Competition Themes - Have Your Say

[Tim Mayo]

So folks, let's hear your suggestions for competition themes going forward.

The winner of this months competition will be tasked with selecting the theme for the following month, similar to how we have done it in the past. It's easier for them if there's a list to choose from that the majority of members are happy with.

@Brownie has already suggested:

• B&W
• Portrait
• OOC jpeg
• Close Up
• Self Portrait
• Transportation
• Minimalist
• Architecture
• Long Exposure
• Art Filter
• Motion
• Specific Focal Length
• Shutter Speed
• Liquid
• Reflections
• Color
• Calm
• After Dark
• Windows

I'd also add:

• Golden Hour
• Patterns
• Silhouettes
• Connections
• Food
• Water

It would be good to hear your suggestions or reasons why any of the above should not be included.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Pets, obviously!

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

I think there should be no prize money.

 

[Brownie]

I don't think I suggested all of those! I had things like Nostalgia, Rule of Thirds, sidelight, etc.

Tim, why not have a list for people to draw from if they want, or leave it open to their own choice if they feel more creative? I have seen some fantastic themes that I'd have never thought of. @Unframed Dave has already piped up with a good suggestion. A standard list if you want to have it easy or suggest your own. Other than pornography or boudoir, there doesn't need to be a limit.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Other than pornography or boudoir, there doesn't need to be a limit.

 

[spudhead]

no longer interested on any level, I have done with it, I don`t see it working ever. If I stay on the forum it will be for some individuals only and I now see a lot of people more clearly.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I like the list of themes available.
Naturally if someone picks "specific focal length" I would expect that if an APSC user enters, they use a lens that gives the full-frame equivalent to the chosen focal length. Hopefully nobody chooses something like 600mm which us non-bird-photographers might not own

 

[Unframed Dave]

I think there should be no prize money.

I too think there should be more prize money!

 

[iamdlewis]

Suggestion for theme - Intentional Camera Movement

Whatever the theme is it just needs to be defined. For example one of the listed is "Liquid" which needs clarity around what qualifies as a "liquid" shot. To me this would mean that the "liquid" is the primary subject of the photo so a waterfall would qualify but a duck on a non-descript body of water would not. But does a sunset over a bay qualify?

Pets, obviously!

Think animals would be better as not all of us have pets.

Naturally if someone picks "specific focal length" I would expect that if an APSC user enters, they use a lens that gives the full-frame equivalent to the chosen focal length. Hopefully nobody chooses something like 600mm which us non-bird-photographers might not own

Though I get idea for specific focal length and don't necessarily think it is a bad idea, I only have 2 prime lenses so though the zooms will most likely cover any suggested length I can't say that I will nail the value. If I were to make this type of suggestion I might pick a range.

 

[Clix Pix]

It is important not to have the theme/topic too narrow in focus (pun intended). Everyone is not going to have the same type of gear or easy access to any focal length they want, so specifying a specific focal length and, as mentioned above, a month's theme may unfortunately eliminate some members from participating because they don't have a lens with which they can select and shoot that particular focal length. Trying to nail a precise focal length with a zoom lens isn't always possible.

As mentioned above, choosing a broader group such as "Animals" will attract more participants then the narrower "Pets," since indeed not everyone has pets. Sometimes people who don't have a dog or cat at home can shoot a cat or dog they see somewhere else, which would work for the "Animals" or "Dog" or "Cat" type categories.

A theme such as "Birds in Flight" is a bit too narrow, as again not everyone will have the type of lens usually needed for that sort of shot, but the more general "Birds" covers them in flight or on a limb, in the water, on the ground.....hence bringing the possibility for more participation.

"Portrait" and "Self Portrait" are two themes which are not likely to get much activity. Many people do not have the gear and accessories or the skills for formal portraiture, and there is also the issue of getting the permission of the subject for displaying the resulting image on a public website. In addition, quite a lot of people do not like to shoot "selfies" or even somewhat more formal images of themselves using a camera rather than a cell phone.

Themes are trickier than seen at first glance when choosing them to hopefully bring in a number of participants! Setting them too broadly brings on one set of problems while having too harrow of a theme brings on another.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Birds
Mammals

If there was no prize people who don't bother on the forum unless there is one, wouldn't bother at all!

 

[Landshark99]

I think instead of such a long list, a smaller list of some broad areas of interest, would be best. I also vote for no prize money keep if for the site

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

If there was no prize people who don't bother on the forum unless there is one, wouldn't bother at all!

So you're telling me that the chance of possibly getting a free meal every month is the sole driving factor for the majority of entries?

I've always had this ideology that no one else would accept the prize money either.

sh*t, I feel sick now...

 

[Landshark99]

It is important not to have the theme/topic too narrow in focus (pun intended). Everyone is not going to have the same type of gear or easy access to any focal length they want, so specifying a specific focal length and, as mentioned above, a month's theme may unfortunately eliminate some members from participating because they don't have a lens with which they can select and shoot that particular focal length. Trying to nail a precise focal length with a zoom lens isn't always possible.

As mentioned above, choosing a broader group such as "Animals" will attract more participants then the narrower "Pets," since indeed not everyone has pets. Sometimes people who don't have a dog or cat at home can shoot a cat or dog they see somewhere else, which would work for the "Animals" or "Dog" or "Cat" type categories.

A theme such as "Birds in Flight" is a bit too narrow, as again not everyone will have the type of lens usually needed for that sort of shot, but the more general "Birds" covers them in flight or on a limb, in the water, on the ground.....hence bringing the possibility for more participation.

"Portrait" and "Self Portrait" are two themes which are not likely to get much activity. Many people do not have the gear and accessories or the skills for formal portraiture, and there is also the issue of getting the permission of the subject for displaying the resulting image on a public website. In addition, quite a lot of people do not like to shoot "selfies" or even somewhat more formal images of themselves using a camera rather than a cell phone.

Themes are trickier than seen at first glance when choosing them to hopefully bring in a number of participants! Setting them too broadly brings on one set of problems while having too harrow of a theme brings on another.

One could make these points about every subject, some do not have much equipment at all. For me portraits/people are just as valid a topic as animals if one wants to shoot them, does not take any more specialized equipment than any other. All of the topics really just take a desire to focus on them. For me animals and birds are the same, others break down the subject far more than that. It all has to do with what inspires one to shoot.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Let's just start with whatever entry you like each month and see how it goes...

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

I too think there should be more prize money!

For sure. Timothy should put his house down as a prize...

 

[iamdlewis]

Maybe it should that the theme is for a quarter with the current and next quarter theme identified. So:
Jan-Mar = Landscape
Apr-Jun = B&W
Jul-Sep = To be determined in Apr

This would give everybody at least 4 month time to work on something.

 

[alexpler]

It is important not to have the theme/topic too narrow in focus (pun intended). Everyone is not going to have the same type of gear or easy access to any focal length they want, so specifying a specific focal length and, as mentioned above, a month's theme may unfortunately eliminate some members from participating because they don't have a lens with which they can select and shoot that particular focal length. Trying to nail a precise focal length with a zoom lens isn't always possible.

As mentioned above, choosing a broader group such as "Animals" will attract more participants then the narrower "Pets," since indeed not everyone has pets. Sometimes people who don't have a dog or cat at home can shoot a cat or dog they see somewhere else, which would work for the "Animals" or "Dog" or "Cat" type categories.

A theme such as "Birds in Flight" is a bit too narrow, as again not everyone will have the type of lens usually needed for that sort of shot, but the more general "Birds" covers them in flight or on a limb, in the water, on the ground.....hence bringing the possibility for more participation.

"Portrait" and "Self Portrait" are two themes which are not likely to get much activity. Many people do not have the gear and accessories or the skills for formal portraiture, and there is also the issue of getting the permission of the subject for displaying the resulting image on a public website. In addition, quite a lot of people do not like to shoot "selfies" or even somewhat more formal images of themselves using a camera rather than a cell phone.

Themes are trickier than seen at first glance when choosing them to hopefully bring in a number of participants! Setting them too broadly brings on one set of problems while having too harrow of a theme brings on another.

This. The broader the theme, the most contestants there will be. And it will be interesting to see what everyone envisions in that category.

To the suggested themes list I'd add lights/shadows.

 

[Brownie]

As mentioned above, choosing a broader group such as "Animals" will attract more participants then the narrower "Pets," since indeed not everyone has pets. Sometimes people who don't have a dog or cat at home can shoot a cat or dog they see somewhere else, which would work for the "Animals" or "Dog" or "Cat" type categories.

A theme such as "Birds in Flight" is a bit too narrow, as again not everyone will have the type of lens usually needed for that sort of shot, but the more general "Birds" covers them in flight or on a limb, in the water, on the ground.....hence bringing the possibility for more participation.

I agree the focal length is probably too precise, but you could do a 'prime lens' theme.

Let's not overthink though. The best way for these to be successful is a broad interpretation. 'Pets', for example, could mean my pet, a pet at a park, my neighbor's pet, or even a trip to a pet store. Since the idea is to get out and shoot, a trip to the pet store isn't an unreasonable method to get a shot. At the same time, there's nothing wrong with 'animal' either.

We're both participating (at least I think I've seen you there) in an A-Z thread on another forum, where one person post an image for 'A', the next for 'B', etc. The thread originator made sure to leave it open to interpretation. A can be for Apple, or Uncle Alfred, or Apoplexy, or Apply, or any other A word. By keeping it open the thread has become 33 pages of some fun shots in less than a month. This is the kind of thinking that needs to be employed here.

 

[Clix Pix]

I've been watching that A-Z thread on the other forum and a lot of the time I'm already too late to come up with a suitable image that I can immediately summon up to toss in there representing a particular letter, , but, yes, that's a fun little game, isn't it? Wow, it really moves fast, though!

The point here is well taken, though, that there is enough broad scope in that particular game for anyone to jump in to quickly participate -- and that's what makes it fun and fast-moving because people ARE participating. No rewards offered, no competition, it's just a fun little game in which many members have been happily participating.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

So you're telling me that the chance of possibly getting a free meal every month is the sole driving factor for the majority of entries?

I've always had this ideology that no one else would accept the prize money either.

sh*t, I feel sick now...

It seems that way, look back through at entries and see how many posts done of the entrants have...

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

It seems that way, look back through at entries and see how many posts done of the entrants have...

Sooooo, not legendary..?

 

[Brownie]

We've had discussions about members who post photos but don't participate in the forum, but Kev is right, there were a few who would show up and post only for the contest. Since they didn't seem to care about participating in the forum at all (other than the contest), I always just figured they were after the prize money. Could be wrong but that was the appearance. I'm a lot more likely to pass those entries by when voting if they repeated that regularly.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I've always had this ideology that no one else would accept the prize money either.

Oh I totally used my 2nd place prize money... I put it towards the ND filter that is sitting on my desk begging me to use it