digital photography plus

dp+ 2nd year anniversary

2013-07-18T01:55:00.003-07:00

photo by Gina Villanueva-Uyan

17 July 2013 celebrates dp+' second year anniversary! Originally a Friendster group in 2007, it still continues to function as a group that facilitates sharing and learning and being passionate about photography . Here are our first year milestones:

1. dp+ group site members - 1,431 members
Now with members as many as the initial dp+ group on Friendster. With most additional members came from voluntary membership

2. Number of Likes on dp+ official Facebook site - 959 Likes
To all dp+ members - please support our official facebook page through likes found on this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-Photography-PLUS/242285489128553

3. dp+ site members - 203 members - check out this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-was-dp-9th-month-in-existence-as.html

4. Still with dp+ administrators: Ginavi, Juanito Vinluan, Benjax Rivera, Omar Jordan de Guzman, Matthgew Matchinsky, Hieronymus Rosales, Gilbert de Vera, Edmund Chan, Ivanig Dpp, Lennox Tpc and Fidel Fernandez. dp+ is truly grateful for their continuous support.

The group appreciates photo sharing and insights, appreciation of other members' works and for the simple act of lending strength to the group when and where needed.

Happy shooting to all - happy 2nd anniversary!

photo challenge 12 - Levitation winner by Popular Votes Pick

2012-11-21T00:41:00.001-08:00

First Prize Winner by Popular Votes Pick
photo challenge 12 for the month of November 2012
theme: Levitation
photographer: Jaime Tan Ventura Jr.
title: "I Believe I Can Fly"
camera: Nikon D3000
total no. of votes: 43

dp+ pick winner - photo challenge 10 with theme "ethnic dance"

2012-11-11T03:01:00.001-08:00

dp+ Winning Entry - photo challenge 10 - dp+ Pick
theme: Ethnic Dance
photographer: Raphy M. Arcaina
title: "Kagay-an Cultural Street Dance"
camera: Nikon D5100
summary of picks: total of 5 judges picks
(1 - 1st Pick and 4 - 2nd Picks)
total judges score: 441/500

Here are the remarks of the judges who included this entry to their top 3 picks:

Judge 1 - 2nd Pick
Beautifully captured! Shot timed just as the girl smiled. Should have been my 1st pick if not for the added points due to technical difficulty of the "Moriones" entry.

Judge 2 - 1st Pick
The photographer has the best seat in the house. If there was eye connection, the emotion would have been really great. One thing I personally think was off is the tilt – If it was the other way around, the arms’ orientation would have been the ones diagonal – not the street – and hence would have been more natural and dynamic. Also, in design, an upward tilt is considered positive while downwards is negative. Technically the bokeh was great, lighting was good and the tones were even.

Judge 3 - 2nd Pick
This photo is all about lines in good measures. The tilted shot, again showed relationship of what festivities is all about - life in between, grounded, the horizontal and the vertical, the spirit. Colors also are in good measure. Finally, the one dancer in the middle represents the totality.

Judge 4 - 2nd Pick
The color is very nice, the contrasts with yellow/red versus the black/white, although the photo does seem a bit washed out. The expression of the dancer is it's strongest feature. The extreme angle of the shot does impart a certain sense of the motion of the dance and I feel a less extreme angle would have served that purpose better.

Judge 5 - 2nd Pick
I like the pleasant ethnic feel to it. Though some might be tempted to boost its color, I like the way it was pleasantly temperated. Showing nice sychronized movement reinforced by the tilt, the bokeh and the captured expression to create an altogether beautiful piece.

This entry also placed 1st with 44 votes in the Popular Votes Pick where dp+ members voted entries through likes.

This entry got picked by all 5 judges in the dp+ Pick.1 judge voted for it as 1st Pick and 4 judges as 2nd Pick. Total score is 441/500 compared with 2nd Place entry by Victor Gamosa Ursabia with a score of 398/500 picked by only 3 judges and Bobby Eric with a score of 247/500, also got picked by 3 judges. The rest of the entries that made it to the dp+ Pick only got picked by 1 judge each. dp+ Pick winner is based on the entry getting the highest score. This entry being selected by all judges got the highest score making it the winning entry.

dp+ Special Award - (Most number of 1st Picks)
photographer: Victor Gamosa Ursabia
title: "Moriones"
camera: Canon 50D
summary of picks: total of 3 judges picks
(3 - 1st Picks)
total judges score: 398/500

dp+ administration deemed this entry by Victor Gamosa Ursabia to be given the dp+ Special Award. It is the first time that an entry that didn't get the top score, gets the most number of 1st Picks. For that, it deserves to be acknowledged and given recognition also. To view comments to this entry, please check out this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/10/judges-top-3-choices-for-photo.html.

photographer: Bobby Eric
title: "Arakbuyan"
camera: Sony A77
summary of picks: total of 3 judges picks
(3 - 3rd Picks)
total judges score: 247/500

This entry by Bobby Eric got picked 3 times also like the entry of Victor Gamosa Ursabia but all 3 judges chose it as their 3rd Pick. Remarks to this entry can be viewed also through this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/10/judges-top-3-choices-for-photo.html.

Congratulations to Victor Gamosa Ursabia for winning our first ever dp+ Special Award for the most number of judges' 1st Pick

Cheers and Congratulations to Raphy M. Arcaina, our biggest winner for winning both Popular Votes Pick and the dp+ Pick in the "Ethnic Dance" theme, photo challenge 10. A generally liked entry from the Popular Votes Pick to the dp+ Pick, all in good measure, a really ethnic and festive dance piece, kudos to you!

judges' top 3 choices for photo challenge 10 dp+ Pick

2012-10-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

Judge 1

3rd pick - Entry 4 - Bobby Eric - "Arakbuyan" - Sony A77
Quality - 28/30
Creativity and Originality - 28/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
Total - 92/100
Remarks: Very pleasant to the eye, colorful!

2nd pick - Entry 11 - Raphy M Arcaina - "Kagay-an Cultural Street Dance" - Nikon D5100
Quality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
Total - 96/100
Remarks: Beautifully captured! Shot timed just as the girl smiled. Should have been my 1st pick if not for the added points due to technical difficulty of the "Moriones" entry.

1st pick - Entry 3 - Victor Gamosa Ursabia - "Moriones" - Canon 50D
Quality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
Total - 98/100
Remarks:
Superb execution! This is the best for me. It is hard to shoot something like this without a flash. The timing is impeccable!! The photographer is so attuned to the dance as if knowing the exact moment to shoot.

Judge 2

3rd pick - Entry 7 - John Leo Dela Rosa - "Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City" - LX5
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality – 20/30
Theme Adaptation – 20/20
Overall Impression – 15/20
TOTAL – 80/100
Remark: Big number, colorful costumes – key elements for a great production. If this was taken at eye level in front and the frame filled, the intensity and emotion of the colorful dancers would have been great. Technically sound, the big issue was the lack of activity on the lower left, while the formation and shadows suggests there are more activity that was cropped on the right.

2nd pick - Entry 16 - Gilbert D’Vera - "Hula Kahiko"- Canon 50D
Quality – 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 15/20
Overall Impression – 15/20
TOTAL – 85/100
Remark: Dance suggest emotions, and this dance certainly was full of it. If this was taken in front, where there would be better chances of eye connection with the photographer, the intensity would have been brought out. Technically, the color temp, shadows/highlights and motion blur all contributed in establishing the ambiance and emotion. Good job.

1st pick - Entry 11 - Raphy M Arcaina - "Kagay-an Cultural Street Dance" - Nikon D5100
Quality – 30/30
Creativity and Originality – 25/30
Theme Adaptation – 20/20
Overall Impression – 15/20
TOTAL – 90/100
Remark: The photographer has the best seat in the house. If there was eye connection, the emotion would have been really great. One thing I personally think was off is the tilt – If it was the other way around, the arms’ orientation would have been the ones diagonal – not the street – and hence would have been more natural and dynamic. Also, in design, an upward tilt is considered positive while downwards is negative. Technically the bokeh was great, lighting was good and the tones were even.

Judge 3

3rd Pick - Entry 4 - Bobby Eric - "Arakbuyan" - Sony A77
Quality or Technicality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 15/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impact - 10/20
Total - 75/100
Remark: This is a cliche shot but is still always effective.

2nd Pick - Entry 11 - Raphy M. Arcaina - "Kagay-an Cultural Street Dance" - Nikon D5100
Quality or Technicality - 20/30
Creativity and Originality - 20/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impact - 20/20
Total - 80/100
Remark: This photo is all about lines in good measures. The tilted shot, again showed relationship of what festivities is all about - life in between, grounded, the horizontal and the vertical, the spirit. Colors also are in good measure. Finally, the one dancer in the middle represents the totality.

1st Pick - Entry 3 - Victor Gamosa Ursabia - "Moriones" - Canon 50D
Quality or Technicality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impact - 20/20
Total - 100/100
Remark:
This pix is to me is the best of the lot. the high contrast, the minimality of lines, good line definition, the capture of floatation high enough by showing the ground level. the theme of dance, ethnic/festival in homage to a deity or santos, like all fiestas/festivals are all about, here captured them, dancers, floating between heaven and earth. right spot where festivities is all about.

A general note from Judge 3:

Entry 15 - Fidel Fernandez - "Korean Fandance" - Nikon D40

I have a bit of problem when I first saw the photos. They are dance but i want to see MOVEMENTS and GRACE. Most are static. With regards to quality and technicality, most haven't made use of technique, just camera per se. Also, I need to see more originality. The rest of the photos besides the 3 I picked, were mostly cluttered. The one from Korea has the potential but its background gives way to distraction. Cheers!

Judge 4

3rd pick - Entry 23., Omar Jordan de Guzman - "Traditional Arabic Dance in a Desert Safari"- Nikon D700
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 26/30
Theme Adaptation - 16/20
Overall Impression - 15/20
TOTAL - 82/100
Remark:
The color is really appealing. I very much like the sharpness of the dancer's face and the canopy he's twirling. If the empty stage to the right had been cropped off it would have brought the subject more to the fore, and cut out the bright lights in the background which are distracting.

2nd pick - Entry 11 - Raphy M Arcaina - "Kagay-an Cultural Street Dance" - Nikon D5100
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 26/30
Theme Adaptation - 17/20
Overall Impression - 17/20
TOTAL - 85/100
Remark:
The color is very nice, the contrasts with yellow/red versus the black/white, although the photo does seem a bit washed out. The expression of the dancer is it's strongest feature. The extreme angle of the shot does impart a certain sense of the motion of the dance and I feel a less extreme angle would have served that purpose better.

1st pick - Entry 8 - Lindsay Roberts - "Celebrating Buddha's Birthday" - Canon 5D MKII
Quality - 28/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 19/20
TOTAL - 90/100
Remark:
The color and lighting were very good in what was probably less than ideal conditions. The audience in the background was kept dark, which helped the dancer stand out more. I liked the way the image is composed. At first glance it may seem the balance is off, but with the movement of the dancer the umbrella behind her gives a good sense of her motion. The gesture of her left hand is one of those little details I like, what does the gesture mean?

Judge 5

3rd Pick - Entry 4 - Bobby Eric - "Arakbuyan" - Sony A77
Quality or Technicality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 20/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impact - 15/20
Total - 80/100
Remark: An ethnic dance, lively colors, costume and all. Nice graphic presentation.

2nd Pick - Entry 11 - Raphy M. Arcaina - "Kagay-an Cultural Street Dance" - Nikon D5100
Quality or Technicality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impact - 15/20
Total - 90/100
Remark: I like the pleasant ethnic feel to it. Though some might be tempted to boost its color, I like the way it was pleasantly temperated. Showing nice sychronized movement reinforced by the tilt, the bokeh and the captured expression to create an altogether beautiful piece.

1st Pick - Entry 3 - Victor Gamosa Ursabia - "Moriones" - Canon 50D
Quality or Technicality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impact - 20/20
Total - 100/100
Remark:
The theme is ethnic dance. This is definitely ethnic and an honest to goodness dance very well captured technically and aesthetically - movement, color and all. Kudos to such a superb piece!

A lean but mean selection of entries, thanks all for joining and being such a good sport and congratulations to all those who made it to photo challenge 10 dp+ Pick!

photo challenge 12 theme for the month of November

2012-10-25T02:05:00.002-07:00

an entry to photo challenge 5 with theme photo illusion by Viotor Gamosa Ursabia entitled "Defying Gravity"

Will it be possible to levitate

Lifting from one's heavy weight

To be free from hold

physical base...

- from Levitation opposing literature not gravity - Fun scientific poetry

All Soul's Day is celebrated in the month of November. So for dp+ 12th photo challenge, November 2012 theme would have to be "Levitation" since this is how souls or spirits are perceived.

Dictionary.com defines levitation as:

the raising or rising of a body in air by supernatural means.

The challenge is to make a body appear to levitate or float by means of photography. We are looking for the most well executed capture of levitating like bodies with careful attention to technicality, aesthetics, color, detail and composition. In short, it has to be a photo of a body that appears to be suspended in air and believably levitating and it has to be beautifully and creatively captured.

As customary in all dp+ photo challenges, it should not have any major photo manipulation. To know up to what extent acceptable photo manipulation covers, here is the link to our rules and regulations: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/dp-photo-challenge-general-rules-and.html

Criteria are as follows:

Quality or Technicality - 30%;

Creativity and Originality - 30%;

Theme Adaptation - 20%

Overall Impact - 20%

For details on the criteria definition, please follow this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/02/dp-photo-challenge-dp-pick.html

deadlines:

posting of entries:

from November 1 - November 15, 2012

12 midnight - Philippine time

voting or liking of entries:

from November 1 - November 16, 2012

12 midnight - Philippine time

start of dp+ Pick judging: November 17, 2012

Good luck to all!

top 10 ranking for Popular Votes Pick - photo challenge 11

2012-10-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

After the final casting of votes on October 16, 2012 for the theme "Delectable Food" for the month of October photo challenge 11, here is the ranking of entries from Top 10 to Top 1 majority votes pick. They are:

Top 10 - Entry 27 - Raynard Rivera - "With shells wide open" - Pentax KR - 18 votes

Top 9 - Entry 1 - Rockit Potograpiya - "Galbi Jjim" - Kodak Z740 - 19 votes

Top 8 - Entry 16 - Edison Alba - "Spicy Shrimp" - Nikon D5100 - 20 votes

Top 8 - Entry 15 - Dhina Ocariza Fontanilla - "Tofu with chili sauce" - Nikon D5100 - 20 votes

Top 8 - Entry 11 - Monching Corpuz - "Australian Open-Faced Salmon Sandwich" - Nikon D90 - 20 votes

Top 8 - Entry 9 - Edgar Valido - "Isang Hapunan" (One Meal) - Kodak AF - 20 votes

Top 8 - Entry 2 - Caesar Preposi - "Salmoni al forno" - Nikon Coolpix L120 - 20 votes

Top 7 - Entry 28 - Allan Valenzona - "I cook I shoot" - Canon 1000D - 24 votes

Top 6 - Entry 8 - Ciao Rhoda Corpuz - "Marang" - Nikon D90 - 25 votes

Top 5 - Entry 5 - Lily Vinluan - "Sweet Tooth" - Tough 3000 Olympus P & S - 27 votes

Top 4 - Entry 7 - ElMer VdjOops Enriquez - "Honey choco with sweet strawberry on top" - Sony A100 Minolta - 31 votes

Top 4 - Entry 3 - Ric Tan - "Filipino all-time favorite food (Roasted Pig)" - Nikon D7000 - 31 votes

Top 3 - Entry 4 - Romel Biscara - "Stressed desserts" - Canon 50D - 33 votes

Top 2 - Entry 14 - Hubert Santos Baluyot - "Spaghetting Pataas" Nikon D5100 - 37 votes

Top 1 - Entry 10 - Raphy Arcaina - "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." - Nikon 5100 - 44 votes

To all entrants who made it to the top 10 - Congratulations! a wonderful display of food fit for the gods - well done!

photo challenge 11 - delectable food winner by Popular Votes

2012-10-16T09:59:00.001-07:00

First Prize Winner by Popular Votes Pick
photo challenge 11 for the month of October 2012
theme: delectable food photo
photographer: Raphy M. Arcaina
title: "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."
camera: Nikon D5100
total number of votes: 44

Top 10 Popular Votes Pick for the Ethnic Dance photo challenge

2012-09-26T03:45:00.000-07:00

After the final casting of votes on September 16, 2012 for the theme "Ethnic Dance" for the month of September photo challenge 10, here is the ranking of entries from Top 10 to Top 1 majority votes pick. They are:

Top 10 - Entry 9 - Francine Fran - "Souplese et Couleurs" - Samsung ST 65 - 15 votes

Top 9 - Entry 5 - Tymothy Stoll - "Folk Flight" - Nikon D50 - 17 votes

Top 8 - Entry 14 - Ciao Rhoda Corpuz - "Fire Dance" - Nikon D90 - 18 votes

Top 7 - Entry 8 - Lindsay Roberts - "Celebrating Buddha's Birthday" - Canon 5D MK11 - 19 votes

Top 6 - Entry 1 - Manuel Yambao Jr. - "Wave" (a Chinese New Year dance) - Nikon D7K - 20 votes

Top 5 - Entry 16 - Gilbert de Vera - "Hula Kahiko" - Canon 50D - 24 votes

Top 5 - Entry 3 - Victor Gamosa Ursabio - "Moriones" - Canon 50D - 24 votes

Top 4 - Entry 15 - Fidel Fernandez - "Korean Fan Dance" - Nikon D40 - 26 votes

Top 4 - Entry 12 - Hubert Baluyot - "Bird Festival" - Nikon D5100 - 26 votes

Top 4 - Entry 13 - Dick Manongdo - "Ati Atihan Festival" - Nikon D90 - 26 votes

Top 3 - Entry 4 - Bobby Eric - "Arakbuyan" - Sony A77 - 33 votes

Top 2 - Entry 7 - Leo John de la Rosa - "Dinagyang Destival of Iloilo" - Sony A77 - 39 votes

Top 1 - Entry 11 - Raphy Arcaina - "Kagay-an Cultural Street Dance" - Canon Power Shot A530 - 43 votes

To all entrants who made to the top 10 by Popular Votes - never been such a colorful and festive set of entries - Congratulations!

dp+ photo challenge 11 theme for the month of October

2012-09-21T08:42:00.001-07:00

"succulent on the inside, crunchy on the outside" photo by Gina Villanueva-Uyan

"I prefer to regard a dessert as I would imagine the perfect woman: subtle, a little bittersweet, not blowsy and extrovert. Delicately made up, not highly rouged. Holding back, not exposing everything and, of course, with a flavor that lasts."

- Graham Kerr

We celebrate "World Food Day" in October. So for dp+ photo challenge 11 for the month of October theme, it would have to be "Delectable Food" photo - the most well executed capture of irresistible mouth-watering really delectable food with careful attention to technicality, aesthetics, color, detail and composition. In short, it has to be a photo that is not only beautifully and creatively captured and a real food for the eye - it needs to be able to whet people's appetite, make them salivate and crave or hunger for it.

As customary in all dp+ photo challenges, it should not have any major photo manipulation. To know up to what extent acceptable photo manipulation covers, here is the link to our rules and regulations: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/dp-photo-challenge-general-rules-and.html

Criteria are as follows:
Quality or Technicality - 30%;
Creativity and Originality - 30%;
Theme Adaptation - 20%
Overall Impact - 20%
For details on the criteria definition, please follow this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/02/dp-photo-challenge-dp-pick.html

deadlines:

posting of entries:
from October 1 - October 15, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

voting or liking of entries:
from October 1 - October 16, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

start of dp+ Pick judging: October 17, 2012

Good luck to all!

dp+ photo challenge 10 Popular Votes Pick Winner

2012-09-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

photo challenge 10 - First Prize Winner by Popular Votes Pick
theme: Ethnic Dance
photographer: Raphy Arcaina
title: Kagay-an Cultural Street Dancer
camera: Nikon D5100
total no. of votes: 43

dp+ pick winner - photo challenge 9 with theme "happiness captured"

2012-09-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

dp+ Winning Entry - photo challenge 9 - dp+ Pick
theme: Happiness Captured
photographer: Macky Sevilla
title: "Shower Fun"
camera: Canon 500D
total judges score: 460/500

Here are the remarks of the judges who included this entry to their top 3 picks:

Judge 1 - 2nd Pick - 88/100

"Great in-the-moment shot. It is difficult to capture the nuances of water and expression, but ably done! Very nice image, makes me smile!"

Judge 2 - 2nd Pick - 90/100

"Simple yet the adaptation is clearly defined. We all enjoyed a splash in the tub in our childhood."

Judge 3 - 1st Pick - 97/100

"A very happy kid playing with water. Happiness captured, indeed. Perfect, what more can i say?"

Judge 4 - 1st Pick - 93/100

"Now this is pure unadulterated fun! I'm pretty sure everyone experienced this kind of joy, even just watching kids playing and having fun makes one happy. It brings out the child in all of us, This entry fits the theme perfectly. The black and white treatment makes it a classic. Great job!"

Judge 5 - 2nd Pick - 92/100

"Not just a well captured expression of joy, it added the extra challenge of a nicely done water splash."

This entry placed 4th with 38 votes in the Popular Votes Pick where dp+ members voted entries through likes compared with 1st placer entry by Karen Eaquinta Sharkey with 65 votes.

5 judges voted for this entry in the dp+ Pick. 2 judges as 1st Pick and 3 judges as 2nd Pick. It is the first time that an entry gets to be picked by all 5 judges. Compared with 2nd Place entry by Aileen Siwa with 170/500 picked by only 2 judges, Macky Sevilla's entry got included in all the judges' top 3 picks, gathering 460/500 votes. The rest of the entries that made it to the dp+ Pick only got picked by 1 judge each. This entry won unanimously. An easier competition for the judges and a decision that sure made everyone happy.

Congratulations, Macky Sevilla for winning the "Happiness Captured" theme. Happily captured and happily judged, a real winner of an entry - really great job!!

judges top 3 choices for photo challenge 9 dp+Pick

2012-09-06T02:56:00.001-07:00

Judge 1

3rd Pick - Entry 43 - Sylvester Saldaña - "With a Smile" - Canon 300D
Quality - 27/30
Creativity and Originality - 27/30
Theme Adaptation - 19/20
Overall Impression - 19/20
POINTS DEDUCTION: 5 points (due to watermark - originally 1st Pick)
TOTAL - 87/100
Remark: Simple yet effective framing, great color, wonderful quiet expression of contentment, technical mastery.

2nd pick - Entry 8 - Macky Sevilla - "Shower Fun" - Canon 500D
Quality - 28/30
Creativity and Originality - 27/30
Theme Adaptation - 17/20
Overall Impression - 16/20
TOTAL - 88/100
Remark: Great in-the-moment shot. It is difficult to capture the nuances of water and expression, but ably done! Very nice image, makes me smile!

1st pick - Entry 51 - Oaun Kazmi - "Pakistani children are always happy" - Nikon D90
Quality - 27/30
Creativity and Originality - 27/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 17/20
TOTAL - 89/100
Remark:
Intriguing color and richness. Odd but intriguing and effective framing, although might benefit from some further cropping experiments. Lovely and unforced expressions of joy.

Judges Artsy Favorite - Entry no. 0 - Gina Vi - "At Last!" - Canon 1000D - (sample entry only)
Quality - 28/30
Creativity and Originality - 29/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 19/20
TOTAL - 96/100
Remark:
Love the abstract nature of the composition, great use of light and dark, wonderful blurring of time in the moment.

Other Favorites:

Entry 45 - Wilma Salazar Go

Entry 13 - Mhar Delaben

Entry 15 - Adonis Villamor Tividad

Entry 47 - Hubert Baluyot

Entry 2 - Dhina Ocariza Fontanilla

Entry 4 - JeCri's Nocon

Entry 17 - Aileen Siwa

Entry 1 - Lordgeltzdale de Vera

Entry 42 - Hieronymus Rosales

Entry 58 - Dipanjan Laha

Entry 59 - Gerry Quinto

Judge 2

3rd pick - Entry 21 - Lennox Tpc - "A Kodak Moment" - Canon 60D
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 20/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
TOTAL - 83/100
Remark: Happiness is as simple as bonding with one's parent, this entry is a moment to cherish forever.

2nd pick - Entry 8 - Macky Sevilla - "Shower Fun" - Canon 500D
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
TOTAL - 90/100
Remark: Simple yet the adaptation is clearly defined. We all enjoyed a splash in the tub in our childhood..

1st pick - Entry 44 - Steven Ee Kim Cheng - "We live in a small hut, we don't have a big car and we don't eat much food but we have big smiles" - Canon 7D
Quality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 26/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
POINTS DEDUCTION: 5 points (due to watermark)
TOTAL - 91/100
Remark: People from rural areas have great amount of joy and appreciation when they are being photographed. For them, it can even be part of their entertainment.

Judge 3

3rd pick - Entry 45 - Wilma Salazar Go - "Ooopss, I got a headbutt" - Nikon D7000
Quality - 26/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation -20/20
Overall Impression - 15/20
TOTAL - 86/100
Remark: A family photo is always a pleasure to look at especially if you can see the happiness in the faces of everyone. Capturing the grandfather's genuine pleasure in the presence of his grandchildren and the grandchildren reflecting the same shows a great measure of love something to be really happy about. Priceless!

2nd pick - Entry 17 - Aileen Siwa - "Happiness" - Nikon D3100
Quality - 26/30
Creativity and Originality - 26/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 17/20
TOTAL - 89/100
Remark: Nicely done portrait of a really happy woman, unposed and au naturelle. The texture of the grain and faded color gives well framed photo more character making it stand out from the other portraits.

1st pick - Entry 8 - Macky Sevilla - "Shower Fun" - Canon 500D
Quality -29/30
Creativity and Originality - 29/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression -19/20
TOTAL - 97/100
Remark: A very happy kid playing with water. Happiness captured, indeed. Perfect, what more can i say?

Judge 4

3rd pick - Entry 17 - Aileen Siwa - "Happiness" - Nikon D3100
Quality - 20/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
TOTAL - 81/100
Remark: I keep coming back to look at this entry, it may not be the sharpest but her happiness seems contagious. Very well adapted to the theme, heck I can't stop smiling looking at it.

2nd pick - Entry 33 - Manuel Yambao Jr. - "Laugh Out Laugh" - Nikon D7000
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
TOTAL - 86/100
Remark: How can you not like this entry? Sharp, old men having fun (with their pants on), aptly titled and genuinely having a good time! This kind of photo is really hard to replicate. You seldom see grown men really having a good'ole L.O.L. Priceless!

1st pick - Entry 8 - Macky Sevilla - "Shower Fun" - Canon 500D
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 20/20
TOTAL - 93/100
Remark: Now this is pure unadulterated fun! I'm pretty sure everyone experienced this kind of joy, even just watching kids playing and having fun makes one happy. It brings out the child in all of us, This entry fits the theme perfectly. The black and white treatment makes it a classic. Great job!

Judge 5

3rd Pick - Entry 12 - Bong Castillo - "Caleb Framed" - Canon 60D
Quality -27/30
Creativity and Originality - 27/30
Theme Adaptation - 19/20
Overall Impression -18/20
TOTAL - 91/100
Remark: A daringly cropped whole frame expression of pure joy. Simple yet effective capture, well presented, too.

2nd pick - Entry 8 - Macky Sevilla - "Shower Fun" - Canon 500D
Quality - 28/30
Creativity and Originality - 27/30
Theme Adaptation -18/20
Overall Impression - 19/20
TOTAL - 92/100
Remark: Not just a well captured expression of joy, it added the extra challenge of a nicely done water splash.

1st pick - Entry 6 - Zandro Cenizal - "Picture, picture on the wall, who's the happiest of them all?" - Nikon D5100
Quality - 29/30
Creativity and Originality - 30/30
Theme Adaptation - 18/20
Overall Impression - 18/20
TOTAL - 95/100
Remark:
A little odd yet intriguing composition. Interestingly the number of elements enforced its effectivity making it quite unlike all the other entries. Foreground and background adding depth to the composition. The background seemingly attuned to the general atmosphere of fun. Nicely different, a breath of fresh air from the usual.

Special Mention:

Entry 10 - Karen Eaquinta Sharkey - "Tears of Joy, the Birthday Surprise" - Coolpix L20
It is a photo of happiness with depth. Effective with caption like a journalistic piece, but without it the expression of joy is not fully justified visually. As a visual tool, a photo should be able to stand alone and speak for itself. A beautiful piece of work, nevertheless.

To all the entrants to photo challenge 9 who made it to the dp+ Pick - Congratulations!

Popular Votes Pick ranking for photo challenge 9

2012-09-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

After the final casting of votes on August 16, 2012 for the theme "happiness captured" for the month of August photo challenge 9, here is the ranking of entries from Top 15 to Top 1 majority votes. They are:

Top 15 - Entry 51 - Oaun Kazmi - "Pakistani children are always happy" - Nikon D90 - 23 votes

Top 15 - Entry 36 - Carlo Paolo Adrillana - "Happy with man's bestfriend" - Nikon D7000 - 23 votes

Top 15 - Entry 13 - Mhar Delaben - "Happiness paints a thousand smiles" - Nikon D90 - 23 votes

Top 15 - Entry 12 - Bong Castillo - "Caleb framed" - Canon 60D - 23 votes

Top 14 - Entry 35 - Matthew Matchinsky - "State Fair" - Nikon D90 - 25 votes

Top 14 - Entry 27 - Cesar Preposi - "Stars and Smiles" - Olympus SP590U2 - 25 votes

Top 13 - Entry 26 - Mark Xavier Legaspi - "What's funny?" - Nikon D7000 - 26 votes

Top 13 - Entry 19 - Janeth Nitoral - "Simply happy" - Nikon D3100 - 26 votes

Top 12 - Entry 6 - Zandro Cenizal - "Picture, picture on the wall, who's the happiest of them all?" - Nikon D90 - 27 votes

Top 11 - Entry 2 - Dhina Ocariza Fontanilla - "Wow! This is it!" - Kodak M320 - 28 votes

Top 10 - Entry 22 - Alberto Lao - "Happiness knows no bounds" - Sony A900 - 29 votes

Top 9 - Entry 42 - Hieronymus Rosales - "Happiness of two hearts" - Canon 450D - 30 votes

Top 9 - Entry 17 - Aileen Siwa - "Happiness" - Nikon D3100 - 30 votes

Top 8 - Entry 48 - Navjeevan Doal Taloh - "Happiness = Togetherness" - Olympus SP-800UZ - 31 votes

Top 7 - Entry 32 - Lily Vinluan - "Yum, yum, yum" - Canon 600D - 32 votes

Top 6 - Entry 45 - Wilma Salazar Go - "Ooops, I got a head butt" - Nikon D7000 - 33 votes

Top 6 - Entry 44 - Steven Ee Kin Cheng - "We live in a small hut, we don't have a big car and we don't eat much food but we have big smiles" - Canon 7D - 33 votes

Top 6 - Entry 33 - Manuel Yambao Jr. - "Laugh Out Loud" - Nikon D7000 - 33 votes

Top 6 - Entry 9 - Raffy Arcaina - "Happiness is innocence" - Nikon D5100 - 33 votes

Top 5 - Entry 31 - Ric Tan - "Happy together friends" - Nikon D7000 - 37 votes

Top 4 - Entry 8 - Macky Sevilla - "Shower Fun" - Canon 500D - 38 votes

Top 3 - Entry 20 - Sam Ade - "Rubber Jumpers" - Olympus PL-3 - 39 votes

Top 2 - Entry 21 - Lennox Tpc - "A Kodak Moment" - Canon 60D - 53 votes

Top 1 - Entry 10 - Karen Eaquinta Sharkey - Tears of Joy, the Birthday Surprise" - 65 votes

Congratulations to all entrants who made it to the top 15 Popular Votes Pick. Great job!!

dp+ pick winner - photo challenge 8 with theme "photographer photo"

2012-08-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

dp+ Winning Entry - photo challenge 8 - dp+ Pick
theme: Photographer Photo
photographer: Omar Jordan de Guzman
title: "My World, I Rule"
camera: Nikon D700
total judges score: 168/500

Here are the remarks of the judges who included this entry to their top 3 picks:

Judge 3:
Remark: In line with the theme, yet I feel there is something missing in this photo. I would prefer if the photographer had used a prime lens to add more bokeh to the background to make it less distracting hence I had to give the quality a 10/30. Creativity & Originality is superb - something new which we do not find in other entries. Bravo!!!

Judge 4:

Remark: This picture showed clearly what the title wants to express -- a man/photographer standing on the earth replica. The action of his fist showing he stands for what he is, a PHOTOGRAPHER. Nice shot, good framing. The stripes of the globe continually reflect on the open shelves of the background.

This entry placed 16th in the Popular Votes Pick where dp+ members voted entries through likes. Lowest votes gathered is 10 votes which placed 20th. It gathered 13 votes compared with first placer entry by Joanna Lyn Ong with 45 votes.

Only 2 judges voted for this entry in the dp+ Pick. Another entry that got picked by 2 judges is that of Carlo Paolo Adrillana. The rest of the entries that made it to the dp+ Pick only got picked by 1 judge each. This entry won by 15 points from its nearest competitor. Adrillana got 153 votes. De Guzman got 168 votes. It is one tough competition for the judges.

Congratulations, Omar Jordan de Guzman for winning the "Photographer Photo" theme. For someone passionate about his craft as a professional photographer, your work reflects it so. Way to go!!

Note: to see more of Omar Jordan de Guzman's works, you may check out this link: www.omarjordandeguzman.com

September theme - dp+ photo challenge 10

2012-08-23T20:27:00.001-07:00

photo by Gina Villanueva-Uyan

"There are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words."

- Doris Humphrey

In the Philippines, it seems like the rainy month of September is a dance month. In Calbayog City, Western Samar, they celebrate the Sarakiki-Hadang Festival from September 1-8. "Sarakiki" in Western Samar dialect means frenzied movements which aims to attract, allure, draw attention or entice while "hadang" means an offering or a sacrifice.

There's also the Sinab'badan Tribal Festival, Sta. Cruz Davao del Sur - a tribal showcasing of indigenous art in a form of music and dances among others celebrated on September 5 to 6.

There are a lot of street dancing festivities, too, to name some are:

- the Banok-Banok Maradjao Karadjao Festival, Bais City, Surigao del Norte - It is another street dancing pageantry celebrated on September 9. It features ethnic Mamanwa dance in a day-long Mardi Gras celebration;

- the Sipong Festival, Bais City, Negros Oriental - It is a lively celebration on September 7 featuring a colorful parade of choreographed street dancing;

- the Sayaw Lahi Festival, Naujan, Mindoro Oriental - It is an entertainment festival that features all Philippine native dances. In Tagalog, "sayaw" means dance and "lahi" means race;

- the Hinirugyaw Festival of Cabanatuan, Iloilo - It is a 10-day celebration each year every September 1-10 of the Feast of San Nicolas de Tolentino;

- the Megayon Festival, Zamboanga del Sur - It is a Thanksgiving festival that showcase not only dances but also native songs and food of the Subanens of Zamboanga; and

- the Talakudong Festival, Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat - A different twist to street dancing, it is dancing to make people laugh celebrated on September 18. It is a display of neo-ethnic cultural spectacle meant to exhibit the "talakudong" and being danced to the sound of exotic percussion instruments;

So for dp+ photo challenge 10 for the month of September theme, it is "Ethnic Dance" - the most well executed capture of ethnic dance movements technically and aesthetically paying attention to color, detail, composition and how the actual dance movement is frozen in time.

As customary in all dp+ photo challenges, it should not have any major photo manipulation. To know up to what extent acceptable photo manipulation covers, here is the link to our rules and regulations: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/dp-photo-challenge-general-rules-and.html

Criteria are as follows:
Quality or Technicality - 30%;
Creativity and Originality - 30%;
Theme Adaptation - 20%
Overall Impact - 20%
For details on the criteria definition, please follow this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/02/dp-photo-challenge-dp-pick.html

deadlines:

posting of entries:
from September 1 - September 15, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

voting or liking of entries:
from September 1 - September 16, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

dp+ pick start of judging date:
September 17, 2012

Good luck to all!

1 year 1 month milestones - the addition of 2 new administrators

2012-08-21T21:48:00.004-07:00

"At Last!" - sample entry for photo challenge 9 photo by Gina Vi

dp+ is 1 year and 1 month as a group on 17 August 2012. Originally a Friendster group in 2007, many developments occurred since Digital Photography Plus' inception as a Facebook group on July 17, 2011. Here are our first year, first month milestones:

1. dp+ group site members - 1,143 members
It should be noted that in the latter half part of dp+ 11 months existence as an Facebook group, most of the addition to the group came from voluntary membership and addition to the group by dp+ members. Only a few became members through invites from dp+.

2. Number of Likes on dp+ official Facebook site - 779 Likes
To all dp+ members - please support our official facebook page through likes found on this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-Photography-PLUS/242285489128553

3. dp+ site members - 188 members - check out this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-was-dp-9th-month-in-existence-as.html

Edmund Chan

4. HDR department head, Edmund Chan, is now part of the dp+ administration as Content Creator.

5. dp+ photo challenge 9 - with Happiness Captured as theme - awaits dp+ Pick result, and to be posted is the announcement of dp+ photo challenge 10 theme for the month of September. Here is the official entries album to photo challenge 9:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.366248333447778&type=1

6. A Picbadge site for the group still in operation. This is dp+ official picbadge page: http://www.picbadges.com/digital-photography-plus/2345457/#

7. Continuation of presentation of Certificates of Photography Excellence to the winners of dp+ Popular Votes Pick and the dp+ Pick

8. Continuous issuance of Certificate of Appreciation to the dp+ Pick Panel of Judges

9. New daily photo challenge in the making and to be announced later.

photo of Matthew Matchinsky by Matthew Matchinsky

10. Addition to the dp+ team of a new co-administrator as Content Creator - Matthew Matchinsky.

In behalf of all of the administrators, thank you to each and every member who continue to support the group.

We appreciate your photo sharing and insights, appreciation of other members' works, joining the photo challenges as entrant or as voter or as a judge, and for the simple act of lending strength to the group when and where needed.

Congratulations to all those who won our photo challenges may they be the Popular Votes Pick or the dp+ Pick. Here's hoping for more challenges to overcome and many many more monthsaries and year-long anniversaries to come. Happy shooting to all - cheers!

Winner of Popular Votes Pick, photo challenge 9, "happiness captured" photo

2012-08-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

photo challenge 9 winning entry by Popular Votes Pick
photographer: Karen Sharkey Eaquinta
title: "Tears of Joy, the Birthday Surprise"
camera: Coolpix L20
photo challenge 7 theme: "happiness captured"
number of votes: 65

dp+ Pick - top 11 ranking - photo challenge 8 - photographer photo

2012-08-08T22:49:00.001-07:00

For our theme "photographer photo", 13 entries made it to the dp+ Pick. It means 13 entries made it to the judges' top 3 choices. If all 5 judges would each have their own different set of top 3 picks, there would be 15 entries included here instead of 13. It means that only two judges included 2 same entries on their top 3 picks.

Instead of 13 rankings, however, there will only be Top 11 Ranks. 2 entries tied at Top 7 slot both scoring 91/500 each. They are Joanna Lyn Ong and Manuel Yambao Jr. 2 entries also tied at Top 8 rank. They are Rockit Potograpiya and Vhinic Sanctus. Both of them scored 90/500 each.

Only 2 entries got picked twice by 2 judges. The rest of the entries, got picked once only.
Picked twice are entries by Omar Jordan de Guzman and Carlo Paolo Adrillana. Omar Jordan de Guzman scored 168/500. Carlo Paolo Adrillana, on the other hand, got 153/500. The top score won only by 15 points difference.

There were 5 judges as before, 1 is part of the dp+ administration and 4 are select members of the group. Each judge picked their top 3 choices from all the entries and scored them based on 4 criteria which include Quality or the technical aspect of the photo (30%), Creativity and Originality (30%), Theme Adaptation (20%) and Overall Impact or Impression (20%). Each also gave their reasons for their picks. A total of 100% per judge is the perfect score in all categories per entry. Final perfect score is 500 points with 100 point percentage from each of the 5 judges. The one who gets the highest score wins.

So here are the 13 entries who made it to the dp+ Pick top 11 ranks and their rankings in reverse order from top 11 to top 1:

Top 11 - Entry no. 18 - Lindsay Roberts - "Me in the mirror taking photo of me on the computer with reflection of me in the computer" - Canon 5MDK11 - 60/500

Top 10 - Entry no. 31 - Beeboo Baxa Daguplo - "Please wait, Mommy" - Canon 500D - 85/500

Top 9 - Entry no. 35 - Nada Stambuk - "Photographer" - Olympus E-PL 1 - 87/500

Top 8 - Entry no.8 - Rockit Photograpiya - "Self Strobe" - Pentax KM+SMC DA L - 90/500

Top 8 - Entry no. 1 - Vhinic Sanctus - "Ali I Voi" - Nikon D7000 - 90/500

Top 7 - Entry no. 5 - Joanna Lynn Ong - "Scotch Bottle Genie" - Nikon D90 - 91/500

Top 7 - Entry 13 - Manuel Yambao Jr. - "Double Protection" - Nikon D7K - 91/500

Top 6 - Entry no. 37 - Aries Aguilar - "Sweet Romance" - Nikon D90 - 93/500

Top 5 - Entry 2 - Camilo Corpuz - "That's it, girl!" - Nikon D2HS - 94/500

Top 4 - Entry 38 - Choco Martin - "Another Tiring Day" - Nikon D700 - 95/500

Top 3 - Entry no. 6 - Allan Valenzona - "Comfort Zone" - CANON EOS 1000D - 96/500

Top 2 - Entry no. 15 - Carlo Paolo Adrillana - "Poolside Photog" - Nikon D7K - 153/500

Top 1 - Entry no. 42 - Omar Jordan de Guzman - "My world, I rule" - Nikon D700 - 168/500

Congratulations to all entrants who made it to the dp+ Pick!

judges top 3 choices for photo challenge 8 dp+Pick

2012-08-05T02:43:00.002-07:00

Judge 1

3rd pick - Entry no. 15 - Carlo Paolo Adrillana - "Poolside Photog" - Nikon D7K
Quality - _20/30
Creativity and Originality - _25/30
Theme Adaptation - _20/20
Overall Impression - _15/20
TOTAL - 70/100
Remark:
Good composition and great use of branch of trees as background.

2nd pick - Entry no. 35 - Nada Stambuk - "Photographer" - Olympus E-PL 1
Quality - 25/30
Creativity and Originality - 25/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - 17/20
TOTAL - 87/100
Remark:
I like this shot - very dramatic. I like the use of birds as subject. I like the photographer, too! Great shot!

1st pick - Entry no.8 - Rockit Photograpiya - "Self Strobe" - Pentax KM+SMC DA L
Quality - 30/30
Creativity and Originality - 20/30
Theme Adaptation - 20/20
Overall Impression - _20/20
TOTAL - 90/100
Remark:
My first pick, I love the wide angle shot - the lighting is perfect! Marvelous job!

Judge 2

3rd Pick - Entry no. 15 - Carlo Paolo Adrillana - "Poolside Photog" - Nikon D7K

Quality - 25/30

Creativity and Originality - 20/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 18/20

TOTAL - 83/100

Remark: I liked the overall quality of this image. It is composed well and feels balanced. The depth of field is good. Noise is low. Highlights just a bit over exposed. It fits the theme very well - a photographer framing a shot or reflecting on one just taken and appearing to be relaxed in the effort. It is a well thought out photo. Image left me with the feeling that I wanted to be in her place.

2nd Pick - Entry no. 31 - Beeboo Baxa Daguplo - "Please wait, Mommy" - Canon 500D

Quality - 25/30

Creativity and Originality - 22/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 18/20

TOTAL - 85/100

Remark: Image works well in black and white. Good framing and exposure. I like how the lighting illuminates the child's eyes - and gives me a feeling of seeing the photographer's eyes as she sees through the lens. This image appeals to me on this level as I have a daughter about this age and she is also taking an interest in photography. Perfect photo for the theme. - a photographer in the act of taking a picture.

1st Pick - Entry no. 37 - Aries Aguilar - "Sweet Romance" - Nikon D90

Quality - _28_/30

Creativity and Originality - 25/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 20/20

TOTAL - _93_/100

Remark: This photo does it for me - excellent composition and exposure, good focus and depth of field. The lighting is on the money. And the image captures a photographer intent on getting the right image for his 'client' - the epitome of the theme. Timing is also right on as it captures the kiss. A splendid image.

Judge 3

3rd pick - Entry no. 18 - Lindsay Roberts - "Me in the mirror taking photo of me on the computer with reflection of me in the computer" - Canon 5MDK11

Quality - 10/30

Creativity and Originality - 30/30

Theme Adaptation - 10/20

Overall Impression - 10/20

TOTAL - 60/100

Remark: Interesting photo with 2 perspectives to suit the theme. Well aligned with creativity and concept in mind.

2nd pick - Entry no. 42 - Omar Jordan de Guzman - "My world" - Nikon D700

Quality - 10/30

Creativity and Originality - 30/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 10/20

TOTAL - 70/100

Remark: In line with the theme, yet I feel there is something missing in this photo. I would prefer if the photographer had used a prime lens to add more bokeh to the background to make it less distracting hence I had to give the quality a 10/30. Creativity & Originality is superb - something new which we do not find in other photos. Bravo!!!

1st pick - Entry no. 1 - Vhinic Sanctus - "Ali I Voi" - Nikon D7000

Quality - 20/30

Creativity and Originality - 30/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 20/20

TOTAL - 90/100

Remark: It is a photo with a concept which I favour personally.With creativity in mind to capture the audience but yet focusing attention to the theme. Creativity & Originality here requires some praises where composition and timing is of the essence. Job well done you are my top pick!

Judge 4

3rd pick – Entry no. 5 - Joanna Lynn Ong - "Scotch Bottle Genie" - Nikon D90

Quality - 28/30

Creativity and Originality -28/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 15/20

TOTAL - 91/100

Remark: Obviously the photographer gave her effort to this kind of shot. It is not a common shot. When I saw this photo I didn’t realize that there was a bottle. Maybe a little adjustment on the aperture of the camera will help to make the bottle more obvious. So that you can see a beautiful genie in the bottle. But it was a great shot!

2nd pick – Entry no. 6 - Allan Valenzona - "Comfort Zone" - CANON EOS 1000D

Quality - 28/30

Creativity and Originality - 30/30

Theme Adaptation – 20/20

Overall Impression - 19/20

TOTAL - 96/100

Remark:

What captured me most in this shot is the title itself, “Comfort Zone". As a photographer he showed his passion in this picture. In what way did he show it? He revealed himself by exhibiting kitchen utensils and camera artistically in the three objects. 3 in 1, as we say it. In addition, the object formed was a symbol of PEACE…. A ZONE where there is COMFORT, indeed. GREAT JOB!

1st pick – Entry no. 42 - Omar Jordan de Guzman - "My world, I rule" - Nikon D700

Quality - 29/30

Creativity and Originality - 28/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 18/20

TOTAL - 98/100

Remark:

This picture showed clearly what the title wants to express…a man/photographer standing on the world. The action of his fist showing he stands for what he is, a PHOTOGRAPHER. Nice shot, good framing. The stripes of the globe continually reflect on the open shelves of the background.

Judge 5

3rd pick - Entry 13 - Manuel Yambao Jr. - "Double Protection" - Nikon D7K

Quality - 30/30

Creativity and Originality - 26/30

Theme Adaptation - 18/20

Overall Impression - 17/20

TOTAL - 91/100

Remark: Anything to take that shot, even wear mismatched water protection (at least the hat matches the outfit) ;) But humor aside, it follows the theme - it is a photo of a photographer trying to take a photo even in uncooperative weather conditions. Photographers are supposed to be chameleons that blend in on their surroundings - this one appears to be a peacock. ;) This photographer photo is different. Something that leaves a smile to the viewer. It is a simple, crisp, appealing shot.

2nd pick - Entry 2 - Camilo Corpuz - "That's it, girl!" - Nikon D2HS

Quality - 24/30

Creativity and Originality - 30/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 20/20

TOTAL - 94/100

Remark: What makes this shot different is it shows not just the photographer in action actually taking photos. It also shows how he was able to successfully motivate his subject. Something which I think is an important quality of a good photographer. I like the unconventional way it was taken. The subject takes the most part of the frame while at the same time focusing on the main theme which is the photographer himself. Very apt use of foreground. Great job!

1st pick - Entry 38 - Choco Martin - "Another Tiring Day" - Nikon D700

Quality - 30/30

Creativity and Originality - 30/30

Theme Adaptation - 20/20

Overall Impression - 20/20
DEDUCTION: 5 points (watermark)

TOTAL - 95/100

Remark: An iconic photographer shot! It is different from other photographer photos in a way that it shows that it is a photographer photo without him aiming at a camera to shoot. It's like saying the photographer gets tired, too, shooting, not to mention carrying all those stuff. Apt use of black and white. Even the choice of background and the man's expression contribute to the "tiring" feeling - as if this photographer "had really been to war". Simple but effective. Excellent shot!

To all the entrants to photo challenge 8 who made it to the dp+ Pick - Congratulations! With very little difference in scores, everyone picked are winners!

Popular Votes Pick ranking for photo challenge 8

2012-07-27T05:43:00.001-07:00

After the final casting of votes on July 16, 2012 for the theme "the Photographer" for the month of July photo challenge 8, here is the ranking of entries from Top 10 to Top 1 majority votes. They are:

Top 10 - Entry 35 - Nada Stambuk - "Photographer" - Olympus E-PL1- 20 votes

Top 10 - Entry 28 - Gerry Chua - "Love for photography at 2" - Canon 60D - 20 votes

Top 10 - Entry 17 - Monching Corpuz - "Jump shot photographer" - Nikon D90 - 20 votes

Top 9 - Entry 13 - Manuel Yambao - "Double Protection" - Nikon D7K - 21 votes

Top 8 - Entry 16 - Emmanuel Arevalo - "Flat" - Canon 450D - 22 votes

Top 7 - Entry 21 - Karen Eaquinta Sharkey - "My camera and me" - Nikon Coolpix - 24 votes

Top 7 - Entry 25 - Janeth Nitoral - "Love of my life" - Nikon 3100 - 24 votes

Top 6 - Entry 24 - Alberto Lao - "I shoot Earth, Sun and Sky" - Sony Alpha A77 - 26 votes

Top 6 - Entry 31 - Beebo Baxa Daguplo - "Please wait, mommy..." - Canon 500D - 26 votes

Top 5 - Entry 11 - Romel Biscarra - "Me, myself and the mosque" - Canon 50D - 27 votes

Top 5 - Entry 1 - Vhinic Sanctus - "Ali I Vai" - Nikon D7000 - 27 votes

Top 4 - Entry 6 - Allan Valenzona - "Confort zone" - Canon 1000D - 28 votes

Top 3 - Entry 4 - Raphy Arcaina - "Refracted" - Nikon D5100 - 29 votes

Top 2 - Entry 20 - Iron Abner - "Sino ba? (Who?)" - Canon Rebel 300 - 42 votes

Top 1 - Entry 5 - Joanna Lyn Ong - "Scotch Bottle Genie" - Nikon D90 - 45 votes

Congratulations to all entrants who made it to the top 10 Popular Votes Pick. Good job!!

panel of judges for the 7th dp+ photo challenge

2012-07-23T22:35:00.001-07:00

For the 7th dp+ photo challenge with theme Some Kind of Bride photo - without photo manipulation - once again, there were 5 people comprising the panel of judges - 4 members and 1 administrator.

Member judges were Sallie Tumlison, Chito Francisco, Borj Meneses and Osler Ladia. Administrator judge is Gina Villanueva-Uyan acting as the main facilitator.

Below are the judges' Certificate of Appreciation. Only certificates posted to this site are certified dp+ certification. Thank you very much to our judges for sharing their time and photography expertise that give credence and weight to this photo challenge.

To all judges, in behalf of all dp+ members, thank you!

photo challenge 7 winners' certificates

2012-07-21T00:41:00.001-07:00

For photo challenge 7 theme is Some Kind of Bride photo. Winner by Popular Votes Pick is an entry by Zandro Cenizal with 52 votes. Camilo Corpuz a.k.a Kamilovich Karpov, on the other hand, won the dp+ Pick with the following as judges: Sallie Tumlison, Borj Meneses, Chito Francisco, Osler Ladia and Gina Villanueva-Uyan.

For the Popular Votes Pick, Zandro Cenizal won at 52 votes while Camilo Corpuz' entry ranked 4th at 40 votes. For the dp+ Pick where Camilo Corpuz' entry was picked as top choice by 3 judges, Zandro Cenizal's entry was chosen as 3rd Pick by one judge ranking at 7th Place.

Please note that only Certificates posted here in the dp+ site is certified dp+ photography excellence awards.

The following are the certificates of excellence in photography awards for Zandro Cenizal and Camilo Corpuz:

Congratulations guys for such unconventional bride captures, cheers!

August theme - dp+ photo challenge 9

2012-07-19T09:51:00.001-07:00

photo by Glenn S. Buenaventura

Joy is a picture

If thoughts can paint pictures that words dare not speak,
And daydreams built castles of that which we seek,
Then artists and architects all would we be
Our hearts will be open, our minds would be free.

I'd build a castle as daydreams unfold,
Revealing the feelings I secretly hold.
I'd paint a picture of words left unsaid,
And feelings of closeness to which they have led.

But pictures are thoughts that so rarely are told
For fear of appearing too forward and bold.
And castles are built in the daydreamer's heart,
A lifetime of wishes still lifetimes apart.

And yet we are richer for all that we feel,
No matter how abstract, no matter how real.
For joy is a picture we paint in our minds,
And love is the castle our hearts hope to find.

- Author Unknown

The month of July is the Happiness Happens Month and the Admit You're Happy Month. So for our 9th photo challenge, our theme is "happiness captured". It is expression of happiness, joy, felicity, bliss framed in a single shot.

Happiness or joys in life have many sources. It can come from achievement, love, material gain, fame, security, contentment and success among other things. It doesn't matter what the source what matters here is how joyful moments are captured and that they are captured creatively, well done technically and presenting a high impact general impression.

As all our usual photo challenges require, entries should not have any major photo manipulation. To know up to what extent acceptable photo manipulation covers, here is the link to our rules and regulations: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/dp-photo-challenge-general-rules-and.html

deadlines:

posting of entries:
from August 1 - August 15, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

voting or liking of entries:
from August 1 - August 16, 2012
12 midnight - Philippine time

dp+ pick start of judging date:
August 17, 2012

Good luck to all!

dp+ first year anniversary milestones

2012-07-17T03:05:00.001-07:00

"Captured me" photo by Gina Villanueva-Uyan of Gina Villanueva-Uyan

17 July 2012 marks dp+ first year anniversary. Originally a Friendster group in 2007, many developments occurred since Digital Photography Plus' inception as a Facebook group on July 17, 2011. Here are our first year milestones:

1. dp+ group site members - 1,069 members
It should be noted that in the latter half part of dp+ 11 months existence as an Facebook group, most of the addition to the group came from voluntary membership and addition to the group by dp+ members. Only a few became members through invites from dp+.

2. Number of Likes on dp+ official Facebook site - 737 Likes
To all dp+ members - please support our official facebook page through likes found on this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-Photography-PLUS/242285489128553

3. dp+ site members - 176 members - check out this link: http://dpplus.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-was-dp-9th-month-in-existence-as.html

4. An HDR department headed by Edmund Chan - HDR work in progress

5. dp+ photo challenge 8 - with Photographer photo as theme - awaits dp+ Pick result, and to be posted is the announcement of dp+ photo challenge 0 theme for the month of July. Here is the official entries album to photo challenge 7: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?id=100001557657899&tid=164854913587122&skipClustering=true&qn=1341235852&success=1&failure=0&set=oa.356113354461276

6. A Picbadge site for the group still in operation. This is dp+ official picbadge page: http://www.picbadges.com/digital-photography-plus/2345457/#

7. Continuation of presentation of Certificates of Photography Excellence to the winners of dp+ Popular Votes Pick and the dp+ Pick

photo by Lennox Tpc of Lennox Tpc

8. Continuous issuance of Certificate of Appreciation to the dp+ Pick Panel of Judges

9. New daily photo challenge in the making and to be announced later.

10. Admission to the dp+ team of 2 new co-administrators - Lennox Tpc and Fidel Fernandez.

photo by Fidel Fernandez of Fidel Fernandez

Thank you to all dp+ administrators namely Ginavi, Juanito Vinluan, Benjax Rivera, Omar Jordan de Guzman, Hieronymus Rosales, Gilbert de Vera, Edmund Chan, Ivanig Dpp and recently added Lennox Tpc and Fidel Fernandez. In behald of all of them, thanks to each and every member who continue to support the group.

We appreciate your photo sharing and insights, appreciation of other members' works, joining the photo challenges as entrant or as voter or as a judge, and for the simple act of lending strength to the group when and where needed.

Congratulations to all those who won our photo challenges may they be the Popular Votes Pick or the dp+ Pick. Here's hoping for more challenges to overcome and many many more monthsaries and year-long anniversaries to come. Happy shooting to all - cheers!

Winner of Popular Votes Pick, photo challenge 8, the photographer theme

2012-07-16T10:02:00.002-07:00

For our Popular Votes Pick, photo challenge 8 with theme, "the photographer", winner won with 45 like votes. It was an entry by Joanna Lyn Ong. It is closely followed by Abner co's entry, "Sino Ba? (Who?) with 42 votes. Congratulations to the new Popular Votes Pick winner!

photo challenge 8 winning entry by Popular Votes Pick
photographer: Joanna Lyn Ong
title: "Scotch Bottle Genie"
camera: Nikon D90
photo challenge 7 theme: "the photographer"
number of votes: 45