Posted by Pam Colander on February 17, 2007 at 1:13 PM
Just in case anyone is interested.......
I must say, I am surprised by the inclusion of so many mundane shots. Apparently, I woud make a crappy judge because I wouldn't have chosen a great many that were. OK, it's difficult to tell from a thumbnail but come on. Included in the "done to death yawner" shots: the laughing Tibetan nun, the sand dune abstract, the newborn baby cradled in the parent's arms, the doggie, the kitty, the kid and the doggie, the badly done flower and bird shots. I could go on but you get the idea.
I see way better and more original stuff here on a daily basis.
Pam
Posted by Grant Collier on February 17, 2007 at 9:13 PM
Yeah, I wouldn't put too much stock in a juried competition. The photos have to be "original" and "creative" but only in a widely accepted way (meaning they're probably neither original nor creative). Last year, I entered a contest with four photos ... two that I considered to be somewhat mundane, traditional shots and two that I considered to be a lot more original and interesting. The judges were supposed to be looking for originality and creativity. Of course, the two more mundane shots were accepted and the other two weren't.
It's hard to comment on this contest's selections, since I don't know what the other entries were like. But a lot of the ones they did choose seem rather cheesy, sappy, and overdone. Of course, I can't complain too much as my most boring, traditional nature photos tend to sell best. I'd be dead broke if I was trying to do anything more cutting edge.
Posted by Mike McNeill on February 18, 2007 at 7:33 AM
Any judging is subjective. Look at figure skating. Never mind, sorry I said that. Happens all the time in our club competitions. I watched a judging of a PSA sactioned competition last week and with a cumulitive score of 15 from 3 judges, one judge gave a slide a 5 and another gave it a 2. 5 points being extroadinary and 2 points being BELOW average!! Like Grant says, I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Grant likes what he likes, I like what I like, and you like what you like.
Posted by Jack Brauer on February 18, 2007 at 8:15 PM
It is hard to tell from little thumbnails. I didn't have enough patience to squint at the whole list of thumbs, but I do agree that many of them seem kind of lame. However a lot of them seem like they could be pretty cool... one for instance the Hallett Peak shot at bottom looks pretty ominous and unique.
Posted by Stan Rose on February 20, 2007 at 7:09 PM
I'm glad i wasn't the only one who noticed this! One good example of how lame the judging was is a shot of antelope canyon! The judge evidently has no clue about landscape photography, since the chosen shot is one that virtually every photographer in this area has an exact dupliucate of! Now, i realize that even mundane subject can be made interesting with a little skill, but sorry, i can find a couple dozen comparable shots of upper antelope with a simple internet search! Ive entered many contests and i dont whine when great photos win, this just wasn't the case here (with a few exceptions).
Discussion
4 repliesI must say, I am surprised by the inclusion of so many mundane shots. Apparently, I woud make a crappy judge because I wouldn't have chosen a great many that were. OK, it's difficult to tell from a thumbnail but come on. Included in the "done to death yawner" shots: the laughing Tibetan nun, the sand dune abstract, the newborn baby cradled in the parent's arms, the doggie, the kitty, the kid and the doggie, the badly done flower and bird shots. I could go on but you get the idea.
Here's a link if you'd want to look:
http://www.c4fap.org/exhibitors/2007DIA4/ExhibitorsAnnounce.html
I see way better and more original stuff here on a daily basis.
Pam
It's hard to comment on this contest's selections, since I don't know what the other entries were like. But a lot of the ones they did choose seem rather cheesy, sappy, and overdone. Of course, I can't complain too much as my most boring, traditional nature photos tend to sell best. I'd be dead broke if I was trying to do anything more cutting edge.