Flower Detail from the last day of spring 2016 IMG_9703

Just another attempt to clarify how i award other people's photos, and why. "Supurb Composition" is awarded for capturing a moment or scene in a manner that displays good technical skills in photography;whether by chance, automated camera function, or by the effort of the photographer. "Exceptional Creativity" is awarded as the next hightest award, requiring the photographer to build off of the basic requirements necessary for the award of a supurb compostion, but adding a level of creativity that makes the image the photographer's own statement, and exceeds documentation. I am hard on portraits as i feel the model often actively contributes to the final image, and the photographer has to go to great effort to make a portrait his and not the models. Quality black and white images are a good example of control and vision by the photographer, and whether color or black and white, creative angles, and the effective use of lens and perspective also qualify. Darkroom effort and-or photoshop skills can also make all the difference; something i myself
lack. "Absolute Masterpiece" requires all of the above, and an exception portrait, scene, or event as the subject; a hard thing to come by (I would not award any of my own digital images as "Masterpiece, so don't feel too bad about not getting it!) "Top Choice" functions for me as wild card of sorts, especially since we only had "Love it" for a short time. All rules of art and photography are in fact only guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Sometimes i cannot be objective enough to disect an image for to explain or even understand myself why it like it, so "Top Choice" comes into play at that point. "Liking" an image is probably my least used award, as if there is something of merit to a photo, i can usually determine what it is and award it, or dismiss the image as a learning process of step for the photographer. Sometimes i give "Peer" Awards, but i am not that good, so perhaps you should not be anxious to be my peer! (it does imply a level of skill that probably makes you better than I rather than a peer. Occasionally i will make a remark about an image, and even more rare would be a suggestion about an image, i promise you i would never make a suggestion that i did not think would create a wonderful variation on your original idea for the photo, it is just that sometimes we all overlook the obvious in our efforts to create, or simply run out of time and ideas about it. (think if it as my two cent opinion and nothing more)
I hope this helps you to understand my award system.
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