walkhighlands

Long-running quiz threads, photo competitions and post-a-photo threads. Please keep them here to keep the General Discussion board tidy.

Photo Competition Comments

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby Sgurr » Wed May 07, 2014 12:19 pm

Seems all right as it is. I don't have to vote for things where it looks as if the editing has taken over, any more than I have to wear make-up if I don't want to. One day, if I got more serious, I might learn something. (Moaner Lisa, courtesy of the Elie Scarcrow Festival taken with my Panasonic Lumix on Saturday 3rd May at approx afternoon tea time).
Image
User avatar
Sgurr
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 5679
Munros:282   Corbetts:222
Fionas:219   Donalds:89+52
Sub 2000:569   Hewitts:172
Wainwrights:214   Islands:58
Joined: Nov 15, 2010
Location: Fife

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby SusieThePensioner » Wed May 07, 2014 1:49 pm

Gareth Harper wrote: But,OK,OK, I'll withdraw from the competition. It's not a problem.


That would be very sad.

If you feel you have to withdraw on a point of principle then, I'm sure we all respect that. However, on a point of principle regarding the competition, one of the rules is to include the type of camera. You don't have to give any other details if you don't want to.

I hope you'll reconsider, please?

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far and also, I appreciate your comments about me very much :D
User avatar
SusieThePensioner
 
Posts: 1543
Munros:6   Corbetts:3
Fionas:4   Donalds:7
Sub 2000:3   Hewitts:107
Wainwrights:156   
Joined: Sep 7, 2011
Location: County Durham

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby Gareth Harper » Wed May 07, 2014 7:47 pm

I know the competition is a bit of online fun, but posting the make and model of my camera next to one of my images is just something ah cannae bring maself tae dae.

I'm a fairly recent member and first entered the photo competition back in October. I had a look at the rules, which included "please include the following" which requested the date taken, location, both of which I understood to be key to the competition as they were to be 'outdoor' related images taken in the last month. Also under "please include" was "camera details". I did notice that most folks were posting make and model, but I figured 'digital capture' should be fine. And if I remember correctly no comment was made, but that also that ah didnae get a single vote :cry:

In 2013 my walking exploits had been going quite well. Then I started thinking about cycling again, and started to go about trying to get back into cycling, it didn't take many weeks to wreck my dodgy knees again. So I forgot about the cycling and tried to get back to my walking but the damage had been done. In January once again I sought help, my knees were aching and of course by now I had also lost all the useful muscle I'd built up during 2013.

My physio's plans for recovery were, to me, a bit scary - lots of gym work - but it seemed to work, and by the end of march I was back out hill walking and by the beginning of April I was back up a Munro. So I entered the competition in April, again - digital capture - and was e-mailed by Susie and Susie posted what camera I had used. But in any case I'd screwed up the posting of my image and I don't think many folks, if anybody, saw it. So no votes again :(

I did post a comment about the camera thing back at the beginning of April.

So I entered - 'digital capture' - and got another e-mail from Susie. Susie asked me if I had used my trusty old G1 again. But a rare event had taken place, Gareth had bought a new camera, so I relied that I hadn't used the G1 and knowing Susie would post my make and model of my new camera in the competition thread, well I forgot to mention it.

Like I say, I'm not bothered about this, it's not for a minority of one here to insist the rules are changed, all I can do is state, as I have, why I won't post camera details next to one of my images. I'll probably post some images in one of the other non-competition threads.

I hope it's OK seeing as others have commented and at some at length if I respond to some of those points, but I'm not spitting out the dummy, though I'm sure to some it will look like that, or trying to have an angry internet debate.

I obviously wasn't around for the 'photoshop' debate. I've already posted my views on that, but I'll add a wee bit more. I used to do quite a lot of photo-journalism as well as production stills for a voluntary film making collective and a few independent film makers. As such I had only one rule, add nothing, take nothing away. I might have cloned away dust spots but that was pretty much as far as it went. Everything else was game, manipulate the negative or the digital data to get the result you want, and my intention always that people would accept the image for what it was. I've spent hours on a single image before, then binned it the following evening and started again from scratch.

I don't think with landscape images cloning is such an issue, you can clone away an awkward stone or bit of rubbish you didn't notice at the time, that's fine. But of course there are what I would call composite landscapes and composed or manipluated landscapes, I think for the purposes of a competition it is important to state what is acceptable. I stick pretty much to my add nothing, take nothing photo-journo rules, though maybe not quite as strictly. I do however do a lot of digital processing on my hill walking snaps, I just try to get the best out of them. John Kay makes some good points on these matters.

I don't have to vote for things where it looks as if the editing has taken over, any more than I have to wear make-up if I don't want to.


I like Sgurr's comment. And if an image of mine looks 'processed' then my processing has failed. I happen to like to listen to JJ Cale now and again. JJ created his own unique, original and wonderful, and above all very natural sound. But the reality was he was a master of recording studio processing, behind that relaxed natural sound was 100's of hours of studio sound processing. It might have sounded natural but there was nothing natural at all about the creation of the sound. It's the end result that counts, not how you got there. And as John Kay points out cameras don't see what we see. Nor do they experience what we see or respond to it. The camera is just a tool that we use to capture information, it is in itself unimportant.

Tinto63's comments are also interesting,

I'll certainly have a preference for those great photographs taken on phones or point and shoot compacts


Why? If it is a photo competition, sure it is the photo that counts and nothing else. Also if I've got a nice camera and lens, maybe one doesn't want to every-time one posts an image taken with that nice camera and lens go, hey look I've got a fancy camera!

Here's a thought. A hypothetical competition. David Bailey v Gareth Harper and you are the judges. I get to go oot wi a the top o the range Hasselblad (mega bucks cameras) and poor David has to use a Holga (Chinese toy camera costing about a tenner). Who are you gonna put your money on? I'd try my best, but if I was allowed to bet, well it would have to be against myself.

So finally I think photography is more than cameras and lenses. Cameras don't take pictures, people do.

I know it's just a bit of fun, but sometimes I want to scream when I see a big list of equipment and technical details next to an image.

Anybody still awake? :roll:
Gareth Harper
 
Posts: 449
Munros:204   Corbetts:82
Fionas:26   Donalds:50
Sub 2000:6   
Joined: Aug 25, 2013
Location: Ayrshire

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Wed May 07, 2014 9:00 pm

Gareth Harper wrote:So finally I think photography is more than cameras and lenses. Cameras don't take pictures, people do.


I couldn't agree more. From a voting point of view I look at the pictures alone, don't have any interest as to what took them. The thought that somebody would consider a photo to be better just because it was taken with a camera phone or cheep point and shoot is a bit bizarre quite frankly. The less effort they put in gets more rewards, strange but all down to the individual and their taste I suppose. :wink:
User avatar
johnkaysleftleg
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 3340
Munros:25   Corbetts:11
Fionas:11   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:7   Hewitts:172
Wainwrights:214   Islands:8
Joined: Jan 28, 2009
Location: County Durham

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby xpfloyd » Thu May 08, 2014 11:38 am

@ gareth harper - I agree with/like your "add nothing, take nothing away" analogy and think that if we are going to have rules then that should be one of them (barring of course dust spots, the odd bit of missed litter etc), but composite landscapes should be a no no.

"Editing" in terms of manipulating the RAW file to extract maximum detail/information is a completely different kettle of fish though. It always makes me laugh when people who shoot jpeg and do nothing to the file think they are not post processing.

Ive always found it odd that in this competition you can enter a photo and then choose not to submit a vote at the end of the month but you cant enter a photo and choose not to say what camera was used, but as it didnt bother me saying what camera was used I didnt really think any more about it.

I also find it strange reading that people would favour photos taken on P&S / Camera phones just because of what they were taken on, regardless of the photo. Surely you vote on the photo that appeals to you the most regardless of equipment used. If that happens to be a phone pic then so be it.

I suppose there wont be any way to set it up that makes everyone happy especially with it not being a dedicated photography forum. Adding more rules could also lead to the fun being lost.
User avatar
xpfloyd
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 519
Munros:105   
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Location: Clydebank, Glasgow

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby pgrizz » Thu May 08, 2014 2:39 pm

What a bit of ado about nothing! Make of camera, edited or not etc. is irrelevant, it is all about the composition, exposure and focus that makes a good photograph and even that is dependant upon the person viewing it. Gareth, you are more than just a simple "snapper" methinks and my advice to you is to quit the competition because if something as immaterial as giving camera make causes you such stress then it cannot be good for your health.
I have entered this competition from the start and rarely get any votes (the North Pennines are not very popular) but still kept entering,
pgrizz
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 317
Munros:59   Corbetts:15
Fionas:7   Donalds:4
Sub 2000:4   Hewitts:195
Wainwrights:143   
Joined: Sep 19, 2009
Location: Teesdale, North Pennines.

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby pgrizz » Fri May 09, 2014 9:54 am

I have tried to link a photo to flickr but unsuccessfully: any thoughts anyone?
pgrizz
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 317
Munros:59   Corbetts:15
Fionas:7   Donalds:4
Sub 2000:4   Hewitts:195
Wainwrights:143   
Joined: Sep 19, 2009
Location: Teesdale, North Pennines.

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby xpfloyd » Fri May 09, 2014 10:25 am

pgrizz wrote:I have tried to link a photo to flickr but unsuccessfully: any thoughts anyone?


If you are seeing the new flickr set up in your browser look to the right hand side and you will see a push pin. If you click this you will see the options from there. Choose BBCode and change the size to 1024 x xxx pixels. Copy and paste the text into the forum.

If you are seeing the original flickr set up you will see to the right of the photo at the bottom your likes and comments icons and then a third icon that says "more ways to share" when you hover over. Click that and select the BBcode option at the bottom, choose the 1024 pixel size and copy and paste the code
User avatar
xpfloyd
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 519
Munros:105   
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Location: Clydebank, Glasgow

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby pgrizz » Fri May 09, 2014 10:39 am

Xpfloyd: thanks for that.
pgrizz
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 317
Munros:59   Corbetts:15
Fionas:7   Donalds:4
Sub 2000:4   Hewitts:195
Wainwrights:143   
Joined: Sep 19, 2009
Location: Teesdale, North Pennines.

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby xpfloyd » Fri May 09, 2014 11:15 am

pgrizz wrote:Xpfloyd: thanks for that.


No probs. I just had a look at the photo comp thread and seen what you had done. Thats the HTML code. All you need to do is go to where you found that and click the BBcode button instead

cheers
User avatar
xpfloyd
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 519
Munros:105   
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Location: Clydebank, Glasgow

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby SusieThePensioner » Fri May 09, 2014 8:09 pm

Following on from everyone's comments and also, a couple of messages sent to me direct, I am going to amend the rules for the next competition. More information later but I hope they won't detract from the "fun" in taking part :D
User avatar
SusieThePensioner
 
Posts: 1543
Munros:6   Corbetts:3
Fionas:4   Donalds:7
Sub 2000:3   Hewitts:107
Wainwrights:156   
Joined: Sep 7, 2011
Location: County Durham

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby Tinto63 » Fri May 09, 2014 10:26 pm

Cacti and the Skyscraper, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne 15 April 2014, Canon G11.

IMG_2690_01.JPG
A non-verbal response to the recent comments by Gareth Harper and johnkaysleftleg.
User avatar
Tinto63
Wanderer
 
Posts: 985
Munros:129   Corbetts:46
Fionas:38   Donalds:89
Sub 2000:30   
Joined: Jul 20, 2011
Location: West Lothian

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby gammy leg walker » Sat May 10, 2014 11:48 am

SusieThePensioner wrote:Following on from everyone's comments and also, a couple of messages sent to me direct, I am going to amend the rules for the next competition. More information later but I hope they won't detract from the "fun" in taking part :D


Susan you are one in a million how you can still be bothered running this "FUN" photo competition is beyond me,I have read all the above comments more than once and I am totally flabbergasted, people get a life enjoy the competition for what it is and not what you would like it to be.
User avatar
gammy leg walker
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 3464
Munros:282   Corbetts:7
Fionas:4   Donalds:3+0
Sub 2000:2   
Islands:7
Joined: Jan 30, 2010
Location: Central Region
Walk wish-list

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby StevenF » Mon May 12, 2014 12:55 pm

I'm happy if I succeed in getting my picture to show, now there's an attitute to admire ;-)
StevenF
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 133
Munros:1   Corbetts:1
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:74
Wainwrights:77   
Joined: Feb 2, 2011

Re: Photo Competition Comments

Postby mrssanta » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:43 pm

whoo susie that is a lovely picture. what time was that?
User avatar
mrssanta
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 3132
Munros:281   Corbetts:12
Fionas:3   
Sub 2000:12   Hewitts:43
Wainwrights:41   Islands:13
Joined: Jul 18, 2011
Location: north yorkshire moors

PreviousNext



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Photo threads, comps and quizzes

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests
cron