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One less feather on one of the feathered members of the family. This is a reject of the texture contest pictures I have taken. I am entering the texture contest a bit more seriously this time (I have taken eleven keepers so far... now to figure out which one to enter!). I oh so want to name the theme for one. One of these days, perhaps I will get lucky!!
Easy now, all of us don't have a lot of new toys....
Bulldawg - Oh my, eleven choices! I had a hard time narrowing it down to three, and then 2, and when I got down to 1, choosing which "version" of the one! I'm going crazy and asking opinions from the family, but each one has a different opinion, which makes it even more crazy. But like ShepsMom had advised me for the August Contest, go with your first gut, and then don't look back. Yes there is something thrilling about the privilege of choosing a theme. I'm glad it was interesting enough for you to shoot eleven! I wish you well!
P.S. The hat shot in the selective coloring was one of my first for textures...one of my "rejects" as well.
Bulldawg - Oh my, eleven choices! I'm glad it was interesting enough for you to shoot eleven!
bitbit612,
Well, its a love/hate thing going on right now with me in regards to your texture choice. The hate part is that every single physical object on this entire planet has a texture. EVERY SINGLE OBJECT!!! Its a nonexclusive theme. Everything single thing you can touch has a texture... even the stuff you cannot touch has a texture. That is quite a bit of stuff, to say the least!!!
The love part is that, well, every single thing you can touch has a texture. Meaning everyone can compete in this contest. Which is fantastic! Now comes the individual part... what says texture, to you, more than anything else? Sandpaper? Roof shingles? Cactus? Even the 'rough' side of texture can go on forever and I have not even started on the 'smooth' side of texture yet.
I narrowed it down to eleven, from many more, because everywhere I go I see something that is either really rough or super smooth. And I never know when... well... the stars align just right, and I snap that one really good picture. Of a wall. Or a rock. Or whatever. I ain't good enough yet to make that happen every time. Or even some of the time. OK, almost never... but I keep trying.
I noticed the runaway voting for your picture on the last contest and learned a little something. A great picture far outweighs following the theme to a tee (based on addition and subtraction, a kindergarten student is not going 'back to school' in the literal sense). But your picture provided the feel of the theme despite the math... very well I might add. Had you not put the
"Class Of..." part on there I would have voted for your shot right off!!! Although ShepsMom has mellowed as of late with her assignment restrictions, the lesson has been learned by me. I will not get my wrists slapped again. I now not only read the rules... I read in between the lines as well. I get the dictionary out, the thesaurus out and the 'Florida/rest of the world' translation book out to be sure!!!
Bulldawg - I don't know how to respond to your post, but let me say the first thing that comes to mind. Your post made my day, and for a Monday morning, that's pretty damn good!
First of, I have just been validated by your post. The theme is getting exactly what I want to get out of people. I guess it's because it's so mundane, it's so EVERYDAY and ordinary, it's so everywhere like you said which means, everyone can join. It's puts the burden on the photographer and not the camera, not your location, not your editing software or your editing skills. Just you.
I went through the same crossroads as to which to enter in last month's contest. But what was going on in my mind when I submitted that entry is not how "strictly" I followed the theme, because you're right, some people may construe, with a little math, that a kindergartener is not going back to school. Although my husband said this morning, "How does Bulldawg know it isn't the SECOND, or THIRD day of school when the picture was shot?", which means, people can really split hairs over technicalities. In the court of law, I would win my case as "back to school", but that was not the intent of the contest, as you might know. When deciding which entry to submit, I had to ask myself, which in my mind would create the mass appeal. After all, this is one contest where you really don't know who the judges are. It is CityData and anyone that happenstance comes into Photography and decides to vote can vote. Unlike other photography contests where the judges are identified and rules might be more defined, this is as blind as blind can get. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to shoot and staged it. I sort of had it in my head, that it exactly had to look like that shot...that kid (BTW, my neighbor looks like that kid too but he was much more rumbunctious than my subject!)had to be a boy, had to be that age, had to be blonde, and it had to be a Dad as opposed to a Mom. I can't explain my thinking, but it was what it was. The kid had to look exactly up that way to his dad, exactly. I had it in my head how it had to look and it was just a matter of finding the subject and executing the shot.
There would be those that base their decision on adherence to theme, just as yourself had voted, and one other person I know. There would be some that voted based on the technical merit of the photo...composition, sharpness, focus, absence of noise, saturation, etc. etc. There would be those that vote on creativity, subject selection, etc.
And then there would be those who vote for an entry Just Because. Just because it talks to them, just because it evokes something in them, just because it is their style, if they took the photograph themselves, it's because it looks like their child, their pet, their home, whatever....
Now, in these contests, you don't know how many of each type of voter there will be each time. It is pretty much of a crap shoot, isn't it? I definitely can relate to the adrenalin rush of choosing the next theme...I've been there. It was better than the actual winning itself! Don't get me wrong. I agonized over that picture, knowing I was a little bit handicapped by a mid-range camera, and freebie editors (I did not have Elements at that time). I know who my possible competition is. I had to shoot something that would be able to overcome my very known disadvantage, aside from the fact that all of the entrants were taking pictures much longer than I have been. You would not believe how many times I cropped, colored, went back and forth between landscape and portrait, B&W, and title just on that one.
So Bulldawg, as motivated as you are to win this one, think about all these. Some pick the entry which is closest to their heart. Some take a gamble at what will appeal to the greater population of voters. Which one are you?
In the end, it's all about fun, and not taking things too seriously. Personally, I like varying my "style". I don't want to get pigeon-holed into one style. I don't want to be predictable, but you know, that's just me. I'm as maverick as you are. I love the element of surprise.
So, thank you for your post. I am looking forward to Monday when the entries are posted...what the heck, I may not even enter, and just sit back and enjoy the view! If I even got one into pushing himself to his limit with this theme, that would have been a good a prize as any. As it stands, it looks like your enthusiasm is my prize.
Last edited by BagongBuhay; 09-15-2008 at 07:22 AM..
I hope you did not think I was discounting your picture due to math... it was no doubt a contest winning photo. The math thing was a tongue and cheek jab at ShepsMom riding me on the timing of one of my posts in the assignment threads. Like I said, your picture would have gotten my vote right off the bat had there not been a class of thingy on there. Because of it, and my prior "training" on the rules... I balked at my first choice. By the time I finally did vote, you had it in the bag... and rightfully so. All that being said, I hope you enter the next one with your... how did you put it... ah yes, your
Quote:
mid-range camera, and freebie editors
and kick every ones @*& (behind) again... it only makes us better.
Its all about fun for me. I was not into the night time assignment and did not submit a picture for that one... that is a first for me since I discovered these assignments. No idea I came up with sounded fun to me, so I skipped it. Same was true for the selective color assignment... but I started drinking beer and one thing led to another. I really do not like the editting part, but with a few beers in me I can tolerate it much better!
So, I am glad you understood the implied complements in my previous post and am sorry if I worded it in such a way to suggest anything else.
No BDF, I didn't take it like that at all! Doncha worry pal! All in jest...just saying that I like that you think along the same lines I did with the "for everyone" theme on textures. I haven't heard a complaint yet, and that is in itself an accomplishment!
P.S. FWIW, I hope my previous post helps you decide which of your eleven you are going to enter!
I can't wait to see the entries! Loved your post, Bulldawgfan, and your attitude! gave you reps for that.
I'm going to sit this one out, I think, as I just haven't had the time...but I'll be watching for the entries, and will vote (I bet it will be hard to decide, too - you all are getting so very good!)
Bibit, I don't think I've had time to tell you, but I absolutely LOVED your entry - and I never bothered with the math.
Bulldawg - Oh my, eleven choices! I had a hard time narrowing it down to three, and then 2, and when I got down to 1, choosing which "version" of the one! I'm going crazy and asking opinions from the family, but each one has a different opinion, which makes it even more crazy.....
This is the very reason why I selected only one subject/texture for my entry. No going out of my mind trying decide.
That's a good glamour shot of Buster; he has all the makings of a model in that cameo!
Well thanx! But truth be told... even though he is registered, Buster is not the perfect show dog. He has a severe overbite and very short ears for a Basset. But we love him and he is a great family dog. This is the very first picture I have taken of him that was decent. He thinks he is the fastest thing on four paws so he is always moving quickly... for a short legged hound dawg!!
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I had a hard time narrowing it down to three, and then 2, and when I got down to 1, choosing which "version" of the one! I'm going crazy and asking opinions from the family, but each one has a different opinion, which makes it even more crazy. But like ShepsMom had advised me for the August Contest, go with your first gut, and then don't look back. Yes there is something thrilling about the privilege of choosing a theme. I'm glad it was interesting enough for you to shoot eleven!
I wish you well!
", which means, people can really split hairs over technicalities. In the court of law, I would win my case as "back to school", but that was not the intent of the contest, as you might know. When deciding which entry to submit, I had to ask myself, which in my mind would create the mass appeal. After all, this is one contest where you really don't know who the judges are. It is CityData and anyone that happenstance comes into Photography and decides to vote can vote. Unlike other photography contests where the judges are identified and rules might be more defined, this is as blind as blind can get. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to shoot and staged it. I sort of had it in my head, that it exactly had to look like that shot...that kid (BTW, my neighbor looks like that kid too but he was much more rumbunctious than my subject!)had to be a boy, had to be that age, had to be blonde, and it had to be a Dad as opposed to a Mom. I can't explain my thinking, but it was what it was. The kid had to look exactly up that way to his dad, exactly. I had it in my head how it had to look and it was just a matter of finding the subject and executing the shot. 
There would be some that voted based on the technical merit of the photo...composition, sharpness, focus, absence of noise, saturation, etc. etc. There would be those that vote on creativity, subject selection, etc.
