[waxcrash]

In this thread ShortcutToMoncton suggested that we should have a photo contest here at MacNN which was followed by a positive response by many. I've decided to go ahead and try to organize one. I'm going to make the rules for this contest and we can always change the rules for future contests.

To make this easy on myself, this is how it will work:

1. The contest is open to all MacNN members.

2. You can submit only one photo. It can be black & white or color.

3. You have until Oct. 31st to submit your photo. Voting starts Nov. 1st.

4. The category for this contest will be outdoor/nature.

5. The maximum LONG DIMENSION of the photo is 700 pixels.

6. To make it easy to view all the photos when it comes time to judge, you can view all submission at http://macnn.home.att.net.

7. To submit a photo, e-mail me your photo or a link to your photo (if you can host it).

8. On Nov. 1st a new poll thread will be created in the Lounge where everyone on MacNN can vote for their favorite.

If you have any questions or comments, please post them in this thread.

[MacMan4000]

Count me in. Is there a deadline? I need a few days.

[waxcrash]

Originally posted by MacMan4000:
Count me in. Is there a deadline? I need a few days.

You have until Oct. 31st (Halloween).

[E's Lil Theorem]

Cool idea. I'm sure we'll see some nifty work, though not from me .

Originally posted by MacMan4000:
Count me in. Is there a deadline? I need a few days.

Originally posted by waxcrash:
....

3. You have until Oct. 31st to submit your photo. Voting starts Nov. 1st.
...

[MacMan4000]

i need to re-read everything before i post. i am a moron.

[turtle777]

Originally posted by MacMan4000:
i need to re-read everything before i post. i am a moron.

Thanks for sharing.

-t

[mdc]

this sounds like a good idea. time to sift through iphoto

[qualey2]

Will you clarify the on outdoor/nature aspect of this contest a bit please.

[spiky_dog]

also, please change the wording that the LONG DIMENSION of the photo is 700 px max (vs width)

[DeathToWindows]

submission sent

[nate_02]

photo submitted

[alligator]

You should get Macnn to put them on this site and we can vote here. I've seen this done with other forums. For example, see the phots on Reefcentral.com They hold similar photo contests all the time.

My photo has been submitted.

[Splinter]

can we submit our 700x whatever pictures along with a link to the full size if people want to see that to? cause like some details... in a 1280x960 pciture you can see far away condensed trees as trees. but in a 700 it looks like grass or shrubbury.

[dampeoples]

Mine as well

[Gankdawg]

I would suggest that no doctoring of photos allowed. Don't know how to enforce it other than honesty.

[waxcrash]

Originally posted by qualey2:
Will you clarify the on outdoor/nature aspect of this contest a bit please.

A photo that incorporates nature, wildlife, or landscape scenery.

Originally posted by spiky_dog:
also, please change the wording that the LONG DIMENSION of the photo is 700 px max (vs width)

Good idea - I'll make the change.

Originally posted by alligator:
You should get Macnn to put them on this site and we can vote here. I've seen this done with other forums. For example, see the phots on Reefcentral.com They hold similar photo contests all the time.

I don't know if MacNN has the resources or a person willing to do the work, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Originally posted by Splinter:
can we submit our 700x whatever pictures along with a link to the full size if people want to see that to? cause like some details... in a 1280x960 pciture you can see far away condensed trees as trees. but in a 700 it looks like grass or shrubbury.

Of course. The reason I put the 700 pixel rule is because I don't have the server space. When you submit a photo, I create a thumbnail that will link to the 700 pixel version, and if you can host your original (1280x960), I'll put a link to that too.

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
I would suggest that no doctoring of photos allowed. Don't know how to enforce it other than honesty.

We really can't enforce it, unless it is really blatant. We will just have to go on the honor system.


Thanks to all that have submitted so far. I just put up the thumbnails and will try to finish it up tonight. http://macnn.home.att.net/

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Whoa! I have a week of midterms, and come back to critical acclaim, applause, and stealing of my ideas! Well done, good sir!

Now, to find something that won't be laughed out of the contest....

greg

[Xeo]

Good submissions already. But the page has broken thumbs and none of them are linked yet. (I know it's still a work in progress, just bringing it up in case you're unaware.)

[boardsurfer]

Submitted mine, but dang, the others are really good.

[shabbasuraj]

just sent mine in.

Shot with a D70, image UNTOUCHED, image is straight from the camera.

[Jens Peter]

Just submitted mine too...

Danish westcoast a windy day...

[Splinter]

submitted

[Jan Van Boghout]

Submitted mine, thought I'd break the landscape trend

[OreoCookie]

No topic? I'll submit mine after the 22nd.

Edit: I should learn to read properly. I would have a portrait as well that I would want to submit, but landscapes kanaaa.

[OreoCookie]

Stupid question, but could you alter your link tags so they don't spawn a new window, even if I option click?

[fireside]

acadian's looks super awesome.

[waxcrash]

Originally posted by ShortcutToMoncton:
Whoa! I have a week of midterms, and come back to critical acclaim, applause, and stealing of my ideas! Well done, good sir!

Now, to find something that won't be laughed out of the contest....

greg

You deserve all the credit - it was your idea. I didn't know if someone was going to go ahead and get it going so I just decided to do it. You should do one after this one is over.

Originally posted by Xeo:
Good submissions already. But the page has broken thumbs and none of them are linked yet. (I know it's still a work in progress, just bringing it up in case you're unaware.)

You caught the site as I was putting it up. Should all be good now.

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
Stupid question, but could you alter your link tags so they don't spawn a new window, even if I option click?

Sure, I'll make the change. Just give me a few.

[Eug Wanker]

ShortcutToMoncton and waxcrash: Good idea, and thanks for doing this.

Why the 1 picture limit though? I guess it must be a lot of work for you though, so if a lot of people sent 2 pix in, that'd be overwhelming.

P.S. I'd be interested in what what used to shoot some of those pix.

Mine was shot with the Canon EOS 20D, with EF-S 17-85 IS (at 85 mm).

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
I would suggest that no doctoring of photos allowed. Don't know how to enforce it other than honesty.

So what do you mean by doctoring? Cuz I basically never leave a picture to be displayed untouched. My submission has had some tweaking of the contrast/colour/sharpness, etc. I suspect several of the others have had the same treatment, and I see nothing wrong with that. In fact, I'm thinking of taking a Photoshop course, because I think that knowledge is integral to photography in this age of digital imaging. Instead of doing things with nasty chemicals in a darkroom, we now do things cheaper, safer, better, and faster at our desktops.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

No worries waxcrash, I'm a little too busy to organize something like this, so it's great someone else got it off the ground. I'm just here for the ideas...you can do the actual work!

I was gonna say I like your shot as well, Wanker. I thought before I opened it might be too busy, but the boat stands out well enough and the water somehow makes a very effective background...congrats. And nice camera, you lucky bastard. A lot of the other pictures on there are nice as well!

And yeah, I agree that minor graphics editing is acceptable. Film photography uses darkroom techniques, film features, etc. to get certain "looks" to photos, and digital photograhy has Photoshop to tweak some settings. I do object to hardcore editing (major airbrushing, object removal, etc.) but as they said we'll have to go by the honour system for that.

I also thought about 2 submissions per person as well, but I'm not sure how many people we're gonna get putting in pictures. If we end up getting 60 or 70, then it's probably best to keep it to just one...120 or 130 would perhaps be a lot of pictures to sift through, hmmm?

Anyways, I'm frantically trying to come up with something that'll compete with those shots. It's gonna be a loooong search....

greg

[MaxPower2k3]

submitted mine. Mt. Rainier from an airplane window. I wish the quality was better, though


Cool idea, and some really great pictures submitted

[Eug Wanker]

Interesting post on Photoshopping.



The left is before, the right after. Personally, I don't find much wrong with doing this.

Compare that to this (different pic) though. I think it's fine to do whatever one wants to a picture, although this is probably too much for a contest such as MacNN's.

[historylme]

submitted mine

[MaxPower2k3]

Originally posted by history1me:
submitted mine

awesome tree. where is that?

[agentz]

submitted

[OreoCookie]

Damn good submissions. My favorites so far: Simey and boardsurfer. Really impressive guys.

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by ShortcutToMoncton:
No worries waxcrash, I'm a little too busy to organize something like this, so it's great someone else got it off the ground. I'm just here for the ideas...you can do the actual work!

I was gonna say I like your shot as well, Wanker. I thought before I opened it might be too busy, but the boat stands out well enough and the water somehow makes a very effective background...congrats. And nice camera, you lucky bastard. A lot of the other pictures on there are nice as well!

And yeah, I agree that minor graphics editing is acceptable. Film photography uses darkroom techniques, film features, etc. to get certain "looks" to photos, and digital photograhy has Photoshop to tweak some settings. I do object to hardcore editing (major airbrushing, object removal, etc.) but as they said we'll have to go by the honour system for that.

I also thought about 2 submissions per person as well, but I'm not sure how many people we're gonna get putting in pictures. If we end up getting 60 or 70, then it's probably best to keep it to just one...120 or 130 would perhaps be a lot of pictures to sift through, hmmm?

Anyways, I'm frantically trying to come up with something that'll compete with those shots. It's gonna be a loooong search....

greg

How about categories, one submission each.
Possible categories: landscapes, portraits, nature, macro, misc.

[Gankdawg]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:

So what do you mean by doctoring?

I mean no software processing on your computer (PS, GC, etc.). Configure the settings all you want on the camera. Take the picture. Submit it.

[SSharon]

There are some great pictures up there, I just sent mine in. A question to the takers of the pics. Do the users of macnn have your permission to use your pic as a desktop background?
Anyone can take and modify mine if they want as long as they let me know.

[rozwado1]

You should change the prize to 'utmost respect within the MacNN community' instead of 'no prize-just for fun'. Sounds better.

[rozwado1]

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
I mean no software processing on your computer (PS, GC, etc.). Configure the settings all you want on the camera. Take the picture. Submit it.

I think simple brightness/contrast should be allowable - just because not everybody has a $1200 camera that shoots perfect pics.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

That's BS. A $1200 camera doesn't shoot perfect pictures...NO CAMERA shoots perfect pictures, no matter what you spend on it.

I wouldn't be able to send in a picture if I couldn't tweak contrast, lighting, etc....and neither could a professional photographer who uses their own darkroom. That's the whole point of it � Ansel Adams maintained that the darkroom was just as important than the shot itself! Photoshop is the modern darkroom, and not using it is ridiculous and short-sighted.

greg

[dampeoples]

The gallery software incorporates a voting option, as well as supports seperate categories, that should answer a few of the requests.
To make it easier on the administrator, it also allows other people to have accounts that limitations can be set on, so the server will do the resizing to your specific requirements, etc. If this is going to be an ongoing project, it would be hella easier on you in the long run.
http://www.sterlingpeoples.com/gallery/
http://gallery.menalto.com/

[spiky_dog]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
P.S. I'd be interested in what what used to shoot some of those pix.

Mine was shot with the Canon EOS 20D, with EF-S 17-85 IS (at 85 mm).

mine was shot with a canon D30 mated to a sigma 15mm f/2.8 fisheye. i forget the shutter speed but it was in the neighborhood of 1/15 (on a tripod, of course), f/13, remote shutter release, yadda yadda yadda. i've now received my 20D as well, btw, but haven't had the opportunity to visit utah again...

on "photoshopping" the discussion is quite ridiculous. there is no "undoctored" state of a digital photograph: every camera will apply its own white balance, tone curves, sharpening (or lack of sharpening), contrast adjustment, etc. to each .jpg it writes out. for those of use who shoot RAW the choices are deferred until later.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by spiky_dog:
mine was shot with a canon D30 mated to a sigma 15mm f/2.8 fisheye. i forget the shutter speed but it was in the neighborhood of 1/15 (on a tripod, of course), f/13, remote shutter release, yadda yadda yadda. i've now received my 20D as well, btw, but haven't had the opportunity to visit utah again...

on "photoshopping" the discussion is quite ridiculous. there is no "undoctored" state of a digital photograph: every camera will apply its own white balance, tone curves, sharpening (or lack of sharpening), contrast adjustment, etc. to each .jpg it writes out. for those of use who shoot RAW the choices are deferred until later.

Nice pic. Gonna keep the D30? I always wanted one but at the time couldn't justify it. The 20D is my first digital SLR. And good point about the RAW pix, and in-camera "doctoring". Indeed, consumer cameras tend to sharpen much more than digital SLRs.

[spiky_dog]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
Nice pic. Gonna keep the D30? I always wanted one but at the time couldn't justify it. The 20D is my first digital SLR. And good point about the RAW pix, and in-camera "doctoring". Indeed, consumer cameras tend to sharpen much more than digital SLRs.

thanks. i like yours as well, a very unconventional perspective. i actually was going to stick with the D30 forever and ever, since it pops out 8x10"s just fine when uncropped. the 20D just was going to be another camera that i would wistfully glance at in the B&H catalog...

however, fate decreed that my D30 would fry its power supply circuit only a few days before the official 20D announcement, and after the initial online buzz. do note that i was in canada, away from the computer, at this time, so didn't subconsciously sabotage the camera! the net result is that i eBayed the broken D30 for pocket change (not concealing that it was broken, of course) and hopped on a 20D waiting list, not necessarily in that order.

[SimeyTheLimey]

There seems to be a bit of an assumption here that the shots are all taken with digital cameras. Mine was taken in the early 1980s when I was a teenager with a Bronica S2a medium format SLR and a 75mm Nikkor standard lens using Ilford Pan F black and white film, processed in my darkroom.

The shot is a straight shot taken in Siena, Italy. I was waiting for my mother who was in a store when I turned around and saw the light striking this corner of an alleyway. I got off a couple in black and white, and a couple in color. But the color ones don't look as good.

The negative (which is a bitch to print in a conventional darkroom) is scanned from the negative with an Epson 2450 scanner. I adjusted the color of the scan to match a selenium toned print of the shot which I have had hanging on my wall for years.

[Gator Lager]

After viewing the submissions all I can say is WOW.
Good job

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
The shot is a straight shot taken in Siena, Italy. I was waiting for my mother who was in a store when I turned around and saw the light striking this corner of an alleyway. I got off a couple in black and white, and a couple in color. But the color ones don't look as good.

Heh. I was going to say it looked like some of the alleyways when I was in Italy. This is a more modern building, with air conditioning...



Not a great pic, but I thought it was interesting that we'd both think to take pix of clotheslines in alleyways.

[Demonhood]

some impressive submissions thus far.

there is a limit to the amount of options you can have for a thread poll, so you wouldn't be able to put them all up in one thread (unless you just posted them and had people reply with their votes).

now, which one to submit....

[waxcrash]

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
How about categories, one submission each.
Possible categories: landscapes, portraits, nature, macro, misc.

The reason I went with one category and one submission is because I didn't know what kind of response I would get. I wanted to keep it simple in case I got on overwhelming response. I agree that in the future we should allow more than one submission and have more that one category.

Originally posted by SSharon:
A question to the takers of the pics. Do the users of macnn have your permission to use your pic as a desktop background?

I'm sure no one will care if you use it as a desktop pic. However, the photos posted are a low resolution (approx. 700 x 500) and I'm willing to bet if you send a PM to the owner and ask - they will send you a higher res one that will look better on your monitor.

Originally posted by rozwado1:
You should change the prize to 'utmost respect within the MacNN community' instead of 'no prize-just for fun'. Sounds better.

Originally posted by dampeoples:
The gallery software incorporates a voting option, as well as supports seperate categories, that should answer a few of the requests.
To make it easier on the administrator, it also allows other people to have accounts that limitations can be set on, so the server will do the resizing to your specific requirements, etc. If this is going to be an ongoing project, it would be hella easier on you in the long run.
http://www.sterlingpeoples.com/gallery/
http://gallery.menalto.com/

Last Friday, I was reading/posting on MacNN. I came across the thread where ShortcutToMoncton suggested that we should have a photo contest. I started brainstorming about how to get a photo contest going as fast as possible. I get around 50 MB of web space with my ISP and decided I can use that and not spend any money. The web space I get form my ISP doesn't support any CGI so that ruled out using any type of gallery software. I knew I could pump out a web-page with thumbnails in no time so that is why I decided to get the contest going. I agree that for future contests that we should use one of the many free source photo-gallery software available. For that to happen, we need to find someone who is willing to donate web space and of course set it up.

Originally posted by spiky_dog:
mine was shot with a canon D30 mated to a sigma 15mm f/2.8 fisheye.

How do you like the Sigma lens? I've never used any Sigma lens and I'm curious to there quality because I'm thinking of buying one of there telephoto. I'm debating whether to save the money and go with Sigma or just invest in a Nikkor ED lens which I know is very good, but expensive.



Regarding the debate about modification of photos:

Of course you can crop, adjust brightness/contrast, adjust levels, adjust curves, dodge, burn, etc. I think blatant modifications where the composition of the photo is changed should be discouraged for this contest. The pic below is an example of what I'm meant by blatant modification. However, I do think it would be cool in one of the future contest to have a category where modifications like in the pic below is encouraged.