# Pixmedics Photo Contest V (AKA: The big one)



## pixmedic

are we up to five already? I guess we are! Time to change things up a bit and up the ante!

for those of you just tuning in....
welcome to a special edition of the Pixmedic (Ihavenoideahowoftenthisisgoingtohappen) photo contest!
*As a disclaimer, please be aware that this is NOT an official TPF sponsored contest. It is being done strictly by me, and was approved by administration.*






to participate in this contest, post ONE photo in this thread that you feel best encompasses your vision of the theme. You can be as literal as you want, or think outside the box with subtlety and innuendo.
The contest will run for approximately one month, and at the end of a very vague and possibly changing time period, the wife and I (along with our business of ferrets) will decide on a winner.

The rules are simple.
I will announce a theme. If you wish to participate in the contest, post ONE picture (taken by you) that you feel best fits the theme. Pictures taken prior to the contest are admissible as long as they were taken by you and have NOT been submitted in another of my contests.
The judging is based primarily on theme appropriateness and creativity, _*not *_on the technical aspects of photography.
Only one entry per person is allowed, but you ARE allowed to edit your post and change pictures up until the contest closes. Failure to follow contest rules will lead to a disqualification.

As I mentioned earlier, this contest is going to be a special one. It is going to have a _*double theme*_, and therefore, _*double the prize! *_




awe yea...look at all that Visa gift card goodness!


now....down to bweesness.

Let me explain how this contest is going to work.
There will be TWO themes this time, and you must make one theme fit within the other.
the picture must encompass both themes in some manner to qualify. 
unlike previous contests where the theme was pretty ambiguous, this time I will be somewhat confining/bottlenecking participants by directly stating what genre the photo must adhere to.
which brings me to the first "theme"...
_*Portrait.*_

well, there it is. the photo submission for this contest must fit into the portrait genre. _*How *_it fits into that genre is up to you.

but wait! there's more!
"Portrait" would be a pretty cool theme by itself, but it just wouldn't do to double the prize without doubling the thinking you have to do, now would it?
this seems like a good time to bring up the second theme...
_*Evokes an emotional response. *_
from who you ask? the subject? the viewer? A third party? whos to say! that's part of the fun!

So, let's recap...
your submission must be a picture that falls within the Portrait genre that evokes an emotional response in some way. 
simple eh?
feel free to think outside the box, or take it literally, or anything in between!

the contest will run until the end of June.
As usual, the wife and I reserve the right to edit, change, add to, subtract from,  or cancel this contest at any time for any dumb old reason. 

good luck, and good shooting!


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## DanOstergren

This is my entry. I shot this portrait of one of my best friends and his beau last week.


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## jcdeboever

Sweet as well as challenging. This is going to be fun. Thank you for your generosity.


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## zombiesniper

This sounds like a fun one.
Since sweet has been taken care of, I'll hit the next emotion.


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## tirediron

Thanks Jason - your generosity to this forum is amazing!  Much appreciated.


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## pixmedic

Holiday bump!
dont miss this extra bonus contest people, and don't forget...if you post a picture and then find/take a better one you can always edit your post and change it up until the last day of June!


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## Gary A.

I'll play.


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## trevburley

I've got a few more that I've yet to edit but in the meantime here's my daughter and other half having fun


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## acparsons

00000 by Machiavelliar, on Flickr


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## pixmedic

So
Happy
Its
Thursday
!


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## pixmedic

two weeks down, only three more to go before this contest ends!
Dont wait until the last minute and risk missing out on the $100 prize!


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## pixmedic

Come on guys...a third of the way through the month already and not many entries.  Don't make it so easy on the people that already submitted photos. Give them some competition!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


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## JoeW

Pixmedic...this is like an eBay auction...all of the serious contestants are waiting towards the end to submit their bid...er, uh...submission.


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## Dean_Gretsch

JoeW said:


> Pixmedic...this is like an eBay auction...all of the serious contestants are waiting towards the end to submit their bid...er, uh...submission.


If the critics don't have time to pick it apart...


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## chuasam

This is a double edged sword for me.
On one hand, I am a portrait photographer by trade, on the other hand I am also alexithymic; this means that I am good at taking portraits but I do not understand the corresponding emotional response.


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## smoke665

In The Eyes Of A Britt:

If you've ever been the human to a Brittany, you'll understand this, you don't "choose" them. Like kindred spirits across the universe they find you. 




Sadie Mae.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr


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## trexon

eyes don't age

eyes don't age


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## pixmedic

were on the downward slope now. 
contest will end on the 30th


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## jcdeboever

The Taker


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## tirediron

pixmedic said:


> were on the downward slope now.
> contest will end on the 30th


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## pixmedic

tirediron said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> 
> were on the downward slope now.
> contest will end on the 30th
Click to expand...


still plenty of time left to get your entry in


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## tirediron

smoke665 said:


> In The Eyes Of A Britt:
> 
> If you've ever been the human to a Brittany, you'll understand this, you don't "choose" them. Like kindred spirits across the universe they find you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sadie Mae.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr


Based on those eyes, I assume it's been at least a week since Sadie has been fed or petted?


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## smoke665

@tirediron she can work those eyes! LOL


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## PhotoriousMe

Attitude


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## Low_Sky

PhotoriousMe said:


> Attitude



Nothing says BA like Minnie Mouse ear rings, haha.


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## adamhiram

Mowing Bubbles




20170604-DSC_2652a by adamhiram, on Flickr


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## DanOstergren

JoeW said:


> Pixmedic...this is like an eBay auction...all of the serious contestants are waiting towards the end to submit their bid...er, uh...submission.


Who says those of us who already submitted aren't serious?


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## Parker219

Time to go to work selfie.


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## pixmedic

Only 9 days left!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


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## SquarePeg

School's Out For Summer!


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## pixmedic

We're down to the last week!
As a reminder, the last day for submissions will be Friday the 30th. Any photos posted after the 30th will not be considered.
This contest will have run a month and a half so there's been plenty of time to put something together. 

A lot of great submissions already. The ferrets have started their pre judging nap before the official judging nap that takes place before the actual judging, which is immediately followed by a post judging nap before dinner and bedtime. (There's a lot of napping involved for them so they have to get a head start on it)

The clock is ticking, it's time to put up or....i dunno, not put up?
Whatev's. 


Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


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## SquarePeg

Put up or put out.


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## pixmedic

only twoooooooooooooooo days left!


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## hokies2379

For Love of the Game








Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app


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## idcanyon

I feel like this is a portrait that evokes an emotional response--What's your phobia...heights, dark, water, caves?



Through the torrent by Jeff Wurst, on Flickr


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## pixmedic

Last day!
If anyone has been saving their entry for the last minute, now's the time. 

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


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## pixmedic

aaaaaaaaand times up!


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## pixmedic

love seeing so many kid shots. 
its really hard to do better than a child for conveying emotion. 
just seems to be natural for them. 

as soon as the ferrets wake up, we can start the judging process. 
hopefully we can reach concensus before the weekend is over


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## pixmedic

havent forgotten!
finally off shift, consensus has been reached, stand by for details...


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## pixmedic

so many great shots, so few gift cards to give away...

before I post the results, I want to take a few minutes to discuss the contest itself.

first and foremost,  as I try to state at the beginning of all my contests, although we do so by the grace and blessings of the TPF administration, (thank you @terri) these contests and prizes are a private deal done by the wife and I and are _*not*_ a forum sponsored event. This is why the winner is chosen by us personally and not by votes. 
secondly, like all contests that revolve around someones personal views of something, our contests are subjective. Me and the wife often have different photos that we "like" the best, but ultimately we have to come to consensus on one photo that we can agree best fits the theme. this is not always the best "technical" photo, and sometimes we have to pass on a photo that we personally like better for a photo that we ultimately feel better suits the theme.  It can be quite the conundrum. 
the double theme of this contest made the process even more difficult because we not only had to decide how well each photo fit into the "portrait" category, but also what sort of "emotional response" the picture elicited/portrayed to a third party with no prior knowledge/connection to the subject. 
both are at least partially subjective, but ultimately we had to make a decision on both the "portrait" and "emotional response" criteria. 
As a final note,  I was asked about the actual judging process so ill go ahead and post it here...

basically, this is how it works. 
I keep a loose eye on the thread from the time its posted to answer any questions, bump the thread, add additional info if needed, etc etc. 
the wife, who isn't really active here anymore, typically doesn't look at the thread until I tell her its time to make a decision. 
once the deadline has been reached, me and the wife will go over the thread a few times individually at our earliest convenience to form our own, separate opinions. once we are both sure we are familiarized enough with the entries we will gather the ferrets and sit down together to discuss which photos we felt best fit the theme. Usually by the time we get together we have narrowed it down to maybe two pictures each. sometimes our choices overlap, sometimes they are very different. we will discuss why we made the choices we did and the merits of each photo until we can agree on one photo that we can declare the winner. after that, its just a matter of getting on and updating the thread and finding the youtube video of kermit. 
well, there it is. 
I hope that clears things up a bit and everyone has a better understanding of how our contests work.


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## pixmedic

and the winner is.....

@DanOstergren   with his entry, 


 


Gratz Dan!





PM me your info so we can get your package in the mail.


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## trevburley

Congratulations DanOstergren! A well deserved win!

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## jcdeboever

I knew that was going to win, congrats!


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## DanOstergren

pixmedic said:


> and the winner is.....
> 
> @DanOstergren   with his entry,
> View attachment 142673
> 
> 
> Gratz Dan!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PM me your info so we can get your package in the mail.


Wow, I honestly wasn't expecting this, thank you!


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## pixmedic

DanOstergren said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> 
> and the winner is.....
> 
> @DanOstergren   with his entry,
> View attachment 142673
> 
> 
> Gratz Dan!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PM me your info so we can get your package in the mail.
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, I honestly wasn't expecting this, thank you!
Click to expand...


a well deserved win, though the competition was fierce.


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## SquarePeg

Great photo!  Meets the double theme perfectly.  Congrats Dan.


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## zombiesniper

Congrats Dan. It is a great photo.

Thank you to pixmedic for running such a generous contest.


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## adamhiram

Nice job, Dan!


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## DanOstergren

I love that this photo won. It wasn't necessarily a curated shot, as I was having dinner with one of my best friends and his new beau, and after dinner he showed me these cheap mood lights that he had just purchased from Ikea that he was planning to set up in his kitchen underneath the cupboards. I had my camera with me and asked if we could experiment with the lights and see what sort of images we could come up with. The overall quality of the image isn't that great because of a high ISO setting and I have a tendency to under expose all of my photos, causing a decent amount of noise on my old 5D MKI. The impact of the shot overshadows any technical flaws for me, and I'm glad I didn't trash the shot for not being technically perfect.


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## chuasam

Of course I was rooting for me Hhaha but the best photo won. Great choice and well done Dan. 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## goooner

Congrats Dan, great shot.


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## chuasam

pixmedic said:


> DanOstergren said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> 
> and the winner is.....
> 
> @DanOstergren   with his entry,
> View attachment 142673
> 
> 
> Gratz Dan!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PM me your info so we can get your package in the mail.
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, I honestly wasn't expecting this, thank you!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> a well deserved win, though the competition was fierce.
Click to expand...

I would love to hear about the judging process and the thought that goes into it if you don't mind.
And great choice of winner by the way.


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## pixmedic

chuasam said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DanOstergren said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> 
> and the winner is.....
> 
> @DanOstergren   with his entry,
> View attachment 142673
> 
> 
> Gratz Dan!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PM me your info so we can get your package in the mail.
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, I honestly wasn't expecting this, thank you!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> a well deserved win, though the competition was fierce.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I would love to hear about the judging process and the thought that goes into it if you don't mind.
> And great choice of winner by the way.
Click to expand...



did you miss post #40? or did I miss something you were interested in knowing about?


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## jcdeboever

pixmedic said:


> so many great shots, so few gift cards to give away...
> 
> before I post the results, I want to take a few minutes to discuss the contest itself.
> 
> first and foremost,  as I try to state at the beginning of all my contests, although we do so by the grace and blessings of the TPF administration, (thank you @terri) these contests and prizes are a private deal done by the wife and I and are _*not*_ a forum sponsored event. This is why the winner is chosen by us personally and not by votes.
> secondly, like all contests that revolve around someones personal views of something, our contests are subjective. Me and the wife often have different photos that we "like" the best, but ultimately we have to come to consensus on one photo that we can agree best fits the theme. this is not always the best "technical" photo, and sometimes we have to pass on a photo that we personally like better for a photo that we ultimately feel better suits the theme.  It can be quite the conundrum.
> the double theme of this contest made the process even more difficult because we not only had to decide how well each photo fit into the "portrait" category, but also what sort of "emotional response" the picture elicited/portrayed to a third party with no prior knowledge/connection to the subject.
> both are at least partially subjective, but ultimately we had to make a decision on both the "portrait" and "emotional response" criteria.
> As a final note,  I was asked about the actual judging process so ill go ahead and post it here...
> 
> basically, this is how it works.
> I keep a loose eye on the thread from the time its posted to answer any questions, bump the thread, add additional info if needed, etc etc.
> the wife, who isn't really active here anymore, typically doesn't look at the thread until I tell her its time to make a decision.
> once the deadline has been reached, me and the wife will go over the thread a few times individually at our earliest convenience to form our own, separate opinions. once we are both sure we are familiarized enough with the entries we will gather the ferrets and sit down together to discuss which photos we felt best fit the theme. Usually by the time we get together we have narrowed it down to maybe two pictures each. sometimes our choices overlap, sometimes they are very different. we will discuss why we made the choices we did and the merits of each photo until we can agree on one photo that we can declare the winner. after that, its just a matter of getting on and updating the thread and finding the youtube video of kermit.
> well, there it is.
> I hope that clears things up a bit and everyone has a better understanding of how our contests work.


That's fantastic! Sounds like fun and your generosity is just, over the top! They're fun to participate in. I like the planning, journaling, and the challenge to execute. For me, it feels like I am trying to improve the art of my photography. Even though I didn't win, I had a great time and enjoyed seeing all the contributions. Thanks again for all your time and generosity.


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## chuasam

pixmedic said:


> did you miss post #40? or did I miss something you were interested in knowing about?


I wanted to know more about the emotional response to each picture.
I wanted to hear about the laughter and the joys to each image as it was being reviewed.


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## pixmedic

chuasam said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> 
> did you miss post #40? or did I miss something you were interested in knowing about?
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to know more about the emotional response to each picture.
> I wanted to hear about the laughter and the joys to each image as it was being reviewed.
Click to expand...


that's a toughie....
im not going to go over each individual critique here, but i will disclose some of our trade secrets, including a generalized breakdown of how we reach consensus. Its a proprietary algorithm I like to call, _*processus autem certamine victor eligens, *_ but for the purpose of this post it will hereby simply be known as "the process".

I would like to preempt this dissertation with a warning and disclaimer: These contests are strictly the wife and I's (mine and the wifes? me and the wifes? the wife and me's?...#%@$... @limr help me out here please!) personal opinions in an already very subjective medium.
if you are prior entrants and/or feel you might be offended by my explanations of our subjectivity, please read no further. you have been warned.
if you are not easily offended and wish a bit of insight into "the process", then full steam ahead.

so, as you know, (if you read post #40)  the first part of "the process" is us simply going over the pictures by ourselves, at our own pace. this normally happens over the course of a day in between other things. 
this part is more of a "rule out" more than "picking a winner".
If you have read the full post of my more recent contests, you will also know that the contests are less about technical perfection and more about theme appropriateness and creativity.
so...ill go ahead and use this contest as an example. (last chance to stop reading if you think you might not like why your particular picture didn't win)

first up is the initial culling process...we feel there's no point in sitting down together to discuss things until we have narrowed our own choices down to a max of 2-3 pictures. 
sometimes we have photos that are our favorites because we really like them, that we wish we could have taken, but are not necessarily the "best" for the theme. 
please bear in mind that even within photography, the term "portrait" itself is pretty subjective. everyone has their own ideas, and its no secret which end me and the wife lean towards. some pictures ranked lower because we felt they fell more into the "snapshot" category than the "portrait" category. some pictures ranked lower because we felt that while they might have had an emotional value to the photographer, (maybe a family member) to an outside party looking in, it didn't evoke that same feeling. in some cases we were not even sure what "emotional response" we were supposed to be feeling, or was being projected. 

@DanOstergren came in strong right out of the gate, but the red tint gave us some pause right up until the end. 
for *me*,  @zombiesniper just killed it. I was like, holy shite...i wish i had a shot like that in MY portfolio. 
and @PhotoriousMe had another of my personal favorites. 

the *wife *on the other hand, favored @adamhiram bubble mower shot, as well as Dans, despite her aversion to the red lighting. 
@smoke665 was also high on her final list with the fuzzy. 

now, since you brought this up @chuasam ill get to yours, and since you asked for it, I hope you will take this in the spirit in which it was given, with is with much respect. 
you should have won man. you had it. everything we love about portraiture. its a brilliant portrait. we assumed this was a cancer patient/survivor?
but....the wife noted early on that there was just something missing. the expression? her head placement?  a cancer awareness pin?
we never really pinned down *exactly* what we felt was off, only that there was just....something, keeping us from really feeling it.
in the end it came down to your shot and Dans, and in the interest of full disclosure, if you want the 100% honest-to-Zeus truth...
Dans shot really hit us in the feels, and yours did not. 

well, there it is...
I hope I haven't been too offensive, but thats "the process" for this contest.


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## JoeW

Congrats DO!  I was planning to enter but was intimidated by your entry and instead stayed on the sidelines.


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## DanOstergren

JoeW said:


> Congrats DO!  I was planning to enter but was intimidated by your entry and instead stayed on the sidelines.


You could have beat me! Next time you should enter for sure.


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## limr

pixmedic said:


> I would like to preempt this dissertation with a warning and disclaimer: These contests are strictly the wife and I's (mine and the wifes? me and the wifes? the wife and me's?...#%@$... @limr help me out here please!) personal opinions in an already very subjective medium.



When in doubt, avoid it completely and re-write 

"These contests and their rules belong strictly to my wife and me." 

"These contests are run strictly by my wife and me."


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## zombiesniper

pixmedic said:


> for *me*, @zombiesniper just killed it. I was like, holy shite...i wish i had a shot like that in MY portfolio.



Thank you for the kind words.

It's also cool to read the process involved.


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## chuasam

Thanks PixMedic.
I don't really feel much emotion so I want to understand the reaction of others to photographs that bring emotion.
I agree that Dan's has the feels.
A good friend of mine from High School (now I graduated a quarter of a century ago) had revealed that her daughter had a rare cancer. I told her that if she comes down to my studio, I will get her some images that she can use to raise funds and awareness.
 Thanks for the critique. I wanted to learn to improve and create more moving photos. Since you're in the medical field, the answer is Ewing's Sarcoma.


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## jcdeboever

pixmedic said:


> chuasam said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> 
> did you miss post #40? or did I miss something you were interested in knowing about?
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to know more about the emotional response to each picture.
> I wanted to hear about the laughter and the joys to each image as it was being reviewed.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> that's a toughie....
> im not going to go over each individual critique here, but i will disclose some of our trade secrets, including a generalized breakdown of how we reach consensus. Its a proprietary algorithm I like to call, _*processus autem certamine victor eligens, *_ but for the purpose of this post it will hereby simply be known as "the process".
> 
> I would like to preempt this dissertation with a warning and disclaimer: These contests are strictly the wife and I's (mine and the wifes? me and the wifes? the wife and me's?...#%@$... @limr help me out here please!) personal opinions in an already very subjective medium.
> if you are prior entrants and/or feel you might be offended by my explanations of our subjectivity, please read no further. you have been warned.
> if you are not easily offended and wish a bit of insight into "the process", then full steam ahead.
> 
> so, as you know, (if you read post #40)  the first part of "the process" is us simply going over the pictures by ourselves, at our own pace. this normally happens over the course of a day in between other things.
> this part is more of a "rule out" more than "picking a winner".
> If you have read the full post of my more recent contests, you will also know that the contests are less about technical perfection and more about theme appropriateness and creativity.
> so...ill go ahead and use this contest as an example. (last chance to stop reading if you think you might not like why your particular picture didn't win)
> 
> first up is the initial culling process...we feel there's no point in sitting down together to discuss things until we have narrowed our own choices down to a max of 2-3 pictures.
> sometimes we have photos that are our favorites because we really like them, that we wish we could have taken, but are not necessarily the "best" for the theme.
> please bear in mind that even within photography, the term "portrait" itself is pretty subjective. everyone has their own ideas, and its no secret which end me and the wife lean towards. some pictures ranked lower because we felt they fell more into the "snapshot" category than the "portrait" category. some pictures ranked lower because we felt that while they might have had an emotional value to the photographer, (maybe a family member) to an outside party looking in, it didn't evoke that same feeling. in some cases we were not even sure what "emotional response" we were supposed to be feeling, or was being projected.
> 
> @DanOstergren came in strong right out of the gate, but the red tint gave us some pause right up until the end.
> for *me*,  @zombiesniper just killed it. I was like, holy shite...i wish i had a shot like that in MY portfolio.
> and @PhotoriousMe had another of my personal favorites.
> 
> the *wife *on the other hand, favored @adamhiram bubble mower shot, as well as Dans, despite her aversion to the red lighting.
> @smoke665 was also high on her final list with the fuzzy.
> 
> now, since you brought this up @chuasam ill get to yours, and since you asked for it, I hope you will take this in the spirit in which it was given, with is with much respect.
> you should have won man. you had it. everything we love about portraiture. its a brilliant portrait. we assumed this was a cancer patient/survivor?
> but....the wife noted early on that there was just something missing. the expression? her head placement?  a cancer awareness pin?
> we never really pinned down *exactly* what we felt was off, only that there was just....something, keeping us from really feeling it.
> in the end it came down to your shot and Dans, and in the interest of full disclosure, if you want the 100% honest-to-Zeus truth...
> Dans shot really hit us in the feels, and yours did not.
> 
> well, there it is...
> I hope I haven't been too offensive, but thats "the process" for this contest.
Click to expand...


That is cool. I didn't think or I should say, I knew I wasn't going to win. However, I had a plan I stuck with it. Problem was, you can't  make a good person look like a robber... Lol. I tried and knew it didn't  come off. I just was thinking outside the box. I remembered the emotional aspect of being robbed at gun point on several occasions growing up in Detroit, but couldn't  seem to duplicate it's random, adrenaline,  emotional  response. I called a few ex gang banger allie friends of mine and they refused to pull a gun on me for a photo contest. One of them said, "I ain't, and none of our brothers finna even think of playing your game like that dog, you'll throw some of that ninja **** on us cause y'all be thinking this **** is going down fo real. Man, you crazy, let me hold a Jackson". I said, you want a Jackson, hold me up snoopy. We laughed are butt off and moved on. I met up with snoopy the week following and showed him a pic of a 1600 SAT friend of mine (we all lived in the same village) that cleaned his clock, and two of our buddies, in a steet fight. He said, that ****** ain't dead? Nope, he is still ugly and has the render of that pipe on his face. He said that ****** had cement hands. 

In conclusion,  your contest provided enhancements into my life.


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