Night

Seeing how this is the last time I'm ever going to submit to any f-stoppers contests, I'm just going to say something.

Currently after 18 votes, this image has a 1.54 which basically computes to half of the votes being a 2 (needs work) and half being a 1 (snap shot). To me this is what is wrong with this whole terrible rating system and how people look at these.

Regardless of whether someone likes this or not, giving this image a 1 is not only just plain inaccurate, but totally insulting to the craft of photography. Because just the technical aspect of light painting is not a stinkin' snapshot. You go out into the very darkest part of night, you put your camera on a tripod and take a series of shots carefully lighting different areas of the leaves, you take the different images into Photoshop and go through the process of blending each one, and then compressing the layers into one, you then go back to Lightroom to do your editing. This all takes the regular subject and changes it into something very different and can only be done with specific and careful planning. I'm disappointed of course it is not appreciated and it of course looks so much better very large and in print, but I am writing this rant to protest this inconsideration for all on this platform who craft something only to have people casually throw out a 1 rating and move on. A 1 rating should be reserved solely for a quickly discovered, poorly composed, and unedited and unprofessional shot. Give it a 2 if you don't like it, but don't insult the photographer with a 1 rating.

Consider this my swan song comment for f-stoppers contests.