What makes a "screeners choice"?

[HelmutS]

Hi fellow Photogs...

I admit, I have a hard time understanding how "screener's choice" pictures are selected. It seems to me that while most of them are good, some other shots in the DB are better and have never been a SC shot.

IMHO it's a shame since that means some pictures vanish quickly and get little views, while some others - seemingly not that much better or same level - get pushed to the top views per week.

Can anyone explain how exactly a Screener's Choice is decided on and what the criterias are?

[LX-A343]

There is one simple criteria: if the screener who screens a photo feels like "WOW!!" then it gets the SC tag. No criterias whatsoever otherwise.

I know, it's highly subjective and many other shots perhaps deserve being selected as SC, but it's meant to be that way.

[BA747-436]

A Screener's Choice is photo is decided on a few criteria. The first (and most importantly) being: "Has this picture made me sit back in my chair and say 'wow' out loud."?

If the answer to this question is 'yes', then more often than not it will get either a instant Screener's Choice or voted for a Screeners Choice. Other criteria that are considered when making a photo a Screeners Choice are: Is the situation/photo artistic in merit? Does it show something special/out of the norm? Has the photographer captured the best possible image in the current situation? Has he/she gained the best possible outcome from their equipment? If the answer to all, or at least most of the questions is 'yes', then again your likely to find this shot added to our Screener's Choice section.

Because it is just that. A selection of photos that we, the screener's feel have represented shooting outside the photographic box (so to speak) and photos that we would like to showcase to the photographic and browsing community on this site. Sometimes there will be photos in this section that you may wonder 'how the hell did they get there'? Well as said, its down to the specific screener as to what they think is a special photo and one worthy of this status.

As with everything on this site, we try and keep a certain similar standard in terms of quality. Very occasionally this may not be achieved for whatever reason but in general we feel this section represents some of the best images on Jetphotos.

To sum it up, when screening if an audible 'wow' can be heard your likely to find that shot floating around on the front page of the site in the Screener's Choice section.

Think of the Screener's Choice section as our way of showing all the photographers on the site what can be achieved with a good eye for aviation photography.

[HelmutS]

Okay, let me stop skirting around the issue and speak my mind:

This is a screener's choice:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6021132

This isn't:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6029493

This is another one:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6026769

This isn't:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5663999

The two SC shots linked above are definitly great, but are they that much better/different from the two of my own that I linked? That Black Hawk shot was on the cover of two smaller magazines here. It was sold in a calendar. It definitly found a lot of appreciation in the "real world". But all I get here is a screener's comment "nice capture", and after two days it will fade off the front page into oblivion.

I guess what bothers me is that I know my images are not your standard average wide-body shots here, they are unusual, and they are hard work to get (for the first linked here I was hanging on the skids of a helicopter, for the second one I had to fly into the Middle East).

Yet somehow I have little to no views on my shots. And then on the other hand you have some rather "plain" widebody images or airshow pictures that turn up somewhere featured and gather a few thousand views in their first day.

What does a guy have to do, to get some exposure?

/end of rant

[BA747-436]

Personaly i don't post my shots on this site for the sole reason of gaining hits. If i get them, great, if i don't then so be it. This is not a commcerial site in terms of the photographers work. It is purley a hobbyest site. We're not running this site to give you as much exposure as you want, we are running it for the photographic community and therfore we are acting for them as a whole. Im afraid it is near impossible to benifit single photographers need for exposure in such a large and varied community, and as said thats not what this site is for.

I personally have had a tonne of shots that I thought would make SC's. They didn't and thats fine, its down to the screener as to what they feel appropritate for this catagory. Just because a photo is good in your eyes doesnt give it an instant pass into Screener's choice catagory.

Its a personal choice from the screener as to what makes it here. Nothing more, nothing less. What people don't seem to understand is why we introduced this section. And therofre it's somewhat obscure to be questioning shots inclusion or lack of inclusion into this catagory.

[Longreach747]

Okay, let me stop skirting around the issue and speak my mind:

This is a screener's choice:
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6021132

This isn't:
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6029493

This is another one:
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6026769

This isn't:
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5663999

The two SC shots linked above are definitly great, but are they that much better/different from the two of my own that I linked? That Black Hawk shot was on the cover of two smaller magazines here. It was sold in a calendar. It definitly found a lot of appreciation in the "real world". But all I get here is a screener's comment "nice capture", and after two days it will fade off the front page into oblivion.

I guess what bothers me is that I know my images are not your standard average wide-body shots here, they are unusual, and they are hard work to get (for the first linked here I was hanging on the skids of a helicopter, for the second one I had to fly into the Middle East).

Yet somehow I have little to no views on my shots. And then on the other hand you have some rather "plain" widebody images or airshow pictures that turn up somewhere featured and gather a few thousand views in their first day.

What does a guy have to do, to get some exposure?

/end of rant

its as the name suggests, screeners choice! we don't go looking for similar shots that have been given SC by our colleagues so that we can SC other similar shots. Its subjective, simple as that...I have plenty that I think are worthy of SC but don't get it, its not that important to me! I'm happy in the knowledge that my photos are on display here, if they get a SC then that's a nice surprise.

Its not a good idea to scour the database and compare SC, it makes you look a little desperate and it suggests that we're obliged to give you SC when you upload a similar shot which has attained SC. Simply put, we're not obliged to do that, if we do, take it as an honor and leave it at that..if we don't then just accept the decision and keep uploading.

[AJ]

Reference this shot:
[photoid=6029493]
I liked the shot and left you a note to that effect, however the fact I had to change two fields of information (Off Airport is an a.net term and you didn't enter a cn) meant that this screener was not 100% happy. The other option I had was to reject it! Sorry to single it out but that is why.

[Tanner_J]

First off I am not a screener so take this with a grain of salt.

On your first example I see your point, the second one I don't.

With the first one (not a knock on the photog) but I feel that anyone could have shot that. Second example set anyone could have shot the one you are making a case for.

The award is what it is, the screener's choice. IF I was a screener I would honestly hardly mark any shots with this award, and would probably only mark ones that seem inventive. Taking this hobby to the next level is something I really want to see. I want to see more artistic shots showing up, and that centered rule thrown out.

One rule I live my life and believe gets me my respect as a photographer is that when i see the overall picture, I want more. I want the shot no one else is going to have. Look for details, new angles. If everyone is standing up, sit down. Move away and go your own path. You can be friends and chit-chat with the other photographers when the event is over.

[HelmutS]

To Tanner: We have very similar ideas about what makes a good picture and what does not.

I concede that my second set of images is a weak example, but the first one truly stumps me: On one hand, a helicopter pictured from the ground, during a public airshow, fairly standard composition and content in the shot, is an "SC". On the other hand, a helicopter pictured from above, during a non-public exercise unloading infantry (neither standard composition nor content in that one) is a "common" shot and gets no mention. This is where I feel short-charged.

To AJ: I appreciated your note by mail, but how am I responsible for the mistake with these two fields?

I picked "auto-fill in" for the registration, cn is unknown to me (and to the auto-fill in function). If JP.nets auto-fill in does not supply the fields, what am I supposed to do?

"Off-Airport" maybe an airliners.net term, but since the "Other Location" menu only allows free text and does not give specific suggestions how to fill in, why do you feel it a "problem" if someone writes in a familiar term there? No where in the "help" function does it say "do not write Off-Airport since that is an A.net term".

So in short: These two fields certainly weren't any better to fill in since the web interface doesn't offer the CN, and does not offer specific examples on how to file a "other location". Are you saying that these problems were what kept you from being 100% happy and making it a SC? That these problems would even have warranted a rejection in your eye astonishes me no end. How many shots here get uploaded without CN every day?

[BA747-436]

Im guessing you understand the long and thought out response I gave regarding why we have the screeners choice section and the criteria behind it?

I only ask because you seem to have not addressed or acknowledged my response.

[HelmutS]

Yes, I read that, and didn't want to argue with that since what you say makes gerenally sense.

However, for me the fact remains that at this point in my photographic career, I need a bit of exposure. I'm not uploading here to make this my personal photo album, but for other people to see my work.

If there's no way to get decently large exposure on JP, even with a definitly rare and hard-to-get shot as the Black Hawk above (if anyone disagrees and feels it is just an "average" picture please let me know why?), then I'm better off looking elsewhere.

This topic as a whole reminds me a bit of my last discussion concering the rejection of the first static "7L-WA" shot I uploaded here.

You guys rejected a new registration, first austrian Eurofighter, first ever export Eurofighter (historic day picture) for not being "centered in the frame" while parked on the tarmac. Now you have a similar picture in the DB, which has the aircraft centered - but the wing's cut off and people are cluttering the background. Was that really an improvement?

It seems that JP is saying "we do things this way since that's what we're about" and that is fine, of course it's your site to do as you please.

I however feel that losing people like me, working aviation journalists, who can actually go air-air sometimes (I have a possible shot with jets coming up), or get access to historic rare shots, is more a problem to JP than to me. Or are you getting too many shots that could not have been taken by just anyone?

[Longreach747]

I however feel that losing people like me, working aviation journalists, who can actually go air-air sometimes (I have a possible shot with jets coming up), or get access to historic rare shots, is more a problem to JP than to me. Or are you getting too many shots that could not have been taken by just anyone?

shouldn't be that hard to get exposure if you're a working aviation journalist...here is a suggestion, how about we give you a SC and the very next similar shot we give an SC too, that way you'll get some exposure but the next SC will get more exposure than you? Would that make you happy?

[HelmutS]

I didn't say you need to give every similar shot an SC. But please explain to me why a picture from an airshow, taken from the ground, showing a helicopter and a rubber boat, has more original, unusual, rare content and quality than an air-to-air with a military helicopter on an actual mission?

If what AJ wrote, namely that me using the term "Off-Airport" in the freetext for other location, is one of the reasons why "that is why", then I really have to wonder. The corresponding form field on the upload page simple says

Please select the country first, then type in the other location. Note that it must not be an airport.

I fail to see where it says "do not write Off-Airport" and if small stuff like that makes the difference between a SC and no SC then that is very arbitrary.

[LX-A343]

There is no objective reason, why a shot didn't get a SC, other than that the screener simply didn't think, it was worthy, period. As I wrote .... "WOW!"-Effect -> SC

[HelmutS]

Gerardo, I understood that as you wrote it, but if the Screener (or one of them) who did the pic himself says he "wasn't 100% happy" because he had to correct something that I as User can not even know not to do, then that is a very weird reason for lack of "wow"?

Anyway, I give myself two or three more replys in this thread since I don't want to keep this going forever. The JP folks have spoken, I have spoken, I'll likely stop uploading, in turn also stop bitching, everyone's happy, right?