New Applicant 1 - JB Killa (Restart)

[Lady Ushio]

Applicant's Name: JB Killa
CB status: 12th Div Captain


- How and why did you become interested in photography?
just from seeing other beautiful photographs i just wanted to take pictures that other people would consider beautiful and tell a story behind the picture. my stepmom being a photographer also made my interest in it grow
- Since when you started taking photography in real life?
ive been taking pictures now for a few years but only just recently became quite interested in it
- Why do you want to join Shutter Squad?
to broaden my horizon and learn new techniques in photography, also to get a feel for what other people are doing.
- Who is your favorite photographer?
dont have one, i like looking at a multitude of peoples work and can find beauty in alot of peoples photographs
- Post one photograph that you really like. Tell us visually why you like it.
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/229/yfashion37ud5.png
love this picture because of the pose and the background. someone so beautiful and alive in a place full of dead and ugly cars really shows that beautiful photography can be found everywhere.
- What do you want to learn about or improve on in regards to your own work?
i would just like to learn new aspects and tricks in taking nice pictures and i would like to improve my composition and focal perhaps
- If you were to become a professional photographer, what style of photography you will choose and why?
i dont think i ever would become a pro photographer because its just a hobby, but if i where i would love to take everyday ordinary scenes that tell a story through the eyes of another. second choice would definitely be magazine ads ^^



http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/1332/r323kr9.jpg
taken at a car meet, love how the car is overlooking the river and the sky behind it has so much depth.
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8799/set6466ak8.jpg
taken at night with color settings, just a beautiful night sky with palm trees gives it a very comfortable setting.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/5677/p1010071tl8.jpg
feel like this is a GAP ad lol, gives a feeling of carelessness and freedom imo
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7351/p1010043oj2.jpg
i like this one because it has a sense of adventure to it and alittle danger too :p
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/1143/51ig8.jpg
i like this picture cause it gives a feeling of peacefulness and serenity. its very calming, and you have to wonder what is it they're looking at..


Edit: Here yeah go. I'm making this a 2-week voting poll.

[Lady Ushio]

General Criteria for Judging:

Picture Quality:
Score: 80/100
Comment: The quality from all of his photographs are not crisp or visually clear.

Lightning:
Score: 80/100
Comment: Few of his photographs are underexposed and overexposed. It needs work.

Composition:
Score: 80/100
Comment: There isn't any composition that I find it interesting.

Variety:
Score: 80/100
Comment: He hasn't give us any other varieties to show other examples.

Depth:
Score: 81/100
Comment: I only admire the last photograph that he has in tems of depth.

Rule of the Thirds:
Score: 83/100
Comment: At least some of his photographs applied this rule.

Overall Ratings: 484/600 = 0.806 x 100 = 80.6% = 81%
Rank: C - Amateur
Overall Comment: He needs work to improve.

Rank:
Overall Comment:

[Yamamoto]

Picture Quality- 85%

Very solid. Best quality can be seen in the first and last.

Lighting- 60%

Okay not much variety there, if we accept him and hone skills we'll make him work on that.

Composition- 85%

Again, best at the first and last picture...moreso on the last picture. May need more clearer subjects.

Colors- 85%

Not much color variety, one being "applied color" but too monotone for me. Maybe its the fact the last three are like in the same area. The last one though i like.

Variety- 60%

Got some. The last three are like the same area but at least they're different subject/motives- i think these are what makes it varied.

Focus- 90%

Fourth one needs to work on that. The branches didn't help. Last one would be the best.

Depth- 80%

2nd one not much depth. Again first and last one are the best.

Rule of thirds- 80%

I guess again, in the first and last. Others not so much, but in those ones, pretty good positions.

Overall Grading- 625/800
= 78.125%

Ranking/Skill- C- = Beginner

Overall comment:

i think he has a basic understanding of photography though. Although its photos 2-4 that kinda let him down and that's what i based it on =/...perhaps he should have picked some better photos =/

I love the fact about taking photos as each can tella story ^__^

[nx6]

When did we start all this percentage crap? O_o

[Yamamoto]

Since the new system (see stickied posts in APplicants section)

[Lady Ushio]

When did we start all this percentage crap? O_o

Hehe. Trust me. We need it.
XD

[Waverly]

Are we required to complete the percentages chart, or can we just write our own critiques? It leaves a really bad taste in my mouth trying to put a numeric grade on a piece of art, and I really disagree with some of the topics that were chosen to critique by.

[Cleric]

I prefer the old pass/fail system as well . . . it was less work and we still wrote down basically the same things we would have to write down now . . .

[Lady Ushio]

What? you want the old system?

T_T

So, why do we have to make the application procedure in the first place?

I'm not mad about your "reactions".
T_T

...woot!
:p

[Cleric]

It's not that I don't like the application procedure . . . it's the grading system.

It's too complicated and in all actuality because we are all photographers here when we were grading on the old pass/fail system we would subconsciously make decisions about what was good and bad in a group of photos . . . if you go back and look at some of the older application threads allot of the comments are almost identical to the current grading system so we were doing it to begin with . . . what we needed was a better system for the applicants so it would make the critiquing easier, and now that we have that system in place we can make our choices based on things you would expect form a fellow photographer and not a snap-shot artist . . .

[nx6]

The new system is too rigid. "Quality of Picture"? >__> Can we get any more ambiguous in our categories? What if the photographer made decisions for artistic reasons, or ones beyond their control? Quality of Picture implies "sharpness" to me, a metric that will put people shooting in film at a disadvantage as the grain of the film they're using will effect it (think Illford P3200 or similar), or people shooting night photos with a digital costing less than $500.

"Lighting", "Composition" are fine. "Colors"? Would that just not be weighted in a B&W submission? "Variety" is a good category, since we specifically want a variety of photos. "Depth" and "Focus" are going to be more subjective and dependent on what the purpose/artistic intent of a photo is.

"Rule of Thirds" should be used as a guide, not a hard metric to follow. Its main purpose is to prevent portraits that could have been shot in Portait orientation at a larger size being done in Landscape mode with lots of meaningless space on either side of the subject. If you move someone over to the first or last third, you pay more attention to what's behind them and so you may rethink your composition or depth of field as a result.

Ranking/Skill- C- = Beginner
I'll agree with that. The first two photos are good, but the second one seems unnaturally orange, which makes me think it's strength is in its photoshopping, not its photo. :-(

The last three are more "meh". The first and last could be good in the context of a story, or if shot more as portraits, but other than that I'm really not impressed with this applicant overall, which is sad cause it's JB Killa and I expected more attention to composition from someone so "in the ranks" in the GFX crowd. Gotta say though: Bo don't do photo.

[Lady Ushio]

You only have 2 weeks to vote, btw.

[Lady Ushio]

I've deleted the rules now. So, therefore, the old system is back. However, please post your soft and harsh critiques for future applicants. The applicants deserve to know what you're thinkiing.

[Waverly]

I typed a good amount of a (rather lengthy) critique this morning before my class... and then my computer decided that it would be funny to delete it. I'll do my best to re-record what I had written.

Photo one is a bit boring. It takes a lot to get a picture of a boring subject (like an average relatively new car) to become interesting for the viewer. Try new angles, compositions, etc. Whether you're trying to make an artistic photo of a car or a commercial/advertising photo, you should try and make the subject come alive. We see cars like that 100 times a day, so at the very least show it to us in a new way. Keep the viewer interested. Work also needs to be done in the colors of this image. They're very bland and with such a common subject, less subtle colors could really help. The composition could also use some work. Right now the car is crammed on the right side with the front pointing right. It leads the viewer out of the frame of the photo instead of leading us into the picture. Even if the car was positioned so the front of it was pointing into the frame, it would make the photo more interesting. Right now I am much more interested in the birds flying than anything else (and those don't hold my attention for very long.)

The second picture also suffers from lack of a cohesive composition. There isn't really anything for the eye to focus on, and with the monochromatic color it makes that lack of interest that much worse. Plus, the color that was chosen isn't the most pleasing for this subject. Not only does it lose visual information that might make the picture more interesting, but the color itself is kind of sickly. The applicant said that they thought it made the picture seem comfortable... but it makes me feel uncomfortable when I look at it.


Again with composition! It just isn't working for me. This rock structure that is extremely centered but leads your eye to the left with this guy crammed all the way over to the right is confusing. It doesn't give the eye anywhere to go.


I don't really understand the intent of this picture. Are we supposed to be peering through the leafless trees to see these guys? But then why are the people out of focus? It seems that since the figures really stand out in this setting, they should be the center of attention but they are partially obscured by branches for no apparent reason and they're out of focus. I think the viewer also wants to know why they're all standing in a line. Is it for a purpose or is it just a snapshot of friends?

I am MUCH more interested in the composition of this piece. It is much more interesting with the figures on the right and this structure on the left. Unfortunately, it looks like the camera was held crooked.

The sky is completely blown out in the last three photos. You should always have tone in a photograph, even in your highlights and shadows. At the very least, the photos could be slightly edited to bring some tone into the sky, but it is so severely blown out that it made the things around it (like the trees) lose tonality and become muddy. That is something that should really be taken into consideration when metering your photo.

I probably came off as really harsh, but I hope the applicant can look at these comments and realize that I'm not trying to rip them a new one, but that they can actually take some of these comments and try to improve their work.

My suggestions would be that they should just start shooting a lot. Take lots of photos and try to get a feel for how a photo should be composed and what is most pleasing to the eye. I think becoming really familiar with their camera and the basics of photography are really important.
They should look at the work of professional photographers. From the picture they chose as their favorite, it shows that they probably like fashion photography. Go buy a Vogue and look at how the photos are composed. What makes them successful? How does your eye move throughout the image? How is the subject lit and why was that form of lighting chosen?
The applicant said that their stepmother is a photographer. That is fantastic! Look at her work and ask her about it. Ask her why she composed a picture a certain way or why she chose a certain subject or a certain kind of lighting. Ask if she will look at the pictures you take and give you pointers.

[diamondedge]

I voted no.

NO focus points, WTF is with the photo filters on the second one? Pics of nature are supposed to be vivid colors, motives are WHATEVER and not interesting?
No depth whatsoever, and the quallity is below average.

As a photoshop artist, I'd expect him to come up with more than those snaps.

[Lady Ushio]

same here.

he`s expert in Photoshop, so therefore he should apply his techniques.

But no, he didn`t.

[Prince Noctis]

What if he thought photo editing for an application to a photo club was against the rules?

[Lady Ushio]

I`ve explained in the application rules that he can use photoshop. So therefore, it shouldn`t be a problem for him. I`m not sure the reason why he didn`t.

[Waverly]

What if he thought photo editing for an application to a photo club was against the rules?
Then he should have read the rules for applying. It states in there that you can use editing programs as long as you show the original photo and describe what you did.

Edit: Yukoshi answered first :D

[Prince Noctis]

Haha, okay.

In the future I will inform him that so when he reapplies he uses the advantages of editing programs.

[nx6]

I`ve explained in the application rules that he can use photoshop. So therefore, it shouldn`t be a problem for him. I`m not sure the reason why he didn`t.
Only basic retouching can be done. A photo club doesn't exist to showcase Photoshop skills.

[Lady Ushio]

True. Basic photoshop skills are enough. :)

[Waverly]

This could be a debate all of its own. .... and still then, I don't think that an agreement would ever be reached.
I always edit my digital photos before I would consider them finished. I wouldn't print a photo in the dark room without making test strips and using contrast filters, so why would I refuse to use methods of enhancing my digital prints as well?
Of course I think there is a line between digital art that uses photographs and using Photoshop to enhance your photography.

I don't think that saying "only basic Photoshop skills" can be used is a good way to put it, since that is such a subjective view. What I think as being "acceptable" use of editing software wouldn't be what other people in this group would consider "acceptable."
Which is why putting limitations on these applications are so difficult

[Lady Ushio]

I placed my vote and I didn`t allow him to be in. He can apply it again. But the next time, I want to see his photo editing skills.

[nx6]

I always edit my digital photos before I would consider them finished. I wouldn't print a photo in the dark room without making test strips and using contrast filters, so why would I refuse to use methods of enhancing my digital prints as well?

That would be "basic retouching". Making your photo a lurid color of orange is not.

[Lady Ushio]

He lost his interest.

Anyway, I suppossed to give him my reply today. But, it doesn't matter.