If you open it, you must score it!! (Please)

[SAB_Click]

What score would you give this and why? (out of 10)

Thanks for looking.

http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp294/SAB_Click/TSFF.jpg

[masse]

I like it. The statues dead-center are blown out, i'd prefer a little light on the trees (very little), I'd prefer the two seemingly floating white street lights in the top third cloned out and while I like the red car light traces, the dashed lines (from a bike?) going different directions are distracting. Those are my honest first impressions, but again, I do like it! The blue is great, and the lighting on the building including shadows of statues is very cool. I'll give it a 6. :)

[Flo]

There is alot of light going on, my eyes are wandering.....I have to come back:p

[Nathan]

Uhm... 5.5? Nothing wows me. Except for the thread title, I would have simply moved on.

[luvsadog2]

What score would you give this and why? (out of 10)

Thanks for looking.



I'd have to say a 5 or 6 as I'm not sure what the focus point is supposed to be -- the car light streaks do nothing for me in this shot. I like the detail of the building's roof and the statutes around it, but much is OOF and many areas are blown. Just my opinion :p

[DerekSimon]

I agree with Nathan also...this one doesn't do much for me at all.

[kansascityshuffle]

6. Cool idea, but my eyes are drawn all over the place.

[SAB_Click]

Thanks for this quick feedback.

This was my first time out taking night photographs.

Five minutes before this was taken I was convinced my equipment was going at knife point to two guys, so I have strong memories of the evening.

The photograph was taken a short time later on a traffic island and within minutes security pounced and stopped me, so at this point I gave up for the night and this was all I had to show for it all.

I liked the image but a few people I showed it to didn't seem to get excited which is why I was keen to get a few different views from people who will say it as it is - so I appreciate the honest feedback.

I like the streaking lights (including the dotted one - but not sure what caused that) but was conscious about the street lights in the dome area and the blown out centre bit.

I'm beginning to think that what impresses me is perhaps more the building than my photograph. :rolleyes:

[Sisyphus]

The architecture is kitschy and bizarre, like something you might encounter in Vegas. Quite a mishmash. And the photo reflects the feeling produced by the architecture, leading the eye every which way. I'll bet the dotted line is probably from a moving turn signal.

[Clint]

7.5

[heycow]

I clicked, so I'll comment. I don't like it. Too much black, too many lines moving around, no subject, and the statues above the door are all blown out. I'm not trying to be harsh, but you asked. So, I dunno, 2 out of 10, but in reality it's a "delete" for me. :)

[rammy]

I'll offer some night shooting tips, hope that is ok.

The key to night shots, is to try and have as little black as possible. BTW - This is not a rule. Counter intuitive because it is a night shot but it helps with the end result.

So first of all, instead of shooting in the dead of night, do it when the sun has just set behind the horizon and the street lights are coming on. Stay there for 20 - 30 mins as the light will change dramatically. So keep exposing.

If you need to or want to do it at night then fill the frame with your subject and reduce the amount of blackness. Or take a wider shot with more interest and lower the framing down from the sky and away from very dark areas.

For example, in your shot, the coloured dome behind the building or on top of the build (see I can't tell) looks out of place. So need it a little lighter in the evening to see the frame of reference.

Of course, this is NOT a rule! Of course you can shoot night time shots, but you need a little more experience doing these types of shots to know which ones work.

[SAB_Click]

Rammy - Thanks, that's helpful.

[chopper5654]

5.. i dont know if i will provide any help, but because of your title (brilliant by the way), i feel i must explain the 5.

i have no idea why, but it doesnt do much for me. seems there's nothing of dominant importance to focus on. and, all the angels are small, in relation to the frame, and making it look busy. as my eye travels downward, i pick up the red streaks of taillights and they further confuse me because i wasnt expecting to see a road-type of shot with the building being the main subject of the shot. and, the very middle seems blown, too.

i'm sure i cant do any better, but its just kind of average. i dont hate it, but i dont love it, either.

[ChunkyDA]

I clicked so I'll comment. It is interesting but not compelling. It is confusing and not pleasing to me on any level. The colors are OK, score 3.

[sk8ape]

I agree with 5, even though I hadn't looked at the other posts before I made up my mind.
It's a bit busy for me, to much going on, can't quite focus on one thing.

[midnight_rider]

It is very often difficult to take a photo of the light source without blowing out the highlights.
I think this was a nice attempt but the image is going in to many different directions for me. It is very busy and calm at the same time. Also whatever the light is on the top of the dome is very distracting.
5 out of 10 seems appropriate here.

[TriggerMom]

For example, in your shot, the coloured dome behind the building or on top of the build (see I can't tell) looks out of place. So need it a little lighter in the evening to see the frame of reference.

The shot doesn't do much for me either - pretty busy. Maybe a 4. I would be interested to see it again as Rammy sug. with a little more light to see the bldg better. Thanks rammy for the advice.

[dkord]

If it was mine I would of deleted it and chalk it up as a miss: I don't like the globe light in front of the nice blue dome. I don't like the no entry and series of signs in front of the tree. The main statues and sign beneath are over blown. It's too small in the frame.

[FlyingPhotog]

No better than a 3 from me I'm afraid.

Hovering streetlights, blown out statues, light trails running all over and large dead spots due to foliage.

No focus or center of interest.

[Lightworks Imaging]

^ +1. A solid 4. Just doesn't jump out at me. Sorry. But that's the reality of the situation. My hard drive (and my "recycle bin") is rather full of shots like this one.

[tonydee]

If I'm scoring it based on my own interest, appreciation, and desire to see it again: 1/10. I just don't like the subject matter.

If I'm scoring it with some attempt to be objective and consider it's potential appeal to others, 2/10.

If I'm judging technicalities only: DOF, sharpness, exposure, compositional elements, maybe 5/10... not too much blown considering the lighting conditions, something disappearing diagonally into a corner, rough rule-of-thirds divisions horizontally.

Cheers, Tony

[SamClarkPhotography]

6 - My eyes are drawn to the white statues, but they are blown-out, which lets me down.

[Phrasikleia]

Before I read any of the other comments, I was thinking "2 out of 10." Sorry, but the crisscrossing red lines in the front do not lead my eye anywhere; they just confuse it. If I try to ignore them and just look at the building, I see blown highlights and no obvious point of interest. And then all of this confusion is immersed in a completely black environment.

[Karl Johnston]

It's too busy for me to make heads or tails of it, the hot light burns my eyes and I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be, 2/10 here.

[Minty]

Too much going on for me, and I need somewhere for my eyes to go - 4 out of 10.

[lookingforaname]

2 or 3.

It looks like a shot that was trying to fulfill some photography class criteria (lines, exposure, lighting?), but the overall effect/composition doesn't really succeed.

[BlahT]

The two lamps are distracting, took a few seconds to figure out what they are. The same thing with the traffic streaks, seems to lead eyes away from the build. I would say it's a 5.