL: 85/100

Remark: Although not as uniquely different, this shot sets a mood that wants one to learn more about the photo - as if there is a story that begs to be told as evident in its title.


2nd Pick - Entry 41 - Jennifer Hamilton - "Magnolia" - Nikon D3100
Quality 29/30
Creativity 28/30
Theme Adaptation 19/20
Overall Impression 16/20
TOTAL: 92/100

Remark: A quite different approach to flower photography - I like the way the flower is presented in a design-like manner without taking away its life and essence as a flower. Creatively cropped, very nicely composed, too!



1st Pick - Entry 10 - Jane Woodhouse - "Breath of fresh air" - Canon Powershot A470
Quality -25/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
TOTAL - 95/100

Remarks:
A well thought and planned composition in a simple honest shot. Exceptional in the way it is presented without much photo whizbangs. Unique in its own way, a refreshing traditional approach but quite effective nevertheless. An honest to goodness "breath of fresh air" as it is so aptly entitled.

Monday, May 21, 2012

dp+ photo challenge 7 for the month of June


dp+ (Friendster account) 2007 profile image - photo by Gina Villanueva-Uyan



eulalie

i dwelt alone
in a world of moan
and my soul was a stagnant tide,
till the fair and gentle Eulalie
became my blushing bride - ...


- Edgar Allan Poe




The month of June is the most marrying month. Probably because June is named after Juno, the equivalent of Greek goddess Hera, goddess of marriage and the couple's household - that is why a lot of couples think it is auspicious to marry in this month.


So for the 7th photo challenge, our June theme is some kind of bride photo.


It is bride photos that we're looking for here - the most well executed, uniquely different but still a beautiful bride photo nevertheless without major photo manipulation. It can be something angled differently, or something odd or amusing. It just should not be the usual kind of bride stuff. It just have to be NOT in league with the usual kind of bride portrait and yet still maintain the dignity and beauty of the bride.


Since only minor photo manipulation is acceptable, please check out our mechanics on what covers acceptable photo manipulation in the photo challenge through this link: 
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/dp-photo-challenge-general-rules-and.html



deadlines:

posting of entries: 
from June 1 - June 14,  2012, 
12 midnight, 
Philippine time


voting or liking of entries:
from June1- June 16, 2012, 
12 midnight,
Philippine time


dp+ pick start of judging date:
June 16, 2012


Good luck to all!





Saturday, May 19, 2012

ranking of Popular Votes Pick entries for dp+ photo challenge 6

After the final casting of votes on May 13, 2012 for the theme Exceptional Flower photos for the month of May photo challenge 6, here is the ranking of entries from Top 10 to Top 1 majority votes. They are:

Top 10 - Entry 12 - Chito Francisco - "Cactus" - Canon 300D - 26 votes

Top 10 - Entry 26 - Mark Xavier Legaspi - "Random garden flower" - Nikon D7000 - 26 votes
Top 8 - Entry 28 - Karen Eaquinta Sharkey - "Datura Stramogium - Danger don't eat me"  - Nikon L20 - 28 votes

Top 8 - Entry 27 - Matthew Matchinsky - "Tulip" - Nikon D90 - 28 votes

Top 9 - Entry 19 - Eden Ee - "White lily with little frog"  - Ixus 11OS - 27 votes


Top 8 - Entry 25 - Francis Quinto - "Standing alone" - Nikon D7 - 28 votes

Top 8 - Entry 9 - Lara Juan - "Dancing Lady Orchid" -  Nikon D5000 - 28 votes

Top 8 - Entry 3 - Steven Ee Kim Cheng - "banana petals" - Canon 7D - 28 votes

Top 8 - Entry 1 - Betty Jo Jones - "Shooting stars being shot" - Nikon  D100 - 28 votes

Top 7 - Entry 33 - Derlin Zhang - "Why you have to..." - Canon 5D2 -  29 votes

Top 6 - Entry 10 - Jane Woodhouse - Breath of fresh air" - Canon Power Shot A470 - 30 votes 

Top 6 - Entry 5 - Janeth Nitoral - "My favorite pink flower" - Nikon D3100 - 30 votes

Top 5 - Entry 15 - Spinal Man - "Petals and bloom" - Canon 50D -  31 votes

Top 5 - Entry 19 - Adonis Tividad - "Spathiphylum" - Nikon D5100 - 31 votes  

Top 4 - Entry 17 - Monching Corpuz - "Epiphylum" - Nikon D90 - 35 votes 

Top 3 - Entry 21 - Nada Stambuk - Lilac Rhododendron" - Olympus Pen PL 1 - 38 votes

Top 2 - Entry 2 - Ric Tan - "Mimosa pudica" - Canon Poewrshot SX 40HS - 46 votes

Top 1 - Entry 1 - Lennox Tpc - "Glowing through the darkness" - Canon 60D - 47 votes

Top 1 - Entry 4 - Lily Vinluan - "Lone young cherry" -  Canon 600D - 47 votes


Congratulations to our top 10 entries in the Popular Votes Pick!!



Friday, May 18, 2012

dp+ 10th monthsary milestones

"the heart of the matter is a flower" - photo by Gina Villanueva-Uyan



It was dp+' 10th month in existence as a Facebook group on May 17, 2012. Originally a Friendster group in 2007, many developments occurred since Digital Photography Plus' inception as a Facebook group on July 17, 2011. Here are the milestones from February 17 - April 17, 2012, dp+' 10th monthsary:

1. dp+ group site members - 950 members

2. Number of Likes on dp+ official Facebook site - 686 Likes
To all dp+ members - please support our official facebook page found on this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-Photography-PLUS/242285489128553

3. dp+ site members - 165 members - check out this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-was-dp-9th-month-in-existence-as.html

4. An HDR department headed by Edmund Chan - HDR work in progress

5. dp+ photo challenge 6 - with Exceptional Flower Photo as theme - awaits dp+ Pick result, and  to be posted is the announcement of dp+ photo challenge 7 theme. Here is the official entries album to photo challenge 6: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?id=100001557657899&tid=164854913587122&frecId=false&skipClustering=true&qn=1335879010&success=1&failure=0&set=oa.321240397948572

6. A Picbadge site for the group still in operation. This is dp+ official picbadge page: http://www.picbadges.com/digital-photography-plus/2345457/#

7. Continuation of presentation of Certificates of Photography Excellence to the winners of dp+ Popular Votes Pick and the dp+ Pick

8. Continuous issuance of Certificate of Appreciation to the dp+ Pick Panel of Judges

9. New daily photo challenge in the making and to be announced later.

In behalf of all dp+ administrators, we thank each and every member who continue to support the group. 

Thank you for sharing your photos and photo insights, appreciation of other members' works, joining the photo challenges as entrant or as voter or as a judge, or by just simply lending strength to the group when needed.

Congratulations to all those who won our photo challenges may they be the Popular Votes Pick or the dp+ Pick. Here's hoping for more challenges to overcome and many many more monthsaries and year-long anniversaries to come. Happy shooting to all - cheers!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Popular Votes Pick winners for photo challenge 6

For our Popular Votes Pick for photo challenge no. 6 - Exceptional Flower Photo theme - it was a tie between  Lily Vinluan and Lennox Tpc with 47 votes each closely followed by Ric Tan with 46. Congratulations to the new Popular Votes Pick winners!

Left side: Lily Vinluan entry; Right side: Lennox Tpc entry


photographer:Lennox Tpc
title: "Glowing through the darkness"
theme: Exceptional Flowers Photo
camera: Canon 60D


photographer: Lily Vinluan
title: "Lone young cherry"
theme: Exceptional Flowers Photo
camera: Canon 600D