Burst of Color

Here is my shot from the Burst of Color challenge over at dpc. My scores are normally just a boring average, so it was an exciting week with the update button for this shot that came in 5th place! :) Combine that with a recipe shot which is also doing pretty well and I was beginning to wonder if the world was coming to an end!

But, no worries there, after tonight, I'm sitting with a group of horrible, uninspiring scores.

The difference? When I saw the topics for Burst of Color and Recipes, I had some idea or image in my head that I wanted to shoot and tried to put it out there for others to see. With the challenges going on now, I haven't been as inspired. From reading the forum about how poorly people feel their Best of 2005 shots are doing and from looking at what people felt was their very best shot, I think it shows that people get very attached to their shots. For some, their best shot has captured an emotional, personal favorite moment of the year... for others it was probably their best shot of capturing a wonderful expression... for others their best shot of some technical aspect they had been working on or struggling with. For me, the shot I entered was one that has made me smile for months now... I loved it the moment I saw it after opening up the pile of shots I'd taken that day. As I watch the score plummet though, I realize that I am the only person who shares that same emotion with the photo. So, where do you draw the line between shooting for yourself and shooting for your audience? I guess that's a question we all have our own answers to.