@Ana...meaning that you are working on something like this? I have the advantage in that these are simply outtakes from a section on my website called, by coincidence, "My Neighborhood."

I was just thinking that it is so difficult to get a sense of a neighborhood with just one photo. This montage isn't very creative, but it is truly representative of the area within a mile radius of my home.

You'll never guess where I live.

I wish I had known these were all within a mile before I wrote the above comment... very interesting montage. Would make a good slideshow--particularly with a map or something showing how the photos are linked.

I like this more and more the more I look at it.

I'm guessing Texas, somewhere.

For the ratings aficionados out there, with 13 ratings:

* Relevance: 3.92
* Impact: 3.46
* Composition: 3.46
* Technique: 3.54
* Quality: 3.54
* Overall: 3.584

Thanks, Tracy,

It's only sensory overload it you try to look at everything at once, LOL. Are you in a hurry?

Actually, I think that may be one reason my ratings are so low...speed raters don't have time to carefully consider things like this. Your ratings helped a bit...thank you!

BTW...anyone who think this is not carefully composed is wrong. Every photo in the montage is also carefully composed. One of those strange things about ratings, I guess.

Being wrong is a very strong accusation when we all have different visual perceptions. I looked at your composition closely (hence my comment) and wasn't speed rating as I haven't posted anything. I do see overall compositional elements now and maybe a montage like this just doesn't work for me because I looked at it individually not as a whole and found it difficult to rate. It's not that I rated it low either (gave it a 3). Just my opinion :)

Hey, agi, thanks for your comment. By the way, I see I didn't thank you for what I consider to be a very high compliment. Thanks!

My subsequent comment was not directed at you, and I'm sorry if you got that impression--I was speaking in general. As a statistician (what I do for a living), I make a big distinction between the collective opinion and individual opinion. Did you give me the 3.46? or the 3.54? Nope.

However, I can certainly stand by my comment that "anyone who thinks this is not carefully composed is wrong" because I was the only person there for the entire process. This montage was carefully composed. Each photograph in this montage was carefully composed. That's a fact.

That doesn't mean that some folks may think that the composition stinks. That's a different thing, and I wouldn't argue with anyone's opinion about that.

Thanks again for both of your comments.

@Redchilli...thanks.

@King..no harm no foul :)

kadenajack...thanks for your comments. It is pretty clear that some folks just don't want to consider collections to be valid (or relevant) to the "My Neighborhood" theme. My attempt here is naive, perhaps, in that I want to provide a gestalt. Perhaps I'm asking viewers to work too hard, but some seem to get it.

Regarding how to rate this. I know from my own research that people can assign can approximate across a group of items. Take this image, for example. I could probably show, experimentally, that the average gestalt-type rating would be very close to the overall average of individual ratings. But I wouldn't ask raters to have anything like that in mind when they open this image.

On the other hand, doesn't a quick, say 30-45 second scan of this montage tell you that these are not casual snapshots? that they are carefully planned, crafted and organized? Is this not a different take on the theme, and least modestly original? Do you not learn more about my particular neighborhood in that 30-45 second scan than you can learn in many of the individual photos posted for this theme?

I'm not trying to bust your chops here (because I know I can't do that, you are bigger than I am, and I may meet you in person in the fall). I just want your reaction to my argument.

Thanks again for your honest remarks.

You know, I had a feeling this was King! Always challenging us. Well, I still feel that if I had submitted a mosaic I wonder how well received it would be. :oP But then mine wouldn't be a square mile and so carefully considered, would it? I'm going to go have a cry now! WAAAAAAH!

peejaytaylor,

Thanks for your remarks, which are in line with a number of other folks. I've already addressed the points you broughtg up. Your ratings actually dropped this down a bit, as it had climbed a little from the 13th to the 17th rater.

With 18 ratings, this is just about the lowest-rated image I've had featured (3.62 hold the record).

* Relevance: 4.00
* Impact: 3.44
* Composition: 3.50
* Technique: 3.61
* Quality: 3.61
* Overall: 3.632

Thanks everyone, for staying open-minded!

Just looked it up. My lowest-rated, featured image was another montage, my tribute to Blizzard:

http://www.weeklyshot.org/theme/broken/response/32/

I think W.S. raters, on average, don't care much for montages. Probably don't like decoupage or pastiches either.

King, I think the raters don't know what to do with a montage on a site called Weekly Shot. That was my reaction, and it's the same one I have to the two and three picture montages that some people on here give the artsy labels diptych and triptych. (sp?) No matter how you slice it, when more than one picture is presented, it's no longer a Weekly Shot, but instead is some sort of Weekly Collection.

On the whole, I like the pictures, and perhaps if I took them one by one, and then averaged the scores, I would have rated them higher than I did when presented together like this. I just don't know how to properly assign a rating to 20 pictures all presented together, essentially as thumbnails. I don't feel like I can give them just consideration at the size and with that much distraction around.

Just my 2 cents.

Jack,
Diptychs and triptychs have been around for more than 1,000 years. Were you out sick that day in your art history class? (Just kidding, big guy!)

I deliberately selected and sized the images such that most of them, I think, are easily evaluated at least on relevance and composition. The are noticeably larger than W.S. thumbnails.

As for "that much distraction," I think you undervalue your abilities, Jack. I can give you a number of examples of single. This is no more complicated or distracting than many stained glass windows.

There are many artists, some of high acclaim, who have made a place in the art world for montages, multiple images, compositions of multiple mini-thumbnails. Here's one example:

http://wd.blogs.com/photos/dhockney/nbbrandt.jpg

I respect your opinion, but I don't think yours is the authoritative voice on this topic. Can we just agree to disagree on this one?

Well King, sorry I didn't get to rate you here.
All fives from me.This looks just like a whole neighborhood.
I think it is a fine photo-documentary,
wish I did it first.I believe you probably colored outside the lines when you were little!

I believe I must humbly disagree with my dear husband on this. This is my favorite take on this theme so far and even though I usually keep my ratings to myself I gave this one all fives.

Carl, Anna, thanks very much. The mixed reaction is interesting.

Jack...are we okay, buddy?

We're fine King. We can agree to disagree. I think that's a perfectly good place to leave things. As many here would say, cheers!

As usual, excellent stuff King.

@phototext...thanks!

@Jack...cheers!

what an interesting neighborhood - great idea to combine the photos this way.
-kurt

Judith_Polakoff, Beckn32, culberda and Hummingbird...
I see that I forgot to thank you for commenting early on this shot. It's not like me not to respond to comments. I deeply appreciate your taking the time to leave some perceptive remarks.

@subjectiv,

Thanks. When there is mixed reaction to a submission (and I've had many mixed reactions), it's always comforting to get a word of support.

Yes, I live in a very interesting neighborhood, adjacent to downtown, the local fairgrounds, some disadvantaged areas and one of the Ritzier historical districts. My modest home is smack in the middle, so everything you see above is a pleasant walk or easy bike ride away.

King - I work close to your hood man. We really need to do lunch one day.