dp+ photo challenge 10 Popular Votes Pick Winner

photo challenge 10 - First Prize Winner by Popular Votes Pick
theme: Ethnic Dance
photographer: Raphy Arcaina
title: Kagay-an Cultural Street Dancer
camera: Nikon D5100
total no. of votes: 43

dp+ pick winner - photo challenge 9 with theme "happiness captured"

dp+ Winning Entry - photo challenge 9 - dp+ Pick
theme: Happiness Captured
photographer: Macky Sevilla
title: "Shower Fun"
camera: Canon 500D
total judges score: 460/500

Here are the remarks of the judges who included this entry to their top 3 picks: 

Judge 1 - 2nd Pick - 88/100

"Great in-the-moment shot. It is difficult to capture the nuances of water and expression, but ably done! Very nice image, makes me smile!"

Judge 2 - 2nd Pick - 90/100

"Simple yet the adaptation is clearly defined. We all enjoyed a splash in the tub in our childhood."

Judge 3 - 1st Pick - 97/100

"A very happy kid playing with water. Happiness captured, indeed. Perfect, what more can i say?"

Judge 4 - 1st Pick - 93/100

"Now this is pure unadulterated fun! I'm pretty sure everyone experienced this kind of joy, even just watching kids playing and having fun makes one happy. It brings out the child in all of us, This entry fits the theme perfectly. The black and white treatment makes it a classic. Great job!"

Judge 5 - 2nd Pick - 92/100

"Not just a well captured expression of joy, it added the extra challenge of a nicely done water splash."

This entry placed 4th with 38 votes in the Popular Votes Pick where dp+ members voted entries through likes compared with 1st placer entry by Karen Eaquinta Sharkey with 65 votes.

5 judges voted for this entry in the dp+ Pick. 2 judges as 1st Pick and 3 judges as 2nd Pick. It is the first time that an entry gets to be picked by all 5 judges. Compared with 2nd Place entry by Aileen Siwa with 170/500 picked by only 2 judges, Macky Sevilla's entry got included in all the judges' top 3 picks, gathering 460/500 votes. The rest of the entries that made it to the dp+ Pick only got picked by 1 judge each. This entry won unanimously. An easier competition for the judges and a decision that sure made everyone happy.

Congratulations, Macky Sevilla for winning the "Happiness Captured" theme. Happily captured and happily judged, a real winner of an entry - really great job!!

dp+ Pick winner, photo challenge 5 with theme photo illusions

dp+ Winning Entry - Photo Challenge 5
theme: Photo Illusions without Photo Manipulation
title: "Dreamy"
camera: Olympus PEN E-PL1
total judges score: 354/500

There were 5 judges in all in dp+ Photo Challenge 5. Unlike previous challenges, out of 5 judges, 4 judges included this entry to their top 3 choices. Only 1 judge excluded this entry in his top 3 picks. 2 judges voted for this entry as their 1st Pick, while 2 others placed this entry on their 2nd and 3rd Picks. A score of 354/500 - means a comparatively high majority score from the judges.

This entry is 1 judge more in its favor compared with the top 2nd dp+ Pick with a score of 261/500 by Juanito Vinluan which was chosen by 3 judges to be included in their top 3 picks. Vinluan got a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Pick each from 3 judges while top 3rd dp+ Pick by Zandro Cenizal got 1 top pick and 1 2nd Pick. These 3 are obviously ahead of all the other entries.

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

Judge 1

1st Pick

Remark: The best thing I like about this one is that it is not scripted. She did a good job in spotting this one and took her time to take it. The shot is simple, yet has a big impact.

Judge 2

2nd Pick

Remark: I like the colors and proper exposure on the shot, not too technical and fancy, but effective.

Judge 3

3rd Pick

Remark: Illusion ought to be something that remains a mystery, a riddle. In this entry, it took no time for me to see the illusion the secret of the photo is very evident to be inversion. Technically very sound.

Judge 5

1st Pick

Remark: No fancy technical stuff - that just did it. A simple yet effective photo illusion. Sheer aesthetic appeal place it on my top pick, for at the end of the day, when theme adaptation is exhausted and when all is said about technical stuff, the bottom line is still how a photo would look and on that score - this entry is a winner.

It should also be noted that this entry is also the winner of the dp+ Popular Votes Pick - getting 53 votes, compared with 2nd placer, Juanito Vinluan with 42 votes and 3rd placer, Monching Corpuz with 35 votes.
It is undoubtedly a photo illusion minus photo manipulation and it is technically sound, too. When you look at it, it is as if leaves are floating in the sky like some Chagall painting - an altogether beautiful work of art at its best - kudos to Nada Stambuk!!

dp+ Pick Winner - 3rd photo challenge

dp+ Pick Winning Entry - Photo Challenge 3
theme: sweet Valentines
photographer: Lennox Tpc
title: "They do celebrate Valentines"
camera: Fuji Film Finepix S200 EXR
total score: 188/500

There were 5 judges and 2 voted for this entry as the 1st Pick in their top 3 choices. There is no vote for this entry from the remaining 3 judges since majority of the judges did not reach any consensus on their top 3 choices. A tough decision for all the dp+ panel of judges.

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


Judge 3
"When I saw this picture it put a smile on my face. The timing was perfect because it's very difficult to capture a moment like this. Very unique, too."

Judge 5
"Kudos for being in the right place at the right time when nature chose to make its union in the shape of a heart which is a symbol of Valentines, too, although not as sweet. For lack of other more eligible entry puts this on top of my list. A quite unusual Valentine and great capture!"

A special mention from Judge 4 but not included in his top 3 picks:
"Great capture, but then this again is a good picture that just happened. The photographer came across these two insects. The other thing is that with the spirit of Valentines Day, one insect eating the other kind of kills the romantic part, hahahaha... but overall a good image."

It should be worth mentioning that this entry also won the Popular Votes Pick. It means that majority of the  dp+ members who voted, also liked this entry. It is the first time that an entry won both the Popular Votes Pick and the dp+ Pick. A tough competition in the dp+ Pick with only 2 points more than the top 2 Pick, though, but nevertheless, emerged victorious. A CONGRATULATIONS in all caps - well deserved, Lennox!!

point of focus - photography from an art director's point of view

photo by Hieronymus Rosales for Digital Photography Plus

The first thing an art/photo director looks for in a photograph for editorial use is photography focus. It is the way a photograph focuses to show only what ought to be seen or how it just focuses on what’s most important.

The beauty of photography is being able to capture moments in all its minutest detail. It is one of its best assets but it can sometimes also work against it. How? It is when unwanted elements are captured that the photographer failed to notice or was not able to filter out. So how do you filter out unnecessary elements in your frame? How do you only give focus on just the important details? Here are a few ideas:

a. Reduce Clutter -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_809.html
b. Cropping -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_335.html
c. Vignetting -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_29.html
d. Selective-focusing -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art.html

point of focus - photography from an art director's point of view - reducing clutter

introduction -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_5648.html

a. Reducing Clutter

photo by Juanito Vinluan for Digital Photography Plus

What does it mean when we talk clutter in photography? They are things that reduce the effectiveness of your photo by derailing viewers to the actual focus or subject of the shoot. They are a nuisance to a photo and do not support the main theme or subject. They are elements that just got included in the frame because they happen to be there at the time of the shoot.

Since most magazine editorial photographs are pre-arranged photo shoot, take the time to scout the place for uncluttered backgrounds or surroundings. Unless you are aiming for the photo journalistic look, if you have the time and the means to physically reduce clutter, always try first to do so. 

b. Cropping -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_335.html

c. Vignetting -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_29.html

d. Selective-focusing -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art.html

point of focus - photography from an art director's point of view - cropping

introduction -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_5648.html
a. Reducing Clutter -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_809.html

b. Cropping

photo by Gilbert de Vera for Digital Photography Plus

From a magazine art director’s point of view, one important skill a good photographer should have is being able to crop their image well. It is an essential factor that sometimes delineates an excellent photograph from the mediocre. It can even make or break a composition. It also sets apart use of non-full frame cameras to full frame cameras when doing magazine cover photos. It was discussed in an earlier article through this link:
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2011/09/digital-cameras-full-frame-and-non-full.html).

So just when do you crop your image? A photographer can by instinct crop their image as they shoot. It is part of their eye-training as they compose the elements in a frame. It depends on one’s personal style whether to crop more tightly for a more dramatic or unusual look, or to crop just enough to remove unneeded elements. The important thing is getting rid of the unnecessary parts.

Another way of cropping is software based like if you trim down your photo using Adobe Photoshop or any photo manipulating software. Trimming down a photo so much through photo manipulation can substantially reduce the resolution of your photograph though.

c. Vignetting -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_29.html
d. Selective-focusing -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art.html

point of focus - photography from an art director's point of view - vignetting

introduction -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_5648.html
a. Reducing Clutter -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_809.html
b. Cropping -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_335.html

c. Vignetting

photo by Derlin Zhang for Digital Photography Plus

Another way to give focus to your main subject and to eliminate unwanted elements is through vignetting. It is a software-based effect that can either gradually darken or lighten corners or rear parts of a photo frame. Some of the softwares that carry vignetting tools are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. It must be used with discretion though to avoid the fancy, unnatural look.

d. Selective-focusing -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art.html

point of focus - photography from an art director's point of view - selective focusing

introduction -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_5648.html
a. Reducing Clutter -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_809.html
b. Cropping -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_335.html
c. Vignetting -
http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/point-of-focus-photography-from-art_29.html

d. Selective-focusing

photo by Christopher de Venecia for Digital Photography Plus

How to do it? Just set your camera to aperture priority, use a lens with a big opening (the lower the opening number, the bigger the opening) examples are f1.2, f1.4 or f1.8. You can also use telephotos or long lenses. They almost always tend to bring about this effect when set on a lower aperture. Select a point in the frame where the element should be given focus. Only the element focused will be detailed the rest of the elements will take on a soft focused, obscured effect.

It doesn’t apply to all types of shots though and you don’t just create a shallow depth of field in your photos just because your lens has the capacity to do so or just because it is the trend and more photographers do it. It has its own important function especially in editorial photography. And one of it is to reduce the clutter in a photograph so viewers’ eyes will be guided to follow what the photograph set out to be focused on. It is one very effective means of filtering out unwanted elements in a frame so readers can pay attention to only the essential element or detail in the piece.

One important rule of thumb whether to do a selective focus or not - just make sure that the element being given such special treatment and detail deserves  the attention.

digital camera's full frame and non-full frame proportion

This is a must to know if you are a photographer who plans to shoot for magazines using a digital camera (an editorial photographer), or if you are a magazine art or photo director, or a magazine editor - what the full frame and non-full frame digital camera proportions are in connection with your magazine size. This is especially important if you are one of those photographers who prefer to be in control of how much your photos should be cropped. For editors, art and photo directors you need to know in advance whether or not a photographer's camera is full frame or not, to calculate the space for your masthead for cover photos so that you will know how much of the photo you can tightly crop without sacrificing the photo composition.

Here are the proportions:

photo by Edmund Chan
Canon 5D mk2 - full frame

photo by Warlen Hipulan Rodriguez

Canon 1100D

The size of a full frame digital camera is 3 inches longer in length in proportion to the usual magazine size of 8 1/2 X 11 inches. So if you are using a full-frame camera and you are shooting for the cover of an 8 1/2 X 11" sized magazine, aside from the provisional space you will allot for the masthead, you should allow space for the cropping of additional 3 more inches on its length.

But if you are shooting for National Geographic, no need to make provision for a 3-inch space for cropping. National Geographic takes the actual proportion of full frame cameras, all you need to allot space for is the masthead.

Non-full frame cameras, on the other hand, are the exact proportion of an 8 1/2 X 11 inches magazine. Here you can control the cropping of your photos and preserve the dignity of your composition.

These same proportions are in effect when you have your photos printed in a vertical orientation, too. In the pre-digital days when people use mostly film cameras, notice that when you enlarge a photo to fill the usual 8 1/2 X 11-inch photo paper, some of the areas are automatically cropped either on top or at the bottom in a vertical orientation just like a full frame digital camera. This is because full frame cameras adopted the proportion of a film camera. So if we want to preserve the cropping of our photos when we have it printed the best thing to do is print it with either a white or black border. Notice that after the photos were printed with border, the left and right-side borders of the prints are thicker than the borders on its top and bottom side in a vertical orientation, clearly demonstrating  the difference in proportion.