IKLland Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 27 minutes ago, Birding Boy said: @IKLland Do you have access to a phone? The reason I ask is because Lightroom ( a photo editing app) is free for mobile, and it’s really helpful to adjust stuff like exposure, cropping, etc. I just found out about this a couple months ago, wish I had known sooner myself! Yes, I am thinking about getting photoshop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLecy Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Seanbirds said: Sharpness and lighting alone would get a 4 or even a 5 from me, but composition isn’t so great. Yes, the whites in the photo are clipping (too bright) as the photo is overexposed. Overexposed photos are not pleasant on the eye. It's a decent photo, but it's not super sharp either and the bird is simply floating in the water, there is nothing eye catching or interesting about the habitat around the bird. Not a bad photo, but not a 5 at all. I say a solid 3. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLecy Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 This is an interesting topic. I have long suspected a local birder review bombs some of my better photos. Since there is nothing I can do about it, I tend not to care at all. But one photo bugs me. This is the best picture I have taken of a Song Sparrow, and in my opinion, meets all the criteria for a 5, but it's rated at a 4. Not a huge deal, but it was at 5 for awhile until someone dropped it down to a 3, and then other reviews have brought it back up to a 4. I tend to be my own harshest critic when it comes to photos, and often rate them lower than others do, but this one just sticks out to me. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/239947381#_ga=2.125903373.1041670487.1615355722-635920480.1580272015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 Just now, DLecy said: This is an interesting topic. I have long suspected a local birder review bombs some of my better photos. Since there is nothing I can do about it, I tend not to care at all. But one photo bugs me. This is the best picture I have taken of a Song Sparrow, and in my opinion, meets all the criteria for a 5, but it's rated at a 4. Not a huge deal, but it was at 5 for awhile until someone dropped it down to a 3, and then other reviews have brought it back up to a 4. I tend to be my own harshest critic when it comes to photos, and often rate them lower than others do, but this one just sticks out to me. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/239947381#_ga=2.125903373.1041670487.1615355722-635920480.1580272015 I just gave it 5? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 2 minutes ago, DLecy said: I have long suspected a local birder review bombs some of my better photos. I've noticed that too. At one point all my photos were being rated one star, but I don't really care. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLecy Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 minute ago, IKLland said: I just gave it 5? Ha, thanks. Just thought I would post here to see what others think. If it's a 4, it should stay a 4. That's the beauty of having so many people able to vote on media via eBird/Macaulay, a photo generally gets the rating it deserves, over time. Ironically, one of my other SOSP photos is rated higher and I think it's a much less appealing photo. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 (edited) 2 minutes ago, DLecy said: Ha, thanks. Just thought I would post here to see what others think. If it's a 4, it should stay a 4. That's the beauty of having so many people able to vote on media via eBird/Macaulay, a photo generally gets the rating it deserves, over time. Ironically, one of my other SOSP photos is rated higher and I think it's a much less appealing photo. Yeah, that’s why it’s good to give the Maculary links here so you can get ratings. For some reason, @Connor Cochranes photos get like 50 ratings, and I rarely get more than 3, even if they are 4 or 5 Star quality. Like this https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/322008231#_ga=2.145004401.493979990.1617836790-1955318793.1592873967 Edited April 9, 2021 by IKLland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 Just now, IKLland said: Yeah, that’s why it’s good to give the Maculary links here so you can get ratings. For some reason, @Connor Cochranes photos get like 50 ratings, and I rarely get more than 3, even if they are 4 or 5 Star quality. Like this https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/322008231#_ga=2.145004401.493979990.1617836790-1955318793.1592873967 I think the I mentioned this previously, but before a photo "takes off" and gets on the front page, it needs about 6-8 five star ratings it seems. A good one of mine gets that via this website and the many profile stalkers I seem to have. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 minute ago, Connor Cochrane said: I think the I mentioned this previously, but before a photo "takes off" and gets on the front page, it needs about 6-8 five star ratings it seems. A good one of mine gets that via this website and the many profile stalkers I seem to have. Weird. I can’t get more than 3 ratings from people here on single photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLecy Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Connor Cochrane said: I've noticed that too. At one point all my photos were being rated one star, but I don't really care. ?♂️ As a totally unrelated point, I wonder why Matt Davis doesn't bird in Marin much anymore? His photos were always really fun to look at. Still haven't encountered him in the field, though. https://ebird.org/media/catalog?userId=USER602690&user=Matt Davis Edited April 9, 2021 by DLecy typo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 2 minutes ago, DLecy said: ?♂️ As a total unrelated point, I wonder why Matt Davis doesn't bird in Marin much anymore. His photos were always really fun to look at. Still haven't encountered him in the field, though. https://ebird.org/media/catalog?userId=USER602690&user=Matt Davis I agree, he had great photos. I wonder if he used to live here then moved out. I don't recall ever meeting him, though I'm bad at connecting faces to names, so who knows. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulK Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 (edited) I'm assuming this is a couple of you folks being nice, but there's absolutely no way this is a good photo, let alone a 5 star: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/309400641#_ga=2.6929266.1979472035.1617765277-1125673515.1608848741 Edited April 9, 2021 by PaulK Oops 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 7 hours ago, DLecy said: This is the best picture I have taken of a Song Sparrow, and in my opinion, meets all the criteria for a 5, but it's rated at a 4. Nice photo, I just got it up to 5. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 On 4/4/2021 at 2:18 PM, Aaron said: But yeah, I think the major and more frequent problem with ebird ratings is a lot of the time really good photos/audio go unrated. Not that it matters too much again, but seems unfair that some birders can be completely ignored. Totally agree. Virtually no interest in photos or ratings locally, far more listers than birdographers (OTOH it keeps down the competition ?). I've started searching out decent photos by other local birders that have been ignored and giving them a bump. As a test case for my rating objectivity this is one of mine that received no ratings at the time. I am pretty sure what rating it should be but it would be interesting to get some other opinions. PLEASE - no more than five or six ratings, just enough to establish a reliable rating. Just doing this will push it into the top County photos (typically one 5 or a couple of 4s will do this, highlighting the lack of interest). https://ebird.org/species/amtspa/L3841142 I wonder if it would have been better if eBird had used a 1 to 10 star system. With a small number of ratings the ability to give a 9 (so many photos seem to fall between a 4 or 5) might be helpful. With a large number of ratings I think it gets resolved as the photos with a resultant 5, based on mostly 5s, come out ahead of a 5 with more of a mix of 4s and 5s. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 (edited) 11 hours ago, Seanbirds said: Sharpness What kind of device or you on? Phone, ipad thingy, laptop, or computer? I'm curious because on a phone the sharpness is good, but on a larger screen it not so great. Edit: I didn't see the next page, @DLecy explained it very well. Edited April 9, 2021 by Kevin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 hour ago, RobinHood said: I wonder if it would have been better if eBird had used a 1 to 10 star system. So many times I have wanted that! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 12 hours ago, Trevor L. said: Not trying to start an argument here, but I'm curious what criteria you're 'grading' based on. To me, that could be a three or four. @DLecy gave a good answer. I'd give it a 4 if it was exposed properly and the bird was farther to the right in the frame and the only thing lacking was the sharpness and a good angle. It would be a 5 if the exposure was correct, the composition/angle was better, and the bird was tack sharp. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 I'll just say that it is very difficult to get a 5-star photo using a point-and-shoot with a small sensor. It can be done, but I haven't seen many. This is the best that our point-and-shoots could do: https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/39356540674/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/32496910882/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/32496910882/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/41884294314/ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Kevin said: What kind of device or you on? Phone, ipad thingy, laptop, or computer? I'm curious because on a phone the sharpness is good, but on a larger screen it not so great. Edit: I didn't see the next page, @DLecy explained it very well. iPad thingy. ? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Seanbirds said: iPad thingy. ? either lenovo laptop for me or ipad thingy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 2 hours ago, The Bird Nuts said: I'll just say that it is very difficult to get a 5-star photo using a point-and-shoot with a small sensor. It can be done, but I haven't seen many. This is the best that our point-and-shoots could do: https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/39356540674/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/32496910882/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/32496910882/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/birdnuts/41884294314/ are you saying that you currently use a point and shoot or used to have one an are showing what they did? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 (edited) 1 minute ago, IKLland said: are you saying that you currently use a point and shoot or used to have one an are showing what they did? Option 2. EDIT- I meant the second thing you said, @IKLland. Edited April 9, 2021 by Seanbirds 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Seanbirds said: Option 2. How do you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 1 minute ago, IKLland said: How do you know? I remember @The Bird Nuts saying somewhere else a while ago that they had a DSLR. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulK Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 3 hours ago, RobinHood said: https://ebird.org/species/amtspa/L3841142 This ended up being a link to the species page not the photo! (This is actually a pet peeve of mine about how photos are displayed on eBird/Macaulay, that they pop up over the page so the links get confusing, especially with an accidental use of the back button.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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