I posted this in the Theme thread as a follow-up to an observation that Nat made in that same thread. I thought I'd post here as well since I get quite a few questions about how cover images are selected.
Nat's comment didn't inquire about the cover images, but his comment relates to the answer that I give to folks who do inquire.
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Nat brings up an interesting point in his comment about Brent's and Steve's images. I've been asked by quite a few people what my "criteria" are for selecting the monthly cover image. I think as most know, the cover image is selected from the monthly theme thread from the preceding month. When selecting an image, I don't look for the "best" image that is consistent with the theme; rather, I look for an image that most successfully utilizes or most purely represents that month's theme.
If that makes no sense, an example would be this month's cover shot by Michael Deleon. If I were voting for the "best" overall image in last month's Layers thread, I might have selected a different image. But I thought Michael's shot best illustrated how layers could be used to successfully create an image. There were plenty of images that successfully utilized layers, but most of the others relied upon other elements as well - grand scenery, lines, textures and/or colors, as a few examples. Michael's shot relied almost exclusively upon layers to make it work, and - in my subjective and no doubt biased opinion - best illustrated the positive impact that layers can have in making/strengthening a composition.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on July 11, 2007 at 9:39 PM
Discussion
2 repliesNat's comment didn't inquire about the cover images, but his comment relates to the answer that I give to folks who do inquire.
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Nat brings up an interesting point in his comment about Brent's and Steve's images. I've been asked by quite a few people what my "criteria" are for selecting the monthly cover image. I think as most know, the cover image is selected from the monthly theme thread from the preceding month. When selecting an image, I don't look for the "best" image that is consistent with the theme; rather, I look for an image that most successfully utilizes or most purely represents that month's theme.
If that makes no sense, an example would be this month's cover shot by Michael Deleon. If I were voting for the "best" overall image in last month's Layers thread, I might have selected a different image. But I thought Michael's shot best illustrated how layers could be used to successfully create an image. There were plenty of images that successfully utilized layers, but most of the others relied upon other elements as well - grand scenery, lines, textures and/or colors, as a few examples. Michael's shot relied almost exclusively upon layers to make it work, and - in my subjective and no doubt biased opinion