Photo of the Week Oct 8th - Oct 12

[k.love]

Hey sorry guys for the confusion.

Rules

#1 You may submit only one photo per contest.

#2 The contest runs for exactly one week, from the time stamped on the first post in the thread (this will be made by the winner of the previous week's contest).

#3 Please refrain from commenting on the photos submitted in the contest. I think that a good photograph is one that can appeal to someone who may not know much about the technical aspects of photography. I think it would be best if the judge isn't swayed by someone else's opinion of the photograph.

The judge will decide his/her favorite at the end of the week, place a post listing it and a short synopsis of why he/she chose that photo. The winner is then responsible for starting a new thread containing a new contest and topic which again will run for exactly one week.

This weeks theme is head shots, models, family self portraits...

[ghostguts]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2836387064_ff77e60bc7_b.jpg

[seenew]

took this yesterday

http://seenew.net/cyanist1SM.jpg

[Fuzzy14]

Calum, 3rd birthday
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2782746520_7f94a34610.jpg

[kidkaprie]

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138670&stc=1&d=1223552815

[skaliwag]

Teegs

[ajpl]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2761326044_44a608fc1e_o.jpg

Two heads are supposedly better than one, so three should be darn good!


.

[blade1139]

A picture I took of my sister after a day at the beach

[SLC Flyfishing]

My Daughter.

[mattw126]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/eseloco/007copycopy.jpg

[KameraGoddis]

http://web.mac.com/rtjones85/Ryan_Jones_.mac_Site_v1.1/Daily_Photo/Entries/2008/3/31_%22Cable_Car_Driver%E2%80%9D_files/Man%20on%20cablecar%20in%20san%20francisco%20%28kate%29.jpg

Cable Car Driver
(Taken with 1981 Minolta, 50 mm lens)

[anubis]

http://chrisbergerphoto.smugmug.com/photos/386386394_Ugio7-L.jpg

[bootedbear]

http://homepage.mac.com/bootedbear/IMG_0276.framed.jpg

[seattle]

http://nwdad.com/dogpic2.jpg

[stuart.cam]

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5949/dsc0003ri0.jpg

[valdore]

"Lord Gordock"

http://www.madnessmatrix.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/lord-gordock.jpg

... a coworker of mine, on a Friday afternoon when our staff went out to the bar. I think he was upset about shooting a cow in a hunting arcade game.

[mickbab]

My little brother about a year ago.

Shot with a Pentax Optio E30 - I want a decent camera...

Can't think of a title.

[Nadav]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/2930799346_1e71ea399f_b.jpg

[Chappers]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2930987274_452a53c7f6_b.jpg

[ipodtoucher]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2687167189_943c467375_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wesjoyce/2687167189/in/photostream/)

[pdxflint]

http://lh4.ggpht.com/pdxflint08/Rhbj3ZzwnnI/AAAAAAAAAjE/c7ZeOUSxsHg/s800/DSC_3294.JPG

[firstapple]

I am not good at taking pictures of people, so here is one of my favs so far...

http://www.scottramsdensphotography.com/photos/377001630_smrbB-L.jpg

[dukeblue91]

http://gallery.me.com/jorg415/100012/DSC00690/web.jpg

[mrgreen4242]

D40, 18-55mm kit lens, 22mm, 1/200, flash fired, f/4.5, ISO200.

[ghostguts]

just a reminder to the peanut gallery: there is to be no commenting on photos until the end of the contest


ot question: why is this contest only running 5 days, instead of a whole week?

[Essjay]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2804321950_c63685333b_b.jpg

[MaddMacs]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2917132593_5dfcee4ec3_b.jpg
-attached thumbnail-

[01jamcon]

Hope this counts in the topic

[jordygreen]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2887899117_91c72128b5.jpg

[andrew050703]

Fujifilm S7000

[Jaiden]

Brother

[PeteB]

Head Shot

http://www.the-aperture.com/EE/photos/large/20080802_IMG_0240.jpg

[mrgreen4242]

With all of the ... confusion ... in this weeks contest, I thought it might be a good idea to suggest a small change. What if contests were open for submissions from Monday at 12:01am through Friday at 11:59pm, leaving all weekend for the judge to deliberate and post the winner, plus hopefully a few hours at least for the winner to think of a theme and post the new thread?

As always, great work from everyone this week...

[Edandlindz28]

Daughter

[mattw126]

With all of the ... confusion ... in this weeks contest, I thought it might be a good idea to suggest a small change. What if contests were open for submissions from Monday at 12:01am through Friday at 11:59pm, leaving all weekend for the judge to deliberate and post the winner, plus hopefully a few hours at least for the winner to think of a theme and post the new thread?

I think that's a great idea. It might also be advantageous to keep a running list of all prior themes underneath the rules to serve as a quick reference for all future winners.

[pdxflint]

I think that's a great idea. It might also be advantageous to keep a running list of all prior themes underneath the rules to serve as a quick reference for all future winners.

Once upon a time I started a sticky thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=488645) that had all the links to the photo of the day and weekly contests threads, and xUKHCx (moderator) took it over for a while. I can no longer edit my original post, and it hasn't been updated in a while. Maybe someone might want to do an update by posting a reply, but it would mean digging a bit to find all the threads from July on and list them...

The effort might be worth it if someone wants to take on the ongoing duty of updating it each week. Any volunteers?

[firstapple]

Once upon a time I started a sticky thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=488645) that had all the links to the photo of the day and weekly contests threads, and xUKHCx (moderator) took it over for a while. I can no longer edit my original post, and it hasn't been updated in a while. Maybe someone might want to do an update by posting a reply, but it would mean digging a bit to find all the threads from July on and list them...

The effort might be worth it if someone wants to take on the ongoing duty of updating it each week. Any volunteers?

I actually thought about doing this tonight... As this is how one of the photography forums I am on once in a while does it.

I like the way the sticky is set up, and I have no problem volunteering to keep the threads alive and organized. I am also on every day/night so should be no problem for me to keep updated. The only problem will be getting it up to date.

Have the "Assignment" threads still been going on? I can't say I have ever seen one of those before...

*** I am currently adding all the necessary links to the sticky (well as a reply anyways). I have also asked the moderator for ownership so I can edit each week.

[08mxkfx]

http://www.mattbaumanracing.com/Gallery/march26/content/bin/images/large/photoshoot_018.jpg

[apearlman]

I'm not sure if this contest is closed, but if I can still enter, here it is:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2940693126_99b4d244ca_o.jpg

[mattw126]

Thank You pdxflint for putting the time in and creating that sticky. :D

Thank You firstapple for putting the time in and compiling this list: :D

#23 Headshots
#22 Black & White - Won by k.love
#21 Light - Won by H2Ockey
#20 Power - Won by pdxflint
#19 A New Beginning - Won by apearlman
#18 Humanity - Won by ghostguts
#16 Engineering - Won by JohnMC
#15 Ruin(ed) - Won by Fuzzy14
#14 Motion - Won by wheezy
#13 Gravity - Won by i.shaun
#12 Americana - Won by Phrasikleia
#11 Rock & Roll - Won by AxisOfBeagles
#10 Pride - Won by ghostguts
#9 Simplicity - Won by Hello.there
#8 Love - Won by Edge100
#7 Strength - Won by ghostguts
#6 The Passage of Time - Won by Edge100
#5 Motion - Won by Hello.there
#4 Emotion - Won by shieldyoureyes
#3 Technology In Our World - Won by otter
#2 Contrast - Won by pdxflint
#1 Texture - Won by Everythingisnt


the effort might be worth it if someone wants to take on the ongoing duty of updating it each week. Any volunteers?
The only problem will be getting it up to date.

"Would you bear with me for just a second, please? What if - and believe me this is a hypothetical - but what if...and this is a big 'what if'..."
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/eseloco/thebobs.jpg
Each new weekly contest thread has the above list added at the bottom of the rules by the winner with the #, the won theme, & their name in bold (as suggested by firstapple in the sticky). Below that - his/her's choice of theme for that weeks contest.

It's just a simple copy and paste that will keep on going. What do you guys/gals think?

[Chappers]

Thats OK for now but the list will just get longer and longer and in a year or two it would mean the whole first page would just be rules + list.

I think - leave it as it is and update when someone can be bothered - as for some repetition of contest subjects - I don't think that is such a bad thing. It may give a chance to re-explore a subject or give a fresh chance for a new entrant to the competition.

It's going quite nicely and entrant numbers seem to be increasing (says I without actually checking.)

I also think a period of comment after the competition should be encouraged - the contest is great but more comment is always welcome.

Sometimes we are lucky and the judge gives feedback to everyone, however, this is not always possible (understandably) but I always enjoy getting some comments.

[mrgreen4242]

Another thing, and this is just something I'm tossing out here (since we're going with lame office euphemisms), but would anyone else agree that people with newbie status, while encouraged to enter, shouldn't be eligible to win a contest? I know it's no guarantee one way or the other, but I feel like established forum members would be more likely to follow through with the contests in a timely manner... Again, just a thought.

[kidkaprie]

mr.green....while i understand where you are coming from, i think that not allowing newbie members to enter contests is a bad idea. established members as well as newbie members all have things to do outside of this forum, and all have things pop up last minuet, preventing them from creating/ending the weekly contest thread. i don't think forums status has anything to do with timelyness in the contest.

i think a time frame should be setup for judging and creating a new thread...ex. a winner should be picked no more than X hours from end of contest. And the winner should create a new contest no more than X hours from being notified of winning. now, these shouldnt be hard fast rules, but mearly guidlines. if you cant create/finish judging in the timeframe, for whatever reason, try to update the thread if neccesary, or just do it ASAP.

[mrgreen4242]

mr.green....while i understand where you are coming from, i think that not allowing newbie members to enter contests is a bad idea. established members as well as newbie members all have things to do outside of this forum, and all have things pop up last minuet, preventing them from creating/ending the weekly contest thread. i don't think forums status has anything to do with timelyness in the contest.

i think a time frame should be setup for judging and creating a new thread...ex. a winner should be picked no more than X hours from end of contest. And the winner should create a new contest no more than X hours from being notified of winning. now, these shouldnt be hard fast rules, but mearly guidlines. if you cant create/finish judging in the timeframe, for whatever reason, try to update the thread if neccesary, or just do it ASAP.

Well, I did suggest they should be allowed to enter, but more as guests rather that competitors. You only have to have like 50 posts to lose newbie status, so it's not a huge barrier.

I also, earlier, suggested shortening the entry period of contests from Monday at 12:00am to Friday at 12:00pm which allows the whole weekend to judge and the winner to start a new thread.

There's not really any good guidelines on how/when to start/end these contests, and maybe this is a good time to just talk about it, is all I'm saying.

[kidkaprie]

(not trying to pick a fight...:D ) but i have to disagree. i think anyone, regardless of status should be eligable to win. i think a set time frame, like you suggested is a good idea.

maybe...when you enter the contest, you post your idea for the next contest in the title. that way, if you do win and are unable to start a new contest thread, the judge can do so in your place? (just an idea, as to make things flow a little easier)

[Chappers]

I also, earlier, suggested shortening the entry period of contests from Monday at 12:00am to Friday at 12:00pm which allows the whole weekend to judge and the winner to start a new thread.


What happens if the judge doesn't come back within that time?

I was thinking that all of the entrants could have a vote over the two days (Sat and Sun) + provide feedback on the person they voted for. This would provide a winner and lots of feedback.

The big problem is the time difference. If someone in New Zealand wins and starts the thread on Monday morning it will be somewhat different if you live in California.


In the event of a draw then the previous winner gets the casting vote.

You could only vote on Sat and Sun. Winner choses next subject as usual.

[kidkaprie]

also, what about limiting to when the picture has to be taken? instead of pulling a picture from my archive of topic x, how about i actually go outside this week and try to take a picture of topic x?

this approach might lead to less participation and/or more "snapshot" type pics.

[Chappers]

also, what about limiting to when the picture has to be taken? instead of pulling a picture from my archive of topic x, how about i actually go outside this week and try to take a picture of topic x?


That will depend on the topic - Its almost winter where I live - so unless the subject is snow, freezing fog or ice storms then I'm out of the running. Going outside to photograph things won't be possible. A warm winter here is -20C (-4F).

[mrgreen4242]

also, what about limiting to when the picture has to be taken? instead of pulling a picture from my archive of topic x, how about i actually go outside this week and try to take a picture of topic x?

this approach might lead to less participation and/or more "snapshot" type pics.

Also that's more of an assignment than a contest, imo. We should have both though! There's used to be assignment threads, but I've not seen one.

[firstapple]

All,

Can we continue this discussion in our sticky thread? I am all for changing the rules/guidelines if absolutely necessary and agreed upon by the whole group.

Link to sticky (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=580184)

[techie4life]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/2943385504_42ba2008b5_b.jpg

[k.love]

Nice Tech reminds me of my Pegon...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/2504166065_8342dbde16_b.jpg


Sorry guys Im lagging a little behind I will start my judging...

[pdxflint]

This is the most discussion I can remember on a thread that is primarily about photo entries. I'm not so sure why some of you are so eager to change things up that much since we seem to have gotten a pretty good participation in the weekly contest lately. It seems pretty laid back as it is right now, as long as we keep it fairly informal (minimal rules, anything photographic goes.) Sometimes we have had time-lags in the past where the winner or judge was temporarily absent, but it usually sorts itself out.

As it is, this week's thread has gotten a bit out of character. Perhaps a new thread discussing contests (this one and any other ideas) might be a good idea, so we can leave this one more about pictures. It would be a bit daunting to return to this thread as the judge, and have to make sense of all the additional discussion while trying to judge the entrants.

K.love probably should have made this contest run until the 15th to make it a 7 day window, so I'd be a bit patient for now. If he doesn't get back to the thread in a day or so, we can PM him first... then take it from there. Edit: (Well..., while I was writing k.love checked in... :) )

I don't think adding a bunch of new rules will improve this particular little endeavor, for example: limiting the time frame of when an entry is shot, limiting participation, rules on post-processing, etc.) There are contests like that (http://www.dpchallenge.com/), but this was never originally intended to be one of them. Yes, there was an assignment thread, but it seemed to fizzle out over time. Someone can always pick up the ball on that one and try to bring it back to life <hint, hint...;) >

[Phrasikleia]

I'm not so sure why some of you are so eager to change things up that much since we seem to have gotten a pretty good participation in the weekly contest lately. It seems pretty laid back as it is right now, as long as we keep it fairly informal (minimal rules, anything photographic goes.) Sometimes we have had time-lags in the past where the winner or judge was temporarily absent, but it usually sorts itself out....I don't think adding a bunch of new rules will improve this particular little endeavor...

Agreed. The contest has been a huge success lately. We shouldn't fix what isn't broken.

Yes, there was an assignment thread, but it seemed to fizzle out over time. Someone can always pick up the ball on that one and try to bring it back to life <hint, hint...;) >

Well, Grimace tried that in July, and not a single person bit the hook. I think folks prefer the fun of possibly being able to choose the next contest topic. I also think part of the appeal is that participants have an excuse to go looking through their old photos for something appropriate, hoping to find a gem they'd forgotten about.

[mrgreen4242]

This is the most discussion I can remember on a thread that is primarily about photo entries. I'm not so sure why some of you are so eager to change things up that much since we seem to have gotten a pretty good participation in the weekly contest lately. It seems pretty laid back as it is right now, as long as we keep it fairly informal (minimal rules, anything photographic goes.) Sometimes we have had time-lags in the past where the winner or judge was temporarily absent, but it usually sorts itself out.

As it is, this week's thread has gotten a bit out of character. Perhaps a new thread discussing contests (this one and any other ideas) might be a good idea, so we can leave this one more about pictures. It would be a bit daunting to return to this thread as the judge, and have to make sense of all the additional discussion while trying to judge the entrants.

K.love probably should have made this contest run until the 15th to make it a 7 day window, so I'd be a bit patient for now. If he doesn't get back to the thread in a day or so, we can PM him first... then take it from there. Edit: (Well..., while I was writing k.love checked in... :) )

I don't think adding a bunch of new rules will improve this particular little endeavor, for example: limiting the time frame of when an entry is shot, limiting participation, rules on post-processing, etc.) There are contests like that (http://www.dpchallenge.com/), but this was never originally intended to be one of them. Yes, there was an assignment thread, but it seemed to fizzle out over time. Someone can always pick up the ball on that one and try to bring it back to life <hint, hint...;) >

Agreed. The contest has been a huge success lately. We shouldn't fix what isn't broken.


I don't think anyone wants to change the contest, but I think there's some need to create some guidelines to help people keep the threads on track. This "weekly contest" thread is going to run for nearly 2 weeks now.

Since I started the discussion about it, I'll just say that all I was suggesting was adding some days for judging/creating new contest threads rather than what we have now to help things stay a little more organized. Not really a big rule change or a format change, just a couple days built into the weekly schedule to keep things on track.

[pdxflint]

I don't think anyone wants to change the contest, but I think there's some need to create some guidelines to help people keep the threads on track. This "weekly contest" thread is going to run for nearly 2 weeks now.


I'm not sure when exactly it started, but the thread says Oct 08-Oct 12, and if it were a full week, which most of them are it would be ending today (Oct. 15.)

You can't count the days between when someone is declared the winner, and when they actually start the next contest, because sometimes they don't even get the notification for several days, and then they have to set up the next topic.

Only problem, as I see it, is that let's say you set up some guidelines (in addition to the existing rules)... and then the next winner/judge has other priorities in his life, and runs a little late...can't get to it within the weekend, for example - what's the difference? So then, you add more guidelines/rules spelling out how it's to be enforced, and then someone has to be the enforcer, etc. etc. - and you have changed the contest. Part of what makes this contest exactly what it is, is the informality and the likelihood of occasional delays. etc. It's more of a friendly thing, with nothing on the line.


Since I started the discussion about it, I'll just say that all I was suggesting was adding some days for judging/creating new contest threads rather than what we have now to help things stay a little more organized. Not really a big rule change or a format change, just a couple days built into the weekly schedule to keep things on track.

If things always sailed along smoothly, then making it a 5 day contest with the weekends for judging and restarting would, in theory, work okay. But, things being what they are, the deadlines will inevitably be missed, and it throws the whole structure thing into disarray again. The issue for those who want it more organized is that it has to become more formalized in order to describe the methods for organizing, with more rules and rule enforcement. Do we then form a committee? See where I'm going with this....? :eek:

[mrgreen4242]

I'm not sure when exactly it started, but the thread says Oct 08-Oct 12, and if it were a full week, which most of them are it would be ending today (Oct. 15.)

You can't count the days between when someone is declared the winner, and when they actually start the next contest, because sometimes they don't even get the notification for several days, and then they have to set up the next topic.

Only problem, as I see it, is that let's say you set up some guidelines (in addition to the existing rules)... and then the next winner/judge has other priorities in his life, and runs a little late...can't get to it within the weekend, for example - what's the difference? So then, you add more guidelines/rules spelling out how it's to be enforced, and then someone has to be the enforcer, etc. etc. - and you have changed the contest. Part of what makes this contest exactly what it is, is the informality and the likelihood of occasional delays. etc. It's more of a friendly thing, with nothing on the line.

If things always sailed along smoothly, then making it a 5 day contest with the weekends for judging and restarting would, in theory, work okay. But, things being what they are, the deadlines will inevitably be missed, and it throws the whole structure thing into disarray again. The issue for those who want it more organized is that it has to become more formalized in order to describe the methods for organizing, with more rules and rule enforcement. Do we then form a committee? See where I'm going with this....? :eek:

The contest was supposed to start on the 6th, it's the 15th. So it's running at least 4 days behind. (Started late and ending late).

The old contest ended on the 5th, which is the entire point of what I'm saying. There's no built in buffer time to give people a chance to adjust around real life. That's all I'm saying. Not saying we need to be all crazy enforcers or anything. Just that maybe we could build in a little time so that people can have stuff happen and still get around to judging "on time".

It's not anyone's fault and I'm not blaming k.love. Stuff happens. No biggie. Seems like it would be helpful if the format of this activity was such that there was some extra time for that to happen. That is all.

[Phrasikleia]

Message to k.love: don't feel as though you are obligated to comment on each and every photo. A couple of very generous judges did that, but they were going well beyond the call of duty. All you really need to do is pick one, say what you liked about it, and send the winner a personal message to get the next contest started.

[firstapple]

All,

Again, I have taken charge of the sticky regarding this contest as well as the other monthly thread... I have posted many ideas on there for some possibilities, but there has been no discussion in there.

k.love is aware she is running late, as she said so a few posts ago. To me that is good enough that she let us know she is still alive and remembered she has some judging to do. A simple PM would be nice to send her for a nice little reminder.

I would like to know some people's responses to the ideas I put in the sticky...

[cantthinkofone]

</snip>

Nice bike. What series do you race?

[Phrasikleia]

k.love is aware she is running late, as she said so a few posts ago. To me that is good enough that she let us know she is still alive and remembered she has some judging to do. A simple PM would be nice to send her for a nice little reminder.

Uh, I'm pretty sure k.love is a he, for what it's worth. He posted a self portrait (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6320421&postcount=390) to the daily thread.

[mattw126]

Uh, I'm pretty sure k.love is a he, for what it's worth.

That, or she's one really ugly chick.

K.Love, I shot two weddings this past Sat., (yes two - over 1500 images I'm editing this week) I have an engagement sitting tomorrow, a rehearsal dinner this Fri., another wedding this Sat., and a model shoot this Sun. You have the time to post an image of a dead 'pegon', but you can't type a member's name? Sorry to sound like a d*ck, but this 'contest' thread is spiraling downward fast - be a champ and just pick a winner.

[pdxflint]

Uh, I'm pretty sure k.love is a he, for what it's worth. He posted a self portrait (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6320421&postcount=390) to the daily thread.

Not to mention his winning pic from last contest, definitely masculine gender! :)

[pdxflint]

Let's just add one little, teeny guideline for the judge of each contest - pick a winner... and an alternate (second favorite, or whatever you want to call it, honorable mention, 2nd place, vice-winner... ) If after a reasonable period of time (2 days??) before the masses become restless, if the judge can't deliver, then the alternate person automatically calls a winner, and starts the next round. Shouldn't be too hard to keep things going this way, and wouldn't require any restructuring of the lack of structure...;)

[Phrasikleia]

Let's just add one little, teeny guideline for the judge of each contest - pick a winner... and an alternate (second favorite, or whatever you want to call it, honorable mention, 2nd place, vice-winner... ) If after a reasonable period of time (2 days??) before the masses become restless, if the judge can't deliver, then the alternate person automatically calls a winner, and starts the next round. Shouldn't be too hard to keep things going this way, and wouldn't require any restructuring of the lack of structure...;)

I second the motion.

[Chappers]

According to the rules - the competition closed about two hours ago as its one week since the original post.

It has got a little confused but thats OK.

[mrgreen4242]

According to the rules - the competition closed about two hours ago as its one week since the original post.

It has got a little confused but thats OK.
No, the contest should have ended on the 12th, it just started late because, for some reason, k.love started a contest thread, roughly on time, closed it, waited for a few days, and then started a new one on the 8th.

This "weekly" contest has been going for 12+ days now.

[mrgreen4242]

That, or she's one really ugly chick.

K.Love, I shot two weddings this past Sat., (yes two - over 1500 images I'm editing this week) I have an engagement sitting tomorrow, a rehearsal dinner this Fri., another wedding this Sat., and a model shoot this Sun. You have the time to post an image of a dead 'pegon', but you can't type a member's name? Sorry to sound like a d*ck, but this 'contest' thread is spiraling downward fast - be a champ and just pick a winner.

He's been logged in at almost exactly 1:10AM EST everyday this week, but ya, this one is pretty much sunk, I'd say.

[Chappers]

No, the contest should have ended on the 12th, it just started late because, for some reason, k.love started a contest thread, roughly on time, closed it, waited for a few days, and then started a new one on the 8th.

This "weekly" contest has been going for 12+ days now.

This is not worth an argument and obviously there has been some confusion but this thread (I know there was another one) started on the 9th Oct at 7:10am for me so it ended today at 7:09:59.
I'm allowing for people being human and making mistakes that's all. I'm as keen as anyone to have a winner and move on to the next competition.

[mattw126]

Sorry for sounding 'undiplomatic in my last post, I was just trying to drive at the point that we all have our plates full (I'm assuming most of us do anyway), but that doesn't excuse anyone from ducking their responsibilities. I know it's just a friendly contest on a forum site, but still, I was looking forward to participating.

Barring a sudden post from K.Love with a winner, the question is, now what is to be done?

Vote democratically?
Scrap this and have the previous winner pick a topic?
Wasn't there a 'more or less' second place from last week, maybe they could get the ball rolling?

Just throwing out some ideas that I hope are constructive. I'm leaving the studio soon so I'll be looking forward to seeing how this plays out when I log back in later...

[mrgreen4242]

This is not worth an argument and obviously there has been some confusion but this thread (I know there was another one) started on the 9th Oct at 7:10am for me so it ended today at 7:09:59.
I'm allowing for people being human and making mistakes that's all. I'm as keen as anyone to have a winner and move on to the next competition.

I don't find that to be a compelling argument. The contest started late, with a truncated timeline listed right in the thread title. I think it's reasonable to say that it ended back on Sunday, when it was originally scheduled to end and also was advertised to end in the thread title.

If there is was a second place winner ID in the last competition I would support him/her coming in and picking a winner to get things moving again.

[Phrasikleia]

I say we give him another day, and if the contest is still unjudged, we'll do what we did when this happened about six months ago: ask for a volunteer to judge the contest.

[Chappers]

I say we give him another day, and if the contest is still unjudged, we'll do what we did when this happened about six months ago: ask for a volunteer to judge the contest.

I agree.

[pdxflint]

Based on all the dust that's been stirred up, if it were me I'd probably just run as fast as I could... I thought this was supposed to be fun. Look folks, yes... if you consider a strict timeline from the last contest, it's taken awhile. The actual contest didn't get off to a start right away, and had a false start. And, there was a "truncated" contest duration in the thread title - and all of that...!

but... as a somewhat regular participant in this 'contest,' the strict timelines often fall by the wayside. The last contest I won, I didn't even know for 3 days or so because I was busy, and failed to check back. I ran the contest for a week, and took a couple of days judging and handing it off, which then took a day or so before the next contest started. It seems we have always had some slack built-in to the 'system' and for me, if the current contest (taking into account the late start) started on Oct 8, then it's now been 1 day over... and if it goes 2 days without any signs of life from our judge, then we go to plan B. Not a big deal, really. There's no money, no prizes on the line here.

I know some people have been waiting for a long time, but perhaps we could all take a step back and just relax. The point of the thread is beginning to get lost on me now... is this a photo contest or a debate?

[wheezy]

My favorite headshot of the girl I should've married...

http://www.unculturedswine.net/pixelpost/images/20070222210407_priscilla.jpg

[Phrasikleia]

It seems we have always had some slack built-in to the 'system'... and if it goes 2 days without any signs of life from our judge, then we go to plan B. Not a big deal, really. There's no money, no prizes on the line here.

I also prefer things the way they've been going. It's been fun.

[ghostguts]

Someone who has not posted in this thread, please make the judgement.

You'll be the replacement judge for this week.

Thanks.

[Chappers]

Someone who has not posted in this thread, please make the judgement.

You'll be the replacement judge for this week.

Thanks.

I second this but request replacement judge to check all images at full size.

Many thanks

[ajpl]

Wow this thread/debate is still pottering along!
I second this but request replacement judge to check all images at full size.

Many images are simply the size they are in thread and that's it.

[Chappers]

Wow this thread/debate is still pottering along!

Many images are simply the size they are in thread and that's it.

But not all and some were re-tagged to TIMG instead of IMG by Doctor Q .

Just a thought thats all. It has been missed in the past.

[pdxflint]

Someone who has not posted in this thread, please make the judgement.

You'll be the replacement judge for this week.

Thanks.

Ghostguts, I've noticed that many of your posted pics from earlier contests, and now even the one you posted for this contest... seem to disappear. They are linked from flickr, but you must be moving the originals that the links reference. It makes it hard for folks to view your pictures when all that shows up is a blank space-holder. Maybe instead of linking to your flickr shots, you could upload to this site as an attachement, and they'd always be here.

I've thought about that for my own pics which are linked from picasaweb. My gallery there is getting full, and I thought about eliminating, or consolidating my photos there, then realized all my postings here would be affected. I'm rethinking my approach, and may be doing attachments in the future.

Anyway, just thought I'd tell you I can't see your pics anymore.

[pdxflint]

It's looking like plan B time, guys and girls. I nominate mrgreen4242 as the new judge for this contest. Any seconds? Any other nominees from the group? I'm going to bed now, and herebye approve not only this message, but whatever you guys want to do. ;)

Wake me up when it's over... :)

[mattw126]

I'll second mrgreen4242.

[Chappers]

sounds good - mrgreen4242 a third vote.

[mrgreen4242]

Rofl. OK guys, I'll judge. I pick... ME! No, just kidding, of course.

Normally, I'd decline since I did enter and I don't consider myself really qualified to critique a lot of this work (so many of you are orders of magnitude better at this than me), but my overwhelming desire to get this moving means I'll accept.

I will go through and review all the entries this morning while I work and during my lunch (noon Eastern time) so you'll have a winner by ~1:00 EST.

So have we agreed that judges are to pick at least a top 3 and the #2 (and #3 if needed) will step in to start/finish a contest if the winner/judge is a no show for more than 48 hours?

I can understand people not wanting lots of rules and structures, but maybe we can at least get some sort of backup system in place out of all this??

EDIT: BTW if some outside party steps in to judge, or k.love turns up before 1:00, please let it override my picks, it won't hurt my feelings or anything, and I'm going to submit my pick just to so we can all move on.

[Chappers]

So have we agreed that judges are to pick at least a top 3 and the #2 (and #3 if needed) will step in to start/finish a contest if the winner/judge is a no show for more than 48 hours?

Sounds like the best idea to me.

[mattw126]

So have we agreed that judges are to pick at least a top 3 and the #2 (and #3 if needed) will step in to start/finish a contest if the winner/judge is a no show for more than 48 hours?

Sounds good.

but my overwhelming desire to get this moving means I'll accept.

Thanks for stepping up, we all appreciate it.

[mrgreen4242]

I'm not a trained or "pro" photog, but I am an admirer of photography and I have been reading, practicing and trying to get better, so here's just sort of my personal impressions of each entry:

ghostguts - I get an image unavailable so can't judge it.

seenew - I like the framing of your shot, and the multi-directional (and slightly differing color?) lighting. One thing I would suggest is removing the light reflection from the eye.

Fuzzy14 - adorable. It feels a little flat, to me, maybe more contrast would have helped (white on white can be hard)

kidkaprie - the selective color is a neat effect, but it moved my eye to the shirt, and away from the little girl, which I think is counter to what you were trying to do

skaliwag - I love this shot, I actually commented on it before when you asked for C&C in another thread. The warm colors contrast the cold environment really well, and the vignetting frames the subject well without being distracting.

ajpl - this is a fun portrait. I would have liked to see more of the faces in it, as it is I feel like it would make a better ad for the dresser than a portrait.

blade1139 - This is a great shot. The composition is perfect for the subject, the color contrasts beautiful, and overall just a great portrait.

SLC Flyfishing - Cute kid! My only critique here is that the positioning seems off. It's on the left third horizontally, but her eyes are about halfway down vertically rather than on one of the thirds. To my eye, it looks unbalanced if you shoot with just one of the third lines.

mattw126 - she's pretty and it's a nice pose. The composition is good as well. Her eyes look unnatural to me, though, and draw attention in a bad way. Did you do something to them in post or is that just naturally how her eye look? Also, the B&W doesn't really add anything for me. There's not enough light/dark contrast to make it really punch in B&W, imo.

KameraGoddis - This is a great portrait. The B&W contrast is really great, that real film grain is wonderful. Great job. The foreground, out of focus, what I assume is a head, is sort of distracting, though.

anubis - this is great. Everything about this is just as you would expect to see in a great wedding/event portrait. If this was for a customer, I am sure they were thrilled with this pic. No real critique here, I wouldn't change anything.

bootedbear - started the dog theme. It's a technically good shot, in focus, goof detail, composed well on third lines. It's just doesn't grab me though. Nothing wrong with that, but probably my personal tastes.

seattle - this is a good animal portrait. You grabbed the dog doing something cute, and it's a nice shot as a result. Not much I'd personally change.

stuart.cam - I've tried to take this shot with my son, and it's hard to do. Here's the thing: there's a huge out of focus chunk that is really distracting and makes it hard to focus on the subject (the dog). With the dog looking away, you naturally look to see what he's looking at, but it's out of focus too and you can't tell. It's a really hard shot to get, so good try, but this one just lacks a solid subject/path for your eyes.

valdore - awesome field portrait. Great expression, cool setup (sunglasses inside at night) makes your friend look very cool which I bet he really appreciated, and that's part of a good portrait. Very good work.

mickbab - you caught a fun/interesting moment in time which is what photography is all about, "good camera" or not. The background is a little distracting here, for some reason. There's little details (railing and stairs) that don't really go anywhere for the eye.

nadav - I would have like this more had the angle been just a little lower which would have brought the nose a bit close to the lens. Good shot but as with some of the other dog portraits, it just doesn't grab my eye.

chappers - great action shot, and you managed to get some bokeh and keep the bubbles in focus enough to know what they are and really bring the photo together.

ipodtoucher - cute shot, and you did a good job either lighting it or in post making what I'm assuming is an outdoor, bright daylight picture look like a soft studio portrait

pdxflint - pretty shot, my only critique would be that it's a great picture of hair, but not a compelling portrait of the person. Taken in a group with other shots it would likely be more lovely

firstapple - this is another technically good, but uncompelling, animal photos. It's probably just me. Cats are lazy so it's hard to get a good picture of them doing anything interesting. :p

dukeblue - great animal shot. Great use of B&W - lots of contrast and detail brought out by the effect. The look in the elephants eye is almost human. All in very good work, only thing I would look at changing is the positioning of the animal in the frame. It's good where it is, but if you have any cropping space not shown to work with you might be able to make it even better

mrgreen4242 - dude, you're awesome. I love that shot. I really like the color contrast of the blues and yellows. The reflection on the water really adds a feeling symmetry to the shot. Framing is great, and the action shot is just too cute! (Seriously, I'd always like any C&C others have to give on my photos - that's the only reason I enter contests, I don't expect to win, just hope to get some feedback).

Essjay - the subject was obvious, but not clear, if that makes sense. There lots of deadspace that I thought could be trimmed, making the shot a landscape orientation that might look better. Maybe not, I'm a little undecided on this one, but that's my first reaction.

MaccMacs - the focus plane is behind your subject (the ferns) so she's out of focus and the plants are in focus. Would have been a good shot otherwise, I think.

01jamcon - great animal submission. The framing of the dog is great and I think that even though we see less of the animal we know more about him based on the picture. Great detail in the wood, as well, giving a sense of what sort of place you are at even though all we can see is a couple square feet of plain wood board.

jordygreen - pretty picture. Captured a nice expression on her face. The details in the hair, with her hands moving it and it pulling away in the front, gives you a sense of what she might be doing or going to do when the photo was taken. I would have preferred less bokeh so I could see where she's at, which might give us some more insight into what she's doing/thinking...

andrewlotsofnumber - cute cute cute! The position of the subject here is just right, imo, filling 2/3rd of the frame almost perfectly. The straw is a fun touch that reminds you how everything little kids do can be cute and fun.

jaiden - nice contrast of the "construction worker" hard hat look and the sucker in the mouth (as opposed to something more "masculine" like a cigarette or whatever), I think it would have been better with a tighter crop since the background doesn't tell us much about the subject anyways.

That was the last entry that was "on time" based on the deadline listed in the post. Based on a week from the post date, these pics would also be on time. I see no reason not to include them at this point.

endandlindz28 - she's cute and making a cute pose. I don't feel like I know anything about her from the shot, though, which is makes it a little uninteresting to me.

09mxkfx - cool portrait in that it tells me about the subject and captures what I assume is an important part of his life. The location is great as it fits visually (the lines and colors), but isn't where you'd expect to see this sort of person/machine at. I'd like it a little more if the bike was shown in full and the top cut off at the ceiling, cropping a bit of the graffiti.

apearlman - good photo, a tight crop might have been better though. Leave enough so we know he's in the water, and the reflection is a nice visual balance, but so much plain water makes everything a little too bland to my eye.

techieforlife - like the dog earlier, this has a little to much headspace, imo. Cutting it off at closer to the tops of the buildings would have helped focus the shot on the bird a little better. Also, a little less bokeh to help make the buildings a little more distinct would also have made it more appealing to me - it would set the bird as in the city but not part of the city a little better, I think.

k.love - it's a dead bird. Maybe it's symbolic for this thread?

wheezy - this came in after the contest was closed no matter how you look at it, but just a quit comment - definitely a good picture. Nice lighting and composition, not sure what else to say about it. Maybe if she was looking at something away from the lens it would add a little mystery - like what is she so interested in, or if there was a just a bit more of her face we'd get the impression she's looking at the photog adoringly or whatever face she was making. Small thoughts, it's good just as is.

Just a final note: all the entries were good or great. If I came off sounding critical of anyone it wasn't intentional, it was all meant as hopefully helpful critique to the photog.

Ok, now the winner picking. My criteria, based on a subject of "head shots, models, family self portraits" is that we should looking at, basically, a portrait of one or more living thing. The defining mark of a portrait, to me, is that we are able to learn something about the subject(s); gain some insight to who they are, or why they are in a particular place at a particular time. That plus overall technical merit is what I used to make my choices.

First: Skaliwag. As I mentioned in my comments for you, I love the color contrasted with the apparent cold location. This gave me the sense, along with her smile, that she was in a cold, lonely place but was warm and happy there.

Second: Valdore. I think this shot is a great portrait as it brings out a huge personality in the subject. You feel like you know him looking at just this photo. (Note: I actually switched back and forth twice with you and Skaliwag for #1. I think they are both great. Skaliwag gets the nod for his use of color to add to the insight of the subject. The use of B&W fits your photo perfectly, but I don't think it added anything to our understanding of your friend. That tiny little hair of difference decided it for me).

Third: Anubis. While this actually didn't give me a whole lot of insight into this little girl, I had to give you a nod for what is really a perfect "traditional" portrait.

Best animal shot runners up: Added this because I felt the category got split with people and animals. I liked the people pics best, but dukeblue91 and 01jamcon tie for some outstanding animal portraits.

Again, great job everyone! It was fun to evaluate all your photos and I feel like I learned a ton about photography by doing it. So lets get going on next weeks! ;)

[PeteB]

Well done to the deserving winners here (at last there's results).

I know mine probably sucked, but any reason why mine didn't get mentioned with the others? As far as I'm aware I was in time.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6393815&postcount=32

[mrgreen4242]

Well done to the deserving winners here (at last there's results).

I know mine probably sucked, but any reason why mine didn't get mentioned with the others? As far as I'm aware I was in time.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6393815&postcount=32

Sorry I missed you! You got (visually) lumped in with all the discussion that followed your post since there was no image embedded in with the post (for me anyways). The link doesn't work for me either... :confused: I'd be happy to take a look at it, if you want to repost it, but I don't think it'd be right to alter the final results after they're posted.

It could be a filter at my work, I suppose, but yours is the only one that would have been blocked... odd.

[Phrasikleia]

Well done, mrgreen4242!! Thank you for taking the time to judge the contest!

[PeteB]

Sorry I missed you! You got (visually) lumped in with all the discussion that followed your post since there was no image embedded in with the post (for me anyways). The link doesn't work for me either... :confused: I'd be happy to take a look at it, if you want to repost it, but I don't think it'd be right to alter the final results after they're posted.

It could be a filter at my work, I suppose, but yours is the only one that would have been blocked... odd.

That explains why it got missed, I guess. And no problem at all about the results, there's a stack of really good photogs here - it's good to be in such company.

Here's a direct link. http://www.the-aperture.com/EE/photos/large/20080802_IMG_0240.jpg

[mrgreen4242]

That explains why it got missed, I guess. And no problem at all about the results, there's a stack of really good photogs here - it's good to be in such company.

Here's a direct link. http://www.the-aperture.com/EE/photos/large/20080802_IMG_0240.jpg

I get a DNS error (address cannot be found) for the entire domain the-aperture.com. Could be my work, but usually we get a little warning screen for blocked sites. I'll check it when I get home, though.

[Chappers]

Good job mrgreen4242 - a difficult one to judge I think. So many good pictures.

And well done skaliwag

As for your photo mrgreen4242 - I revisited it several times. At first I wasn't sure about it, but there is a natural quality of the child who didn't pose for the photo at the very last moment. It's not a traditional portrait but it speaks volumes about love.


I also think blade1139's sister is lovely. What an interesting face of a little girl who has had an equally interesting day out.

[pdxflint]

I'm not a trained or "pro" photog, but I am an admirer of photography and I have been reading, practicing and trying to get better, so here's just sort of my personal impressions of each entry:

pdxflint - pretty shot, my only critique would be that it's a great picture of hair, but not a compelling portrait of the person. Taken in a group with other shots it would likely be more lovely
[/I]

Ohh... this was a portrait contest?? :eek: I thought it was a hair contest...:o

BTW, my subject also thinks it's a great picture of her hair...:D
Nice job taking on the judging duties. But seriously... I was expecting to win.;)


First: Skaliwag. As I mentioned in my comments for you, I love the color contrasted with the apparent cold location. This gave me the sense, along with her smile, that she was in a cold, lonely place but was warm and happy there.

Second: Valdore. I think this shot is a great portrait as it brings out a huge personality in the subject. You feel like you know him looking at just this photo. (Note: I actually switched back and forth twice with you and Skaliwag for #1. I think they are both great. Skaliwag gets the nod for his use of color to add to the insight of the subject. The use of B&W fits your photo perfectly, but I don't think it added anything to our understanding of your friend. That tiny little hair of difference decided it for me).

Third: Anubis. While this actually didn't give me a whole lot of insight into this little girl, I had to give you a nod for what is really a perfect "traditional" portrait.

Again, great job everyone! It was fun to evaluate all your photos and I feel like I learned a ton about photography by doing it. So lets get going on next weeks! ;)

Good choices. Congrats to Skaliwag. I'm looking forward to losing the next contest, too. ;)

BTW: mrgreen4242, a nice moment captured with the baby and mother. It's not a true portrait, in that sense, but in many ways perhaps more of a keeper for the family. It would have been almost perfect if the baby's face were more pointed up, just a smidge to catch more of his joyful moment.

[pdxflint]

That explains why it got missed, I guess. And no problem at all about the results, there's a stack of really good photogs here - it's good to be in such company.

Here's a direct link. http://www.the-aperture.com/EE/photos/large/20080802_IMG_0240.jpg

It comes up for me. Nice tight shot, overall the light seems a little flat, common on overcast days, and the tone seems just a tad cool. I like the informality of the shot, but I'm not sure if the subject is annoyed, or just trying to patiently wait on the photographer - based on the expression. I can see the plane of focus includes the chin whiskers and the hair on the top of the head, but for some reason to me, the eyes seem a little soft - I can't figure why that would be... so it's probably just my bad eyes. What's the material/stain on the side of the guy's face - I don't completely understand the story here. Also, the sawhorse device with the plastic bag and maybe a firefighting uniform in the background only distracts my attention. I keep trying to figure out if those things can tell me anything about the subject, but in the end it doesn't.

[dukeblue91]

Great job mrgreen4242, glad I didn't have to do it as there were so many great pictures submitted.

[Phrasikleia]

It comes up for me. Nice tight shot, overall the light seems a little flat, common on overcast days, and the tone seems just a tad cool. I like the informality of the shot, but I'm not sure if the subject is annoyed, or just trying to patiently wait on the photographer - based on the expression. I can see the plane of focus includes the chin whiskers and the hair on the top of the head, but for some reason to me, the eyes seem a little soft - I can't figure why that would be... so it's probably just my bad eyes. What's the material/stain on the side of the guy's face - I don't completely understand the story here. Also, the sawhorse device with the plastic bag and maybe a firefighting uniform in the background only distracts my attention. I keep trying to figure out if those things can tell me anything about the subject, but in the end it doesn't.

Agreed. This is a good example of why portraits work best with shallow DOF and a vertical (aka "portrait") orientation. That background is too distracting. And the reason for the smear (of paint?) on the person's face and his apparent distress is not evident.

[mrgreen4242]

Ohh... this was a portrait contest?? :eek: I thought it was a hair contest...:o

BTW, my subject also thinks it's a great picture of her hair...:D
Nice job taking on the judging duties. But seriously... I was expecting to win.;)


Good choices. Congrats to Skaliwag. I'm looking forward to losing the next contest, too. ;)

BTW: mrgreen4242, a nice moment captured with the baby and mother. It's not a true portrait, in that sense, but in many ways perhaps more of a keeper for the family. It would have been almost perfect if the baby's face were more pointed up, just a smidge to catch more of his joyful moment.

Thanks for the comments. We were shooting some more traditional posed portraits and that was a candid grab. I agree it would have better if he was looking up/smiling at the camera more.

Maybe you should submit your photo to an ad agency with some hair product contracts?! ;)

[H2Ockey]

What's the material/stain on the side of the guy's face - I don't completely understand the story here. Also, the sawhorse device with the plastic bag and maybe a firefighting uniform in the background only distracts my attention. I keep trying to figure out if those things can tell me anything about the subject, but in the end it doesn't.

On the thumbnail I couldn't tell if it was bird droppings or something else. Blown up it is quite evident a paintball splat. The look on the face? the combination of humiliation and pain from taking a paintball to the side of the dome (commonly termed a 'headshot'). I must agree all the paintball gear in the background was distracting, but for me it helped tell the story.

[pdxflint]

On the thumbnail I couldn't tell if it was bird droppings or something else. Blown up it is quite evident a paintball splat. The look on the face? the combination of humiliation and pain from taking a paintball to the side of the dome (commonly termed a 'headshot'). I must agree all the paintball gear in the background was distracting, but for me it helped tell the story.

Thanks for explaining it to me. Not having engaged in paintball, it never crossed my mind that that stuff was paint, and the items in the background were paintball accessories, so this is a case where a caption, or few words from the photographer about the picture would have helped a great deal. I always feel the contest entrants should say a little something about their photo, what it's about or to give it context - if necessary. Just because we discourage comments from others during the pre-judging period, doesn't mean the original photographers should remain silent about their pics. It helps to judge them better, makes them communicate an idea better.

[skaliwag]

Thanks so much I am stoked :D New thread has started. Good Luck.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=583900

[k.love]

Hey sorry guys for not coming back to do the judging. i found out that i got a job offer so im really stoked.

Anyways congrats Skaliwag!

[Chappers]

Hey sorry guys for not coming back to do the judging. i found out that i got a job offer so im really stoked.

Anyways congrats Skaliwag!

It would have been better if you'd have said something before, during or after all the time you were looking at all the iPhone forums on this site.

Some of us were defending your position, only to notice that you were here long enough to read several threads and do quite a lot of searching.

Thanks

[iGary]

Didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped, but oh well. :)

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=140501&d=1224457283

[mrgreen4242]

Didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped, but oh well. :)

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=140501&d=1224457283

Just an FYI, this is a contest thread and the contest is closed.

[Chappers]

iGary the latest competition is here

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=583900

this week it's a seascapes comp.

[Phrasikleia]

It would have been better if you'd have said something before, during or after all the time you were looking at all the iPhone forums on this site.

Some of us were defending your position, only to notice that you were here long enough to read several threads and do quite a lot of searching.

Thanks

Hehe. Busted. I guess it's a lot more fun just choosing the topic without having to do the work of judging.