Monthly photography competition. The Rules.

**Submission rules have been edited once again! Just a slight one. So read up to learn the changes. Don't say I didn't warn you! ;)**

Hey aspiring photographers! Ready to pit your photography skills against the best of the rest that EOFF has to offer? Then throw your hat in the ring once every two months and see if you have what it takes to be number one in the photo competition. Here's how it works.

At the end of every competition month, the 29th or 30th, a new subject matter will be announced. This subject should be the focus of your photo in the new month's competition. The first subject will be picked by me just to get the ball rolling. Every contest thereafter the subject will be picked by the previous month's winner.

The rules are pretty open. The photo should be taken by you. Any modification to the image should only be done by you, and finally the picture you use should be one you've taken specifically for the competition. No old photos please. Part of the challenge is receiving a theme and then working with it. The photo can be manipulated in any graphic arts program of your choosing. Using availalbe effects and things of that sort to enhance a photo is welcome. Blending bits and pieces of other people's images into your photo is frowned upon. For example, if the subject is "water" and you photoshop a body of water from someone else's photo into your photo that didn't have one, you weren't really taking a photo of water were you? HOWEVER, if you take a photo of a waterfall and a skyscraper, and blend them in a graphics manipulation program to make it look like a water fall off the side of a skyscraper it will be two things. 1) Really smurfing impressive if it looks good and 2) Follow the rules as I see them. You took both pictures for a specific theme given and made one picture. Bottom line, make sure everything you do is something YOU did, and make sure you did it AFTER learning what that month's theme was.

Since it's been requested, all photos should be PM'd to me and I will submit them anonymously.

If you like, name your photo! Calling it something is more memorable than just giving it a number.

I will post them as I receive them. After the 15th no more photos will be accepted, and the 5 day voting period will begin. A poll will be available for you to pick the photo you like. The photos will remain anonymous until after voting is over. After 5 days, the polls close I tally up the votes and announce the winner.

The winner feels awesome, and as a bonus, picks the theme for the next month. Thus it begins again!

I am open to questions, comments, and feedback as the game progresses.

Good luck photographers!!!!

Mods, please make the rules thread a sticky.

I kinda think it would be neat to have people post up their photos as they take and submit them. Just cause it might serve as motivation for people to see what other members are doing and then going out and shooting something for the monthly contest themselves. You know, rather than waiting 2 weeks to see anything from anybody.

I just think in 2 weeks with no visible activity, people might just forget about the competition or lose interest, especially since this forum doesn't get that much traffic as it is. If people are steadily contributing to the monthly thread (and maybe even submitting more than one photo?), it would keep the thread active and interesting for people to check in on.

That's just my take on it. But I'm just curious and like to see what people are up to.

I was kinda thinking the same thing

I think it would be better to have a competition for the first two weeks of every month, and then nothing for the rest of the month. If it's an ever-present thing, I think people will kind of forget about it or get bored with it. And I agree that, during the time the competition is open, it's more exciting when people post their images as they go. Though that could cause a handicap for the people who submitted first.

Sorry if we're going against what you wanted for your contest, sharky. I think a healthy number of people are excited about this and we want to see it be a really successful competition. :)

Actually, my original plan was to post them as I got them and name the photographer. I just received a request to have them PM'd to me privately and then posted anonymously, and I assumed they also wanted the photos all posted at the same time. I didn't really get much feedback the other way until you folks spoke up now. I like what you want better, as it matches my original plans more closely.

So since it's 3 to 1, I'll amend the rules with a slight twist. The photos will be submitted to me and I will post them as I receive them. The photos will remain anonymous until after voting is over. Seems fair.

I DO want time for people to be able find a subject and submit it, and then a separate time to vote. Let's try this 2 weeks for photos, 10 days to vote thing for the first contest. If it seems like too much time out of the month, then we can try something like 1 week for submittal and one week to vote and see how that goes.

I just saw this thread and the other thread with the theme for July...quick question: is it ONE photo submission per person per month? If we can submit it at any time to you and you're going to post it up anonymously...what if we find a better shot a week later? Thanks! :) I'm so excited!

One submission per person please! If you have more than one shot you like, you have the tough job of deciding which one you prefer. I like the idea of having all eggs in one basket, so to speak.


No creating more than one account to submit photos that way. :D

What is the first round? :o

Pay attention, Jiro!!! GAWD!!!! :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg

Blending bits and pieces of other people's images into your photo is frowned upon. For example, if the subject is "water" and you photoshop a body of water from someone else's photo into your photo that didn't have one, you weren't really taking a photo of water were you? HOWEVER, if you take a photo of a waterfall and a skyscraper, and blend them in a graphics manipulation program to make it look like a water fall off the side of a skyscraper it will be two things. 1) Really smurfing impressive if it looks good and 2) Follow the rules as I see them.

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Honestly, I really disagree with this aspect of the rules.

Blending multiple photos puts it squarely in the photomanipulation category and not in the photography category. It's an entirely different beast. Photography is about one moment, one instant, one photo.

I have a lot of experience in both, and a lot of respect for both, but they really are two entirely separate things.

Taking a waterfall and putting it onto a building is not something that should be accepted in a photography competition. But that's assuming this is a photography competition. If this is a photography AND photomanipulation contest, then you should label it that way. Or just have two separate categories altogether and let people submit into whichever category fits best. But trying to compare a real representation of water against water spewing out of a skyscraper isn't exactly equal footing.

He's also questioned exactly what the limits are on graphic manipulation in a photo, so I've made my rules a little more specific. This should create some polarized opinions on photos, and will make the competition even better. I'm excited.

Quoted from the other thread. ^^ :)

I've no doubt you're far more experienced in this than I am, I've heard this over and over from others and invited you to play. So I respect your opinion.

Do remember, it's all for fun. The whole point is to let people show what they can do. If it looks like there's enough interest for two separate contests, that might work. I've had a few people ask about if it would be okay to do this or that to their photos with their programs. So I repeated that the rules on manipulation were pretty open. I just haven't seen enough interest to warrant two separate contests. Everyone let me know if you like or dislike the idea of having two separate contests.

You're just supposed to take a photo (or technically photos), manipulate it to the degree you wish, and submit it.

The people who vote are supposed to pick the one they enjoy the best. I, personally, will probably not vote on something that's been heavily manipulated. Maybe some one else will. If people hate how it works, we'll change the rules some more.

The whole point is to create a contest that people enjoy participating.

So would you think open modification rules of on single image would be better? Is the ability to blend multiple photos somehow more unfair than unlimited modifications to a single image? The rule currently is that the end product must be a single image you created all on your own with camera and graphics manipulation. Is that too open? Should I restrict it to no use of any software? Just a single image by camera?

These aren't sarcastic questions. Thanks for the input. It helps me taylor this to make the game better for everyone. So everyone feel free to chime in.

I knew when submitting my image that despite keeping to the rules, if somewhat taking them as far as I could, that there would be some dislike for the heavy manipulation and methods used. But I would like to point out that had the rules specified that only one image could be used or that only minimal editing such as brightness/contrast, hue/saturation, white balance etc could be used, then I would have happily stuck to those rules.
I simply went with the image I did because the idea I had for it amused me and it was fun to do. I would be just as happy to take a more "traditional" image with no more picture editing than converting it to Grey-scale or similar.
If the rules happen to evolve beyond the current ones for next months theme, so be it.
It's all a bit of fun ^_^

I don't think we can handle two competitions. Photo manipulation is a talent in its own right, but it's not the same as photography. I think the issue is that the title of the competition is misleading. Photography is about capturing the raw beauty of the world, not creating beauty through photoshop. The example of a waterfall coming out of a building is more akin to what a painter or graphic designer does than what a photographer does. I personally think the competition should be limited to use of one photo per submission, but it's your call sharky. I doubt many people would go that route so it's probably fine. People would still be free to submit relatively untouched photos and the voters will just choose based on their own tastes. Maybe change the title to 'photo competition' rather than 'photography competition' since the word photography kind of implies the talent of capturing the perfect image rather than creating it in photoshop.

Quote:

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Everyone let me know if you like or dislike the idea of having two separate contests.

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Oh I didn't mean two separate competitions, more like categories.

Like:

Photomanip
1) Entry 1
2) Entry 2
3) Entry 3

Photography
1) Entry 1
2) Entry 2
3) Entry 3

And then voters still choose whichever one photo they like the best.

Or just ignore my posts altogether. I have a personal distaste for misusing the word "photography" but I am nitpicky like that. ;)

@zorander - I didn't even see your entry before I saw the new clarification on the rules. So I'm sorry you felt the need the defend your submission, cause I really wasn't trying to attack it or anything like that. It honestly is more of a word related issue for me. Photography is photography, photomanipulation is photomanipulation. I don't like it when they're smushed together like one thing!

I have no doubts that most people don't give a smurf.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Miriel

Oh I didn't mean two separate competitions, more like categories.

Like:

Photomanip
1) Entry 1
2) Entry 2
3) Entry 3

Photography
1) Entry 1
2) Entry 2
3) Entry 3

And then voters still choose whichever one photo they like the best.

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I see what you're doing here, but it's pretty much what I'd already suggested.

What I'll do as a compromise (and for clarification, since I'm nitpicky as well) is lable the competition photography/photomanipulation. So Example: September Photography/Photomanipulation thread. This way people know it contains both.

I didn't think there would be too many people using a lot of manipulation, but I left the rules open so people who enjoy it could have fun and play long if they chose. I figured since they were taking their own photos (photography), it would be all right.

The rules will remain unchanged for the time being, and we'll see now it works. We'll have pure photographers up against graphic artists. If lots of people hate the option to take multiple photos and blend them, I'll remove it after September.

So everyone else chime in on your thoughts.

If you're making a photo manipulation category/contest you may as well just bring back the sig contest :D I'd even run it if you didn't want to.

Okay, there's an option. Let's see others feel about that option.

I think we should just keep it to one competition.

I am feeling it with Del Murder; trying to track two competitions is more trouble than its worth. You will get enough and more participants for one, and not enough for two, so keeping it cool is all well and fine. As for the issue regarding manipulation and editing, the voters will have their preferences too; should they side with Miriel, they side with Miriel, and if photo-manipulation is not an issue, then zorander's methods are cool. Sometimes, the people can work things out and it is demeaning to pretend they are so bourgeoisie that you have to sort out things for them.