Now i know this may upset a few people, but it may also gain favour with a few people.

How can you judge a photographic competition that has no, class, classification, concept, condition, division, family, genre, genus, grouping, heading, idea, kind, lexicon, order, predicament, rank, rubric, species, state, title, or type.

Yes i hear you say it is difficult.

Lets look at the past examples of entries, A bird in flight, a beach in Australia, a humming bird, a black and white, a wildlife shot. Now also the situations, The UK in autumn, Australia in winter or the US of A in Summer.

Without a Topic the only judgement must be Quality and as we are only anglers!!!

Again i will voice my view that this competition needs a TOPIC so that the judgement and participation is on a level playing field. Even i can understand the best shot of a, say Bird, Mountain, Flower, urban decay, building, etc, i hope you get my drift.

Look at these, beaches.

 ps1098740_1_.jpg ( 61.35K ) Number of downloads: 24


 Whitstable_1_.jpg ( 41.59K ) Number of downloads: 24


Very good shots and judged as such where when and how not included.

Now look at these.


 humming_20bird_1_.jpg ( 26.25K ) Number of downloads: 20


 House_Sparrow__M__I_IMG_7881_1_.jpg ( 61.51K ) Number of downloads: 22


Both great shots, but, which one jumps of the page, now this we can live with, but this we cannot.

 86244632.HeIyJ29H_1_.jpg ( 56.3K ) Number of downloads: 26


 BridgeportSeasidePark6_1_.jpg ( 14.2K ) Number of downloads: 28


In an open competition this is what happens and in my opinion cannot be judged or critiqued unless under the umbrella of a Topic.

I hope you understand my point of view and i look forward to hearing your views and defending my beliefs.

This post has been edited by medwaygreen: Sep 4 2008, 12:44 PM

Ok, i think most of us would agree that there is something in what you say and you have raised a good point.

since the new format of the comp i have always understood that the comp would evolve in its own time. members have (as far as i know ) put forwards various ideas and suggestions to the moderator Mr Wiggly.

As we are so widely spread out any change happens slowly, it's not like we can have a meeting in the back room of the pub and thrash something out.

maybe we could have 2 of the 4 pics dedicated to a topic and 2 freelance but first and foremost we have to remember that the moderator has a life outside this forum and no one but him and little Susy knows how much time he gives to moderating the photo comp and, doing a bl@@dy good job of it.

While my photo's are no where near the standard of the photo you use as an example the enjoyment for me is taking part and if im lucky enough to make the final 6 then thats a win for me.

We cant all be Stavros Pipos.

Cheers Fred







This post has been edited by Clifftop: Sep 4 2008, 12:44 PM

I agree with you totaly 'MG', I think I did voice my view originaly, I think, as a PM ? ? ? . . . so as not to ruffle to many feathers, me and tact ?

Seeing this months (August) highlights the view IMHO. A theme makes the photos a little more challenging . . . but surly thats what its all about?

I only enterd this month at the last knockings to keep the end up, next month or the month after, aimless? 'what to shoot', will I bother?

There I go, 'tact' out of the window.
SW

Hello Fred,

I understand completely what you have said, and in most parts agree, let me say now this is in no way an attack on our photographic moderator Mr Wiggly, who in my view has done and is doing a wonderful job for this forum and the AN site overall.

"Will I bother"? You make it sound like a chore. I go out taking photo's because I love taking them. If a get a few good ones then I'm happy as larry. After I've got a few good ones then I'll look at the ones I like most and enter them in the comp. If I get in the final six, like Clifftop said, I feel like I've already won. Photography is a fun thing and the comp is an outlet, an extension of said fun.

Anyway, enough out of me. Its 10.30pm and I really need my beauty sleep.

Mick.

I know you're not having a go at Mr W and there is no easy answer to the points you've raised but now that you have raised them we either have to have an answer or a compromise.

we dont want to lose any more good photographers from this forum we need to attract more. In the last few comps for whatever reasons we have lost Nurse judy and Joel and others who's names escapes me.

So do we let Mr W and Steve come up with another formate or do we throw it open to the members.

Cheers Fred

Sadly HB, it can be just that these days. You see mate, photographicaly, I personaly need a goal, something to aim at, to compair with, slowly but surley the enthusiasm does drain if there is nothing to aim for?

In fact, thats it I think, why bother, its just another expensive time consuming hobby. Revert to angling/boating 'snap shot' mode. I get much pleasure from my oportunistick free style. Photos that I post on a fishing/boating forum I frequent, are much apreciated, not for their photographic excelance, but for the information they conveyed. Others do likewise, 'a picture is worth a thousand words', it is great to be able to say so much with one or a series of pictures, use a simple camera, 99% of the time set to 'auto' . . .

SW

Spot on SW, loved it when we had a subject/topic to aim for. Like most on here I am first off a fisherman, although I often spend a bit of time with camera and scope I never entered August comp as I never took a pic that I even considered worth it. July I sent in a couple "to keep my end up" and support the forum.

Main reason I like the idea of a topic/subject is that it levels out the playing field. It becomes the subject which is foremost, the quality should be secondary. Those who are prepared to spend time and effort to get a super dooper shot of a fly or whatever will always beat me in a comp, and if that is the subject then so be it, but if you ask us to take a shot illustrating what we see as illustrating a spring day, then the technical quality matters less than the subject, and interpretation comes first.

There is also another aspect, and I am honest enough to admit it, but as the quality of the entries goes up, then I find I just haven't the will or expertise to compete, so I don't bother. My chosen field at the moment is capturing birds with my video camera and scope, and hopefully getting a good still shot from the footage. Doubtful if any would be good enough to win an "open" comp at any time.

Den

Well well well, after my last post I decided to take a look at the August entries (I managed to miss them out before) and there is a huge range of smashing shots, each one entitled. No doubt the titles were thought up for the comp, but it amounts to subject and pic.

I take back none of my comments in the previous post, but have to say that perhaps the comp it is best left as it is, as it puts no restriction on what or where the pic is taken. The fact that I have been focussing on fishing these last couple of months has resulted in less interest in photography, but that will change some time soon I have no doubt.

So I think the comp should stay "open"

Den

Entitled to your opinion, you are Den. In some resepects I can agree, but loosing the focus of a 'subject' is totaly unacceptable. I would sugest a max of 4 Open comps out of the posible 12, the remainder should be themed.

Taking it a stage further, with out the structure of a theme, improvement will be slow. No difereant to being tought at school with out 'cylibus and struture' failure to achive is more likley. However its nice to let the hair dowm ocasionaly.

Comp., stays open . . . my squib is in danger of getting damp.

We also, seem to have lost the 'question, answer and advise' side of the forum, as to why . . . Mmmm ?

SW

This post has been edited by Sutton Warrior: Sep 5 2008, 04:52 PM