Here's the challenge, we supply a competent image and you make it into something special
Finalists revealed and ready for voting now.
Our first Photo Fix Challenge was very successful and so here's the sequel. It's very simple: below is our donor image. It's not bad, but it deserves to be better. Download (warning - the six megapixel image file is 2.8MB large) the full size original, unedited, camera image and work some magic with it and email it back to us.
The deadline for entries is Friday week (Now extended to Wednesday 15th November). A short list of the best entries will be presented soon after and then it will be down to you to vote for the best entry, overall. Winning entries will earn their owners some modest prizes from the DPNow.com goodie-box. Please bear in mind that the image submitted may be printed to A4 (roughly 12x8 inches) in order to evaluate it, so please don't reduce the resolution of the image and bear in mind the printed form when processing the image.
There are two obvious avenues for enhancing the picture. One is to fine tune it, to bring out the shadows, improve the tonality and keep noise in check - and, of course, to crop it in order to improve the composition, if required. Would it look better in mono, maybe? The other option is to change the image radically and apply some artistic flair. This was the tactic that won the last challenge, although it was controversial. It's a more risky approach, but I'll bear both styles in mind when choosing the short list.
The picture was taken in early afternoon natural light, using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX3 compact point and shoot camera. The lighting conditions demanded a huge dynamic range that the camera hasn't really been able to accommodate - though the situation would have tough for most cameras, to be honest, so some of the highlights are blown and the shadows are quite dark. There is some noise in the shadows too, even though the picture was taken at ISO 100. At f/2.9, virtually wide open in other words, the image is reasonably sharp, and helped by Panasonic's Mega OIS stabiliser to keep things steady at 1/30th second.
If you'd like to take up the DPNow Photo Fix Challenge, download the original camera image now and the rest is up to you. Once you have completed your masterpiece, email it as a JPEG image file attachment to: [email protected], including your name and country of origin.
For the record – the rules:
• The copyright of the original image is owned by Digital Photography Now (DPNow.com).
• DPNow.com gives permission for the original image to be altered for artistic purposes by DPNow readers.
• By submitting an edited version of the original image it will be assumed that you are happy to be publicly associated with the image submitted.
• The work done to edit the original image must be attributable to the person who enters it.
• Entrants must agree not to use the resulting edited image for purposes, commercial or otherwise, other than personal enjoyment, without permission from DPNow.com.
• DPNow.com agrees not to use entries for any other purpose other than featuring in or publicising the DPNow.com Photo Fix Challenge without the permission of the entrant.
• Selection of the short list of best entries is the decision of the Editor and the Editor alone.
• The selection of the overall best entry will be decided solely by votes cast by DPNow readers.
• The above DPNow.com Photo Fix Challenge rules are subject to change without notice.
• All entrants will be informed of rule changes to give them an opportunity to withdraw their entries if required.
• If you would like further clarification of any aspect of the DPNow.com Photo Fix Challenge, feel free to email your question to [email protected].
