Quote Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg View Post
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.
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.