Photo competition

[flagpole]

I've started this thread so we don't clutter up the competition thread. Please feel free to discuss here. OON.

This month we are introducing an explicit rule - PLEASE ONLY POST PHOTOS THAT ARE IN SOME WAY RELATED TO THE WEATHER DURING THE MONTH. We are part of a weather community afterall.

So does that mean that under the new rules last months winner would have been disallowed? That would be a shame.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Possibly, but it is in no way a criticism of last month's winning photo, simply a realisation that we're going to have to give criteria for the photos or we could end up with a calender at the end of the year with very little to do with weather on it. Many forums, magazines, tv programs have themes based on their content, and now we do.

[flagpole]

Many forums, magazines, tv programs have themes based on their content, and now we do.

True, just wondering how easy it's going to be to do though? I mean most photos have a vague weather content, whether it's a piece of sky or that the sun is shining. Is the weather going to have to be the main subject, ie clouds rainbows etc?

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Perhaps I'll go through past entries and pick out a few which wouldn't qualify under the new criteria, just to help show what we mean.

[flagpole]

Perhaps I'll go through past entries and pick out a few which wouldn't qualify under the new criteria, just to help show what we mean.

That would be helpful

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Right then. I've had a look through the past competitions, and here are a few examples of entries which I don't think would qualify under then new "weather-related" rule. Inclusion here is in no way a criticism of the photo of the entrant by the way.

This is a tough one because you could argue the sunshine is essential to the photo, but I'd say that it's only a small part of what is essentially a candid shot of someone at work (and yes, I did vote for it!)

This is my shot so you can see how wonderfully fair I am

Again, the sunshine does add to this one, but it's still an animal shot rather than a weather-related one.

These two, however, might not at first sight appear weather related, but I would allow because they do have a meteorological element which does play a major part in the photo.

This photo would simply not work without the sunlight reflected in the water

And similarly, the raindrops on the petals make this shot.

You see....it's not easy, but I think we're right to ask for weather-related shots.

[Blackie]

I can see the logic behind the decision, but I think it is going to cause a lot of confusion as to what might be relevant and what wouldn't be.

For example, you include your moon shot, OON (and therefore all the others including mine would not qualify), yet what about all the sunset pictures which make up a fair percentage of entries each month? Both are celestial bodies, after all. It could be argued that you need clear weather to photograph them. Unless you take it a stage further and say that it is the cloud formations which would make a sunset relevant. In which case sunsets with clouds would be allowable, but those with clear skies wouldn't be. Tricky...

I also think it would be a great shame not to be able to see, and judge, some of the wonderful non-weather photos members produce. So might I suggest that you continue with the plan to have the monthly competition for weather-related shots (although I think you may need to have an appeals procedure as I am sure there will be protests about some ruled inadmissable), but alongside that there is a general fun competition for all other pitures. Maybe keep as a running competition through the year with a pinned thread, and perhaps even have different categories like many photo competitions do, ie wildlife, people, cityscapes, machines (ie cars, aircraft), night shots etc. The categories could be decided at year-end when you see what entries there are, and then you would ask people to vote for maybe two or three pictures in each category.

I know that would add some extra work for the mods, although I think it would be minimal until the year-end. But without doing something like that I feel the site would be very much poorer because we might never get to see or compare some of the fantastic images produced by NW members. That would truly be a loss.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

I can't give a long reply because I'm on a phone viewing this but I think we need to remember that when the contest was originally set up, it was assumed that the entries would be weather related. It should also be remembered that, as I've said, the intention is to. Use the winning entries to produce a calender and I'd have thought a theme sensible. There are still lots of ways for people to display other photos; being ineligible for the contest shouldn't alter that should it?

[Rustynailer]

I think this is OK and i will be able to follow the ruling correctly.

I must add that I am odd countryman/Royston Vasey material. That being the case i am very fussy as to who i speak to(as i am in life in general) and where i post on the Internet. Up to now i have only trusted and gotten enjoyment out of Net Weather. So it would be nice to still be able to post the odd general non weather group of photos somewhere in the photography section, certainly not in the competition though, i hope this will still be OK.

Russ..... RSVP

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Of course it's ok. In fact I hope everyone does. The contest is only a small part of the photography ares. Don't forget the galleries too.

[Rustynailer]

People can still post their photos in the photography forum... nothing's changed apart from this new rule relating to the monthly photo competition.

Everyone, please feel free to continue using the photography area to share your photos

Excellent and thank you Laura.

Russ

[John Cox]

Evening all.

A few thoughts.

We are quite a small forum.

Personally I did like to enter my photos as a member of a small community whether they were weather related or not. Luckily I live in a part of Ireland that is close to the sea and mountains that will nearly automatically include the sky or sea. Personally I like to take this type of photo.

What about members that live in the city. About all they might see weather wise is the sky above their apartment. They are not likely to win.

I think the new rules take away the spontinaity of taking photos.

Also, saying weather related is too general and will lead to disagreemts, believe you me.

Just my twopence worth.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

I suppose by having a competition at all, we're discriminating against people who don't have cameras.

Everything I've said before still stands...we're a weather forum and people can still post any photo they like.

[Angel15]

Possibly, but it is in no way a criticism of last month's winning photo, simply a realisation that we're going to have to give criteria for the photos or we could end up with a calender at the end of the year with very little to do with weather on it. Many forums, magazines, tv programs have themes based on their content, and now we do.

But surely weather also relates to the months of the year, i.e. daffs for Spring and Mayblossom, etc - could that not be allowed? Will make it very rigid if it is explicitly weather related ??

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Yep. As I've said elsewhere landscape shots should be fine, but a single close up of a flower probably wouldn't.

If it's got anything to do with the weather in it, it will be fine. It's that simple. Sometimes I enter the photography contest on an astronomical forum and they insist on the photos being of astronomical subjects. Would seem very odd if they didn't.

[desperately seeking]

Evening all.

A few thoughts.

We are quite a small forum.

Personally I did like to enter my photos as a member of a small community whether they were weather related or not. Luckily I live in a part of Ireland that is close to the sea and mountains that will nearly automatically include the sky or sea. Personally I like to take this type of photo.

What about members that live in the city. About all they might see weather wise is the sky above their apartment. They are not likely to win.

I think the new rules take away the spontinaity of taking photos.

Also, saying weather related is too general and will lead to disagreemts, believe you me.

Just my twopence worth.

Thanks for this John, I've been trying to work out how best to word my feelings on this. I live ten miles from the city of London and the chances of getting a winning weather related picture (especially when considering the stunning landscapes that are entered) are pretty slim. To get the one that did win I had to wait until I went away on holiday for a weekend. Pictures of a "stormy" Bromley town centre would not inspire anyone believe me.

I am going to find my chances of entering this competition seriously limited by the "restriction" (I apologise for the poor choice of words). Not only did I really enjoy winning the March round (thanks to everyone who voted for me btw) but I also enjoy reading the comments made about my other entries.

In future I'm going to have to plan trips away to take photographs where as before hand (with the exception of last month's entries) I used to just take trips up to the local park.

I can see where OON and the rest are coming from and I understand completely but the changes are going to limit my ability to participate (after all there's no point entering a competition if you don't think you stand a chance of winning it) and that, for me, is a disappointment..

DS

PS - can I just add, on a personal note, that I was disappointed with the speed at which the final vote thread for March was closed; I don't win things very often and I would have enjoyed reading a few congratulatory posts that were aimed at me for once!

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Oh..I can always reopen March's thread for you.

As for the photo contest, we perhaps will reconsider it, but I don't necessarily think we should run a competition based on people's ability to enter. I'm not very good at hurdles, but wouldn't expect people to take them out of the way to give me a better chance of winning.

Watch this space.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

I've started this separate thread to allow discussion about the decision to limit photos in the monthly contest to those with a weather-related theme.

Please feel free to discuss, or suggest things here, but please leave the competition thread for entries.

Many, many thanks.

[M'Lady]

I already used the weather content of the photos in the competitions when choosing my favourite 5 and then my favourite 1.

(This is partly why I asked for my two entries for the April competition to be removed... they were of birds and therefore not weather related in the slightest, so I couldn't have voted for them under my own criteria. If only I'd got a bit of cloud in the background, I might have felt I could leave them in! )

[John Cox]

I just liked the way things were.

[Louby]

I can understand where the powers that be are coming from, but it would be nice if maybe we could have 'the best of the rest' comp for the non weather related ones

[Osbourne One-Nil]

I think we might well do that Hun.

[Louby]

Yaaaay! that would be great Babes.

[Blackie]

...and that's just what I suggested a few days ago, more or less.

Without some way for people to post non-weather photos and have them judged collectively, as opposed to putting up their own galleries, I think you would find a lot fewer members posting anything at all. They just wouldn't bother. And as I said before, that would be a great shame.

PS - DS, as I see the March thread hasn't yet been reopened, may I offer my congratulations on a truly stunning shot of the owl. Weather-related or not, it is one of the best wildlife pictures I have seen for a long time - and the eagle one was only marginally behind. I think you should enter them both in the BBC Countryfile competition and any other wildlife photography competitions. They are both national contest-winning standard.

Edited May 10, 2007 by Blackie

[Louby]

...and that's just what I suggested a few days ago, more or less.

sorry hun really should learn to read the whole thread