Is the photography comp dying?

[KeyboardJockey]

As soon as I get my camera up and running again I'm going to have a go. First time picking up a camera properly since I gave up (bit scared to have a go really).

 

[Biddlybee]

d) Southerners

People with jobs

 

[big eejit]

Well there seems to be a lot of interest in the demise of the photo comp so maybe this will revive the bugger.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

As for you winners who keep winning, you should be pushing for my idea: blind judging[so to speak].

Judging divorced from the name of the photographer.

It's a new challenge for you: are you winning because your photos are good, or because you've built up brand recognition?

This will be the test.

 

[Robster970]

I've never considered Firky as a brand.

I wonder what his brand values would be

 

[big eejit]

As for you winners who keep winning, you should be pushing for my idea: blind judging[so to speak].

Judging divorced from the name of the photographer.

It's a new challenge for you: are you winning because your photos are good, or because you've built up brand recognition?

This will be the test.

I suggested blind judging upthread johnny. Open an Urban flickr account and we all post anonymously to it.

 

[KeyboardJockey]

I suggested blind judging upthread johnny. Open an Urban flickr account and we all post anonymously to it.

For someone like me who is coming back to photography after a very long break (I had to leave it behind as it had burned me out) I would prefer blind judging.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

We'll see if these winners go for the idea; or are they just blowing self-deprecatory hot air?

 

[sovietpop]

this is why I have strayed to another photography forum with my photos..

Slapper! tell me the name of the forum

I don't think I vote for people I know, because a) I don't really know any of you IRL and b) My memory is to bad to remember who you are from month to month (sorry).
I haven't posted since June more because of being distracted by the real world, but I like the comp as it makes me think about photography more than anything else I have found - I get to re-look at old photos I have taken, and I try and take new ones. Win Win.

 

[e19896]

No just the subjects are hard ones to follow through and i agree some have just put images there they seem to feel to fit.. The leason in all of this is that when people win they give some real thought to the next subject and ensure that all can enter i have found a cople of the subjects hard but a challange and of i go and meet that challange. only to get no votes while others that got votes did not meet the subject matter such compatitions are allways going to rise and fall.

Sometimes the subject will be a hard one some us can not meet.. Ill be frank i was stumped at the subject but now i have three in my minds eye and will go and take.. I have been going to my sisters, and doing other boreing normall life stuff to even give it any real thought..

When i win ill promise the subject will be one all can enter and will prove of real intrest.. We all play our part in this and firkey it is not about the gain but about the pride of takeing part come on get take some images and enter, and agreed an hard subject matter, but there is nowt like a challange is there not?

 

[Pavlik]

Good point. The odd thing though is that anybody was allowed to criticise. Why did people feel less qualified than others to criticise (and I mean in a constructive way rather than flaming people's work without any sound analysis behind it).

I found most of the entries unimaginative and uninspiring but I thought that might sound a little rude when I'd only just arrived.

 

[Gromit]

No just the subjects are hard ones to follow through and i agree some have just put images there they seem to feel to fit.. The leason in all of this is that when people win they give some real thought to the next subject and ensure that all can enter i have found a cople of the subjects hard but a challange and of i go and meet that challange. only to get no votes while others that got votes did not meet the subject matter such compatitions are allways going to rise and fall.

Sometimes the subject will be a hard one some us can not meet.. Ill be frank i was stumped at the subject but now i have three in my minds eye and will go and take.. I have been going to my sisters, and doing other boreing normall life stuff to even give it any real thought..

When i win ill promise the subject will be one all can enter and will prove of real intrest.. We all play our part in this and firkey it is not about the gain but about the pride of takeing part come on get take some images and enter, and agreed an hard subject matter, but there is nowt like a challange is there not?

Are people going off to meet the challenge though? Or just digging into their portfolios?

I always get the impression that unlike mine few photos have actually been taken in that month. Its encouraged that people submit new photos but there is no penalty for submitting old ones so people will always raid their cupboard.

 

[big eejit]

My last two winning entries were both taken in the month of the comp. So maybe the penalty for submitting old ones is you don't win.

 

[Crispy]

Could it be that the cupboards are getting bare after 5 years of raiding?

 

[Robster970]

I found most of the entries unimaginative and uninspiring but I thought that might sound a little rude when I'd only just arrived.

It's a shame that you didn't speak up, I think your comment would have been well received and may have triggered people to examine what they were posting up. My point is that all critical opinion is valid if it's not flaming peoples work. I think it was a shame you personally stopped posting too.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Could it be that the cupboards are getting bare after 5 years of raiding?

Hope everyone's cupboards are getting bare. There were far to many old photographs being submitted. I think it's time to introduce a 'must have been taken this month' rule. That wouldn't just ensure new photographs to view and judge, it would also create a fresh challenge for those who are bored with winning. I also think the anonymous thing is a good idea. I'd personally be interested to see where my vote went. It's easy to recognise the style of certain posters and I often prefer a familiar style, but I also like to see something breaking new ground - accidentally or, intentionally.

I find the vast majority of photo forums very frustrating simply because most users of forums stick to the familiar and reliable safe option. Some guy recently posted some interesting stuff on a forum I often read and got slated by a bunch of know it all upstarts for not being technically good by the rule book. No-one seemed to be able to open their mind beyond the rules. People seem to judge photographs on a winning format that they've been told is good. The vast majority try to imitate rather than initiate a new style. Very difficult to pull off a new style admittedly, but Urban used to be a forum with few posters, but with many original ideas. It seems to be going the way of all others now - safe and boring.

The critic thread seems to have become ignored since the monthly thread which has also distracted from the comp thread. I would suggest losing the old critic thread and making the monthly thread a critique/monthly. If people don't want their work openly critiqued with the sort of venom I'm likely to spit out then they should simply start their own thread. I'll forever argue that if you put your work in the public domain then you should be prepared and MORE than happy to take all feedback on the chin.

Where did Urban's bollocks go? More spit and fire please.

 

[Pavlik]

I think it was a shame you personally stopped posting too.

Me too but as someone said earlier in the thread, if theres no feedback and no comments, you soon lose interest.
I realise that not everyone knows each other but there was a bit too much backslapping going on regardless.
Unfortunately it feels a bit like that all over urban and it gets pretty tiresome reading what so and so thinks about every little thing day in day out.
If you never welcome anyone else into your close circle of chums, it's fairly obvious that you're going to get bored with each other after a while.

As for the comments about only a few people on the comp thread ever producing anything worth looking at and the rest being shit,
I'd suggest to those people that they remove their heads from out of their arses before they get stuck up there permanently.

 

[Robster970]

Me too but as someone said earlier in the thread, if theres no feedback and no comments, you soon lose interest.
I realise that not everyone knows each other but there was a bit too much backslapping going on regardless.
Unfortunately it feels a bit like that all over urban and it gets pretty tiresome reading what so and so thinks about every little thing day in day out.
If you never welcome anyone else into your close circle of chums, it's fairly obvious that you're going to get bored with each other after a while.

As for the comments about only a few people on the comp thread ever producing anything worth looking at and the rest being shit,
I'd suggest to those people that they remove their heads from out of their arses before they get stuck up there permanently.

I never thought it was that cliquey in here. That and the fact that there was a range of skills, styles, etc and people weren't made to feel excluded is one of the reasons I post here. I'm genuinely suprised that it comes over like that.

Maybe it just needs a kick up the arse. Bit more honesty in the criticism, bit more effort in taking and posting pics, an anonymous competition. After 5 years, a bit of a spring clean.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

I almost posted something similar to pavlik before but didn't cos sounded a bit like a whinge too. But i've become a bit disinterested and disinclined to continue entering cos of the lack of comment or critique (let alone the absence of any votes every month ).

I accept that generally there will be far more technically gifted photographers out there than me but on at least a couple of occasions, I've made efforts to enter pics that are very much taken with the theme in mind and then watched as other pics pick up all the votes, despite the seeming lack of any link to that theme. No, this does sound like a whinge again about no-one voting for me, so I'm shutting up.

 

[big eejit]

If we start an anonymous comp, one of the rules would have to be that the photos are new - or certainly not posted anywhere else. Otherwise it wouldn't be too hard to track down the original and the anonymity is gone.

I'll open an Urban flickr account and run an anon comp (for new pics only) alongside next month's normal comp. If no-one enters so be it.

 

[Robster970]

I accept that generally there will be far more technically gifted photographers out there than me but on at least a couple of occasions, I've made efforts to enter pics that are very much taken with the theme in mind and then watched as other pics pick up all the votes, despite the seeming lack of any link to that theme. No, this does sound like a whinge again about no-one voting for me, so I'm shutting up.

I don't think this is whingeing, I think it's all rather healthy that for varying reasons we're not getting what we want out of this place and we're trying to do something about it.

Just out curiosity, if you know that 'better' pictures are winning or getting votes, do you not feel compelled to improve to that standard whether it be creative or technical?

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

How do you do that without any feedback though? There's been a couple of pics I've taken that I've thought have been great but nothing, zip, nada. Whereas i had an enjoyable knock-about with a certain Mr Edwards when i posted some other pics that did make me think about ways to improve perhaps.

 

[Crispy]

I reckon there's no criticism in the comp thread, because people don't want to swing the vote. "Oh, xxxxx thinks it's crap, better not vote for it" sort of thing. And then once voting is over, attention switches straight onto the next theme.

 

[big eejit]

I reckon there's no criticism in the comp thread, because people don't want to swing the vote. "Oh, xxxxx thinks it's crap, better not vote for it" sort of thing. And then once voting is over, attention switches straight onto the next theme.

Spot on Crispy. I am occasionally moved to comment on entries (positively) but always feel like I shouldn't for the reason you've given.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Perhaps but constructive criticism? You know, "I do/don't like it but you could have **** to make it better" would be helpful possibly? Secret voting with public criticism? Secret criticism with public voting? No names attached to snaps (surely the links to the particular photo would give the game away?)

 

[hiccup]

I'm not really bothered about criticism on the comp threads. I just like the fact that each month I have a theme to think about and that makes me go out and take photos. I'd keep entering even if only three other people did, just cos I like the fact that it motivates me to go out with a camera.

 

[zenie]

I'm not really bothered about criticism on the comp threads. I just like the fact that each month I have a theme to think about and that makes me go out and take photos. I'd keep entering even if only three other people did, just cos I like the fact that it motivates me to go out with a camera.

^^^Top post

The stats show there used to be LOADS of entries but there's still a decent amount now innit?

As long as a few enter I don't see why it should stop.

 

[KeyboardJockey]

I'd like to see public criticism but private voting and the id of the photographer secret.

 

[Gromit]

I'd like to see no votes and instead the winner to be decided by a panel consisting of three profesional photographers, three from general public and two talking dogs (preferably Labradors or Jack Russels).

 

[neonwilderness]

I reckon there's no criticism in the comp thread, because people don't want to swing the vote. "Oh, xxxxx thinks it's crap, better not vote for it" sort of thing. And then once voting is over, attention switches straight onto the next theme.

Perhaps the criticism could happen after voting has finished instead?