Perhaps we need some clarification regarding the rules...or guidelines, or whatever they are...
It's called a Photo Of The Month contest, not a Fish Of The Month or Lucky Shot Of The Month. To me, that terminology says loud and clear how we should be judging the entrants, i.e. we are looking for the Best Photo. I don't think it's realistic to expect the Best Photo to come from a schmuck playing with a 10-year-old cell phone or snapshot camera, unless he/she is an exceptionally lucky schmuck. Look at any photo contest anywhere...look at the winners and runners-up...and then read how the pics were taken. They might not be actual professional photographers, but the guys and gals who win and place in these contests know what they are doing, and they have good equipment. Their knowledge and their gear combine to create better pics; that's why they learn the skills and spend the money on the toys.
Maybe we need a Cellphone Photo Of The Month category? It would, I suppose, need to be on the honour system, but at least it levels the field a little for the schmucks. Or how about an Available Light category? No flash allowed, so one of the biggest advantages of studio gear goes out the window. Maybe a Hand-held category, which disallows the use of tripods...another pro trick gone. Or even...and this is a biggie!...a Pure Photo category, i.e. no image manipulation after the fact. You take the shot and what you see is what you get; no cropping, no colour-shifting or exposure adjustment or anything after the image is created, neither in the camera/phone nor in your computer. That'll separate the men from the boys...or, perhaps, the schmucks from the gearheads.
Folks...this is barely a contest. There are no prizes...literally...none! It's all for fun. Do your best and enjoy it. And if you are too lazy to scrape the mineral deposits and water marks off the front of the tank, or clean off the algae from the front glass, or turn the room lights off to remove your reflection from the glass, then...sorry, but you shouldn't expect to win.
Whatever happens, let's not sink to the level of giving out recognition and trophies for mere attendance. The prize should always go to the person who puts the most thought and effort into their entry...or who happened to wake up that morning with a horseshoe jammed up into an uncomfortable position and used up all that luck on just one perfect photo.
It's called a Photo Of The Month contest, not a Fish Of The Month or Lucky Shot Of The Month. To me, that terminology says loud and clear how we should be judging the entrants, i.e. we are looking for the Best Photo. I don't think it's realistic to expect the Best Photo to come from a schmuck playing with a 10-year-old cell phone or snapshot camera, unless he/she is an exceptionally lucky schmuck. Look at any photo contest anywhere...look at the winners and runners-up...and then read how the pics were taken. They might not be actual professional photographers, but the guys and gals who win and place in these contests know what they are doing, and they have good equipment. Their knowledge and their gear combine to create better pics; that's why they learn the skills and spend the money on the toys.
Maybe we need a Cellphone Photo Of The Month category? It would, I suppose, need to be on the honour system, but at least it levels the field a little for the schmucks. Or how about an Available Light category? No flash allowed, so one of the biggest advantages of studio gear goes out the window. Maybe a Hand-held category, which disallows the use of tripods...another pro trick gone. Or even...and this is a biggie!...a Pure Photo category, i.e. no image manipulation after the fact. You take the shot and what you see is what you get; no cropping, no colour-shifting or exposure adjustment or anything after the image is created, neither in the camera/phone nor in your computer. That'll separate the men from the boys...or, perhaps, the schmucks from the gearheads.
Folks...this is barely a contest. There are no prizes...literally...none! It's all for fun. Do your best and enjoy it. And if you are too lazy to scrape the mineral deposits and water marks off the front of the tank, or clean off the algae from the front glass, or turn the room lights off to remove your reflection from the glass, then...sorry, but you shouldn't expect to win.
Whatever happens, let's not sink to the level of giving out recognition and trophies for mere attendance. The prize should always go to the person who puts the most thought and effort into their entry...or who happened to wake up that morning with a horseshoe jammed up into an uncomfortable position and used up all that luck on just one perfect photo.
