It’s now just gone 9pm and I’ve been up since 5.30am so apologies if this post seems to be a bit disjointed. I don’t think or write very well when my brain needs sleep …
I confess that I am faintly dismayed by the number of students on the OU T189 conferences and also on Flickr who are celebrating having sent their ECA 
After seven years of OU study, I thought I was pretty much immune to the feelings of panic, indecision and anxiety that seem to invade the consciousness of a student nearing the submission date for an ECA when surrounded by students who have already completed it.
So I’m sternly telling myself that I took my draft ECA away with me on my laptop and gained valuable insight and feedback from various family members as we travelled upcountry and back down again. The deadline isn’t until midday on Monday 16th so I still have plenty of time. Creating the slideshow in Acrobat format wasn’t difficult and I’ve done a fair amount of zipping and despatching of zipped files through the OU’s electronic TMA (tutor marked assignment) system so neither of those pose any problems. Writing has always come pretty easily to me and 200 words x 3 isn’t exactly taxing. But still there’s this still small voice inside telling me that I’m behind everyone else …
Part of the problem is the conflicting feedback that I’ve been getting on OpenStudio and on Flickr. One image may be a ‘hit’ on Flickr but a ‘miss’ on OpenStudio AND vice versa. This brings all sorts of doubts and anxieties bubbling to the surface and it’s induced a sort of paralysis over the final choice of ten for the panel. I thought I had it pretty much sussed out but now I’m not quite so sure. I was planning to drop the Ripe Golden Pear in Sunshine which, although nice, hadn’t received much feedback and replace it with the rather more dramatic Evening Storm Cloud.
But now the pear has gathered some very favourable comments on OpenStudio and I’ve been thrown into indecision
The other “not sure” has been the dramatic blood red amaryllis close-up (image on a previous post) which was raved over on Flickr, gathering several ‘awards’, but managed only one single comment on OpenStudio. Talk about conflicting views! I was wondering whether to replace it with another moody grey evening sea image (probably one of the week 4 images either Porthloo at Dusk or Steely Sky) … but would that be too much sea in my panel? Would the poor assessor have to reach for the Kwells to stave off seasickness?
As you can tell, I’m both tired and confused. I think I need to sleep on it and return refreshed to the fray later this week….
Hi,
Actually I’m not sure if I understand the full background of the post but my sense is that it is for selection or choosing ones pictures for submittal for judging and if so my thoughts.
I think a good picture becomes a part of our memory. What is it made out of………What it looks like……………..
Ultimately what it’s about……….
Why is it that some pictures affects our emotions and grip us.
What makes a good picture……..
….if a picture will emotionally connect with the viewer….if it becomes a part of their memory, then it is a good picture.
Now having said that, you have to consider who is judging the pictures. There is a lot of subjectivity as to what people like and will resonate with a picture in their mind.
For instance if you are submitting a picture to the national parks services for their selection as the “poster child” for national parks, an abstract landscape image, no matter how good, isn’t going to win, because it doesn’t fit the criteria of what the judges are looking for. They are looking for clear, dramatic, emotional representation of the great outdoors. However the “abstract” looking picture may win hands over for fine art competition, all things being equal.
Another example is that if I am submitting a picture for a magazine page (cover) then I want to send in a verticle format and leave in my composition some blank areas for verbage for the mag etc, etc. Because I know what the judging audience will gravitate to.
Now having said that, that’s not why I think you’re sending the pictures.
My recommendation is to go with the emotional factor.
When we view pictures, we are looking at this window of an image into another time and place, it’s a magic window, and like magic, it is an illusion. Anything, whether it’s bad composition, clashing colors, horizons breaking the image in half, highlights blown out, many things which break the illusion, or holes in this illusion, breaks the magic. Sometimes the subject matter, if powerful in itself, can keep it together just because the subject matter is powerful enough, and that can in itself maintain that “magic”. However in most cases you can’t have any “holes” in the magic window.
Oftentimes asking the general public for feed back is usually not accurate feedback. As an example, most flower or even poor sunset pictures will usually get ohhs and ahhs from the general public, but a critial judge will look for that magic…. that magic is multiple factors, technical competency, composition, texture, shape, form, DOF, color, full tonal range, no blown highlight, does it say a message, what is this picture saying to me, do I feel something…… are their extraennous elements that do not add to the image, so there fore takes away from the magic etc…. does it for that split second when first the eye comes in contact with the image, that magic spell is there with no holes, then you have a great picture.
Sorry for the long winded comment, just my 2 cents.
J Alan
Comment by J Alan — July 11, 2007 @ 9:42 pm |
Hi Lois Ann,
I know were you are coming from, I have tried to ignore the fact that a lot of people of already handed in their ECA I am just trying to concentrate on getting my own in.
I would go for your “evening storm cloud” photo. I think it’s a great photo. It’s so hard to make a decision on what photos to submit.
Good luck
Comment by Wanda Stockdale — July 13, 2007 @ 6:00 pm |
Hi J Alan and thanks for your excellent views.
Fortunately for us, the Open University has expert photographic assessors ready to judge our End of Course Assessments. In fact, one of the exercises we’ve been doing this past couple of weeks is playing the part of an Assessor ourselves! We’ve been given the guidelines they will be using to judge our images both on visual awareness and technical quality and practising on three example panels to help us understand what they will be looking for. So, hopefully, we’ll be able to judge our own images from a more objective standpoint.
Although sometimes a comment made by a friend or family member can highlight something that you’ve completely overlooked or draw your attention to a good feature that had escaped you. It can be a sobering experience
Wanda, I just arrived here having submitted my ECA and read your comment. Unfortunately the evening storm cloud image didn’t make the final cut because I already had two sea images and decided one more was overkill. Although I could happily have waffled about it for the requisite 200 words
Anyway, I hope you’re almost at the finishing line too now. I wanted to get mine in before the ‘Rush’ this weekend. Just don’t leave it till after lunch on Sunday, is my advice!
Comment by aquamarina — July 13, 2007 @ 8:33 pm |