ABC tv show :PHOTO FINISH: discussion thread

[pjs2]

About the show I don’t think it has enough details for active photographers and is not informative enough for learners. I sat down with my cup o cocoa and before I’d sipped the foam off the top it was over and left me a little confused as to what was that all about. All involved in the show’s presentation are all very wooden. Like some have already said what is the point of making people use gear they are unfamiliar with.
I wasn’t a fan of the winner of the first show, way too busy and the shot of Vince was just a shot of Vince. I’ve seen it a thousand times in the TV guide. I thought the shot of Dick Smith was the better one. Really showed the true person instead of the glasses wearing Dick Smith brand that we all know.
Second show I thought the right winner was chosen. Ice crystals on plants (not landscape). I suppose the waterfall was landscape and just because it wasn’t what I was expecting it was still OK and only a victim of being another waterfall shot.
One thing I did realise is that for a few days after the show I did wonder “What would Brian Boytanno Peter Smith do it that situation. Will keep watching if it keeps me thinking.

Peter

[Allie]

.....

also the guys tattoo was woeful.

What as his favourite lens or as a hamburger??

I don't think I'll be watching it again after these two episodes - it leaves me disappointed. I guess they can't do much more with the chosen format and 30 minutes - it will appeal to some people and maybe lead to discussion but I don't think it will suit those like me who want to learn about photography - but I guess that is not the audience it is directed towards.

[MattNQ]

Hmmm... call that a tattoo? Now if he had a nikkor 200-400/f4 with 24 elements tattooed up his leg...that would be more impressive...still kind of weird perhaps , but less hamburgery

[ricktas]

i think the right entry was chosen as the winner. also agree that even showing the settings used on the final photos would at least give the viewersomething in the way of learning. after two shows all i feel they are teaching the contestants and viewer is to look at composition, try different angles etc, nothing else. the guy should have chosen one of his tree photos

[selaw]

Tied up with visitors and completely missed the show. Will try to see the repeat today as suggested by Mark L. Any idea what the iView download (megabytes) is worth? Mine is limited.

[agb]

It is a pity that there is not a bit more technical information, at least something about the lenses used and why they were chosen. I agree with Rick that the final entries at least should show the lens, aperture and shutter speed, and ISO used.
As for the landscapes, only one , the winner, fitted my definition .But of course it is a pretty broad subject.

However given that they had 4 hours with an unfamiliar camera, in unfamiliar surroundings, they did pretty well.

[koputai]

As far as I could tell of the winner, the camera must have been just set to fully auto. She was always shooting with one hand in her pocket, and every other shot she took had a clouded over lens. For the winning shot she just happenend to hit the shutter at an opportune moment.

Out of the three contestants, I reckon the younger woman had the most potential as a photographer. At least she gave some thought to what she was doing, even though the 'landscape' brief slipped her mind.

Looking at their past work in the introduction, the mother just took family happy snaps and scrapbooked them, and the guy just took basic photo's and turned them black and white to appear arty and impress his friends.

Once again a disappointment as a 'photography' show. I don't think I'll bother any more.

Cheers,
Jason.

[rafikicat]

Great idea Rick. Also you can watch it on the ABC's iview. Last night's episode is there already for people like me who missed it last night.

[ricktas]

Tied up with visitors and completely missed the show. Will try to see the repeat today as suggested by Mark L. Any idea what the iView download (megabytes) is worth? Mine is limited.

As per the link : http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/program/22887 : it is stated as 138MB

[Speedway]

Just watched the repeat and I don't think I will bother again.
Keith.

[fillum]

I'm not sure what people were expecting from the show...

I like the premise of the show but think it will work best in genres where the photographer has more control over the situation (eg portrait, fashion, some wedding) than where there is more dependence on outside factors (eg landscape, street). I thought the first episode was much more interesting than last nights.

To me, the show is what most of photography is about - having the idea, finding the shot, etc - so I like that it's not bogged down with technical stuff. The show is meant to be an entertainment but there are plenty of tips in the show if you look for them. (And there's about a bazillion hours of tutorials on YouTube so I don't think there's a need to fill prime time with it as well ).

As images, I think the final shots have been ok without being outstanding, although considering these are amateurs shooting under some trying and unfamiliar conditions they've done pretty well. I'd agree with both the winning shots so far, although on my tv the best looking shot was the one of Dick Smith but it looks flat on the website. (It's not the shot I would have chosen to present in that situation though).



Cheers.

[Duane Pipe]

I voted for Marg I saw them as the judges did. One was a macro which didn't fit the theme and the other was just a waterfall.
I thought Marg did well since she dose not own a slr.
As for the show itself I agree that its not very pleasing Technically

[atky]

I've watch both episodes found them entertaining but lacking substance.
Find it hard to be to critical of the photographers efforts but wounder how they were selected, yes they are all amateurs but, some seem to me to be almost new to photography and lack the basic knowledge of photography, it could be that there is no time spent during the program introducing the photographers, we dont get any insight into how they think about photography.
It may be that the producers definition of a armature photographer is a lot different to mine but it seems to me that I would describ some of the people taking part as people that take pictures with a camera and not people who spend time thinking about how to shoot, building a shot, or finding a shot. Some on the show have shown that they are photographers but others not.
I will keep watching because it could be a good show, it has a long way to go though.

[wedgtail]

Just watched the second show with my wife a non photographer she liked it and will be back next week to see 'the train crash" the wedding shoot. I think this is the audience the show is aimed at. More technical advice would be good Agree with those that would like to see the Pro shoot some of the same ,as the armatures.

[Cris]

I find it fairly interesting and its good how they are really only competing on composition and creativity, sure a little technical knowledge of the camera may help, but they don't have any processing, so they have to get it right before they push the button. Nothing wrong with that, makes for a very even playing field.

[Bear Dale]

I'm not sure what people were expecting from the show...

I think too much.


It's not a Scott Kelby PhotoShop tutorial (hey and we all know how dry tutorials can be) aimed at a specific market hungry for the information. It's a photography program on national television aimed at the masses.


I'm just enjoying it for what it is and not condemning it for what it could be or should have been. It's too easy to be critical sometimes or as the Americans say "Armchair Quarter Backing". How many of us could truly have produced something better cut down to an exact time frame?


I like it and hope they run another series of the show next year.

[WhoDo]

I think too much.

I dunno, Jim. I think the line from the main female judge "I can see each and every one of you as professional photographers" (sic) kind of belies the "pap for the masses" theory. We'll see next week when the contestants are thrown at a hapless bride and groom. Hope they've made other arrangements for the bulk of their wedding shots.

My father used to have an expression for such things: "It's neither your a...s nor your elbow". If it was pure pulp I could ignore it. As it is I keep hoping it will get better at giving us something ... anything!

[Tommo1965]

yep I have to agree with you here..my wife also caught me watching it and decided to stay till the end...all I saw was a very light weight show that could do with more substance and less dramatic sound effects when the winner or the location was announced...but my wife really liked it...she loves taking photos of the family with a compact , perhaps this show might spur her interest even further

Just watched the second show with my wife a non photographer she liked it and will be back next week to see 'the train crash" the wedding shoot. I think this is the audience the show is aimed at. More technical advice would be good Agree with those that would like to see the Pro shoot some of the same ,as the armatures.

[arthurking83]

Please bring back Catalyst!! Aaaarggghhhhh!

Anyhow, all three landscape images disappointed this week too!(as with the portrait images last week).

With the portrait images, I picked Vince Colossimo as my preferred image(and kids agreed) .. but this week all were particularly uninspiring to the point where had I been a judge, I have picked none!

The frosty bush close up was a nice nature image, but not a landscape image.

And another annoying aspect of the show ... my son commented on it .. the annoying simulated shutter sound they use to cut from image to image, but with this processed in tailing off echo-y sound!!

Why? It doesn't add anything to a pretty average show.

I'm only watching it out of curiosity due to the subject matter that the show deals with(photography) my favourite hobby!

I really can't understand why they felt the need to put the photographers under pressure of meeting a stupid deadline using equipment completely unfamiliar to them!!

Just let them choose the gear they feel they can produce their best final product.
I'm also thinking.. even tho 99% of photographers all seem to use PS or LR.. that doesn't necessarily mean it's either the best software, or what they seem to have to use.
I'd fail miserably in their environment simply because I have no PS skillz at all!

It's one of those TV shows that you watch simply because nothing else is on, and you have the time to(it's my kids time at that time of a Thursday evening).
To miss an episode is no big deal, whereas to have missed Catalyst was!
We miss the first 10-15mins too as we come home about after it's started, but I doubt that I've missed much in those lost 10-15mins either.

[ricktas]

Maybe the show needs to run a bit longer. Surely on the plane on the way to Tassie, the contestants would have chatted, and discussed the theme, etc. I reckon some more insight into the whole process would probably lift the show a bit. When Annabel was photographing the waterfall she mentioned closing the aperture down to get a slower shutter speed. I think they have probably cut to much out of each episode to fit it into the 27 minutes or so timeslot.

Also, they have either filmed it really recently, or last year. We have not had snow on Mt Wellington until this last week or so, for 2012.