Post Your PPG Rejects

[Stratman]

I just submitted 5 photos about an hour ago, In a few weeks, I'll post em here, LOL

[Pooky125]

Ooh, I'll play.

[maxwell1295]

Wow Pooky, I'd think the first two would be almost automatic.....those are really good shots.

[gawan]

Wow, looking at what they have rejected, I think I'll wait for a couple years more to develop my self before even trying! So great candidates!

[m8o]

Originally Posted by zeek10d

Seeing the above few of doggie shots being rejected, it makes me wanna withdraw the 2 I just submited today^^;

I'd suspect your biggest problem would be which to submit of the enormous volume of spectacular doggie shots you have! Doggie in a Jar? Doggie flying thru Hoops? Doggie looking Coy? etc... I haven't voted in a while but if I do and see yours I'll vote (+) for them for sure!

[Bart]

PPG uses the term "declined" and not "rejected". I do believe this to be easier to live with, don't you?

Anyway, some of my favourites that didn't get accepted:










Unfortunately, I could go on and on

[rparmar]

I hope everyone will take this the right way, especially as I too am in the reject club, but I can actually see a good reason for the previous images to be rejected, in almost every case. I am saying this as someone who knows a bit about how galleries work and who has been involved with many artistic practices (theatre, sound art, dance, music, performance art and visual art) for many years, sometimes in a curatorship role.

This is not to say these are bad pictures... many are quite good or even excellent. But at this point PPG requires stunning images. That is why I have only submitted two. In each case i thought they really added something to the existing repertoire of photos. They are not just flower macros, pets or handsome birds, no matter how good. And they must be technically without flaw.

But for all I know they did not even get past the voting stage.

And that is where the problem lies. Adding popular voting to a curator selection process confuses the criteria. It was a big mistake, IMO, because now the criteria are pretty well completely unknown. And why an image gets rejected is equally unknown. Why should someone be on the selection committee simply because they have signed up to submit photos? In terms of art curatorship this makes no sense.

What we can best do to help each other is to offer critique and not just consolation. Or, if we voted no for someone, we can say why.

So, tell me, what is wrong with these?

[cputeq]

Originally Posted by rparmar

So, tell me, what is wrong with these?

Both images are aesthetically pleasing to be sure and would fit fine in a modern art exhibit I think -- Nice work!

However, judging from what some people say at DPReview forums (which isn't all bad, mind you) -- Some shots don't seem to "show off" the capabilities of the Pentax system.

Your images, for instance, have excellent composure, color, etc. - They truly show your artistic talent. But, truth be told, one could get very similar results with much inferior cameras.

Lots of heart, but not enough "bling" I guess...I dunno, the criteria are confusing at the PPG. I guess one is supposed to feel "emotionally involved" or something?

[rparmar]

Thanks cputeq! I think in general that more formal compositions are not appreciated as they should be... but hey, I'm in love with Moholy-Nagy! I do think these show off Pentax but sure, almost any image could have been taken with something else. In both cases the colours are special... one of the reasons I love Pentax. The building, though highly saturated, still maintains the texture of the materials. The spring thing is practically a monochrome. And could there be any doubt it's a Limited lens?

[JMR]

rparmar, these are very good images. It is tough, I know, but if you keep producing such good images, I would just keep submitting. BTW, what is the email address for the logon page. I seem to have lost mine.

JMR

[craftsmansky]

john sherwood, great shot of fallingwater.

[zeek10d]

Originally Posted by rparmar

So, tell me, what is wrong with these?

To be honest (hope u won't get offended), I may had given a NO for these IF they are displayed together with 4 or 3 other outstanding images during voting.

#1 It tends to be safe to attract people with high contrat/staturation colors, but once you overdo it, it kills the photos. Take into consideration when you do your post process, as most people do not have the same screen color calibration as you. It's always safe to do in moderation regardless of color, exposure, etc.

#2 It just don't stand out enough for PPG. Most PPG macros or abstract are beyond normal composition, they are truly excellent (by standard of majority). One thing that might put ppl off is the WB and lack of color. Not much interesting factor in the shot to make ppl want to put YES.

Edit: I'll do this when I'm voting, if an image doesn't look appealing enough in thumbnail, I won't even bother to view it at 600 pixel^^; There are just too many shots in voting. Maybe one should consider the thumbnail version, before submiting?

[PaulAndAPentax]

Three I thought had a chance....

[rparmar]

Originally Posted by zeek10d

To be honest (hope u won't get offended)

Not at all! Thank you so much for taking the time to be honest.

Originally Posted by zeek10d

#1 It tends to be safe to attract people with high contrat/staturation colors, but once you overdo it, it kills the photos.

Actually, I agree totally! But in this case the colours work with the photo, IMO. I think highly saturated images are boring when the colours overwhelm the other formal aspects of the shot, but here I thought they were in harmony.

Originally Posted by zeek10d

#2 It just don't stand out enough for PPG. Most PPG macros or abstract are beyond normal composition, they are truly excellent (by standard of majority). One thing that might put ppl off is the WB and lack of color.

Maybe I should have over-saturated it? In this case the muted monochromatic palette is part of the poetic form of the image. This is one of my favourite shots ever. I cannot think of any way it could be improved and so must conclude that certain types of photography are never going to make it into PPG.

Originally Posted by zeek10d

if an image doesn't look appealing enough in thumbnail, I won't even bother to view it at 600 pixel^^; There are just too many shots in voting. Maybe one should consider the thumbnail version, before submiting?

This is one of the biggest problems with PPG. No image should be judged on a thumbnail. They should not even allow this possibility.

But given the fact they are, I picked both of these precisely because they look great as thumbnails, relative to more complex compositions.

I will go further: PPG is being ruined by voting. It has become just a popularity contest and so the judges will not even get to see perfectly fine images that the majority of viewers simply have no interest in. This is not how a gallery should work. It should operate on the mysterious whims of the curators.

[slowpez]

I am now thoroughly confused about PPG. The PPG rules state you can crop or dodge but not "overly manipulate" with filters and effects. Who determines what constitutes over manipulation. I had some pictures sit around on PPG for over a month and the last two were rejected overnight. Someone must make a yes/no decision before throwing them into the pile for membership voting, yes? Really, the last two were rejected too fast to have been posted on the voting forum.
By the way, I am not posting my rejects here because they are really beginner material. I have learned so much looking at those that did make though so it all helps.
Another thing I have noticed, almost no pictures get excepted from users of the K100 compared to those using other models. Does that mean that excellent pictures can't be taken with the K100 or that most people using it aren't capable of taking excellent pictures? I swear I am going to get one excepted someday then I can die happy.
Susan