DVXUser Photography Challenge

Yea my picture not that it was all that great in the first place is better than everyone is seeing it as. You have to click it to see it full size because the site automatically resized it and made it look really bad. Totally my fault because I'm not too bright and didnt think about the posting guidelines first but I'd like people to be able to see the shot the way it was intended....o well next time i guess. But if we could add some sort o blurb under our pictures I would put that on mine.
 
I think anonymous submissions are better then knowing. The one thing in my life that I'm dying to get away from is social politics! It's exhausting.

Frankly this is one of my biggest gripes with the DVXuser fests... having a nice title sequence which shows who made the shorts is cool, but I'd have rather seen that after the contests were over. At this point I've accepted it as a facet of good movie making, but I think the fests would be WAY cooler if everybody had to do a 50% gray Arial font on black BG with ONLY the title of the short. I'd love the fests if they were distilled down to only movie-making... or at least I'd like it if the known members' names couldn't be listed in the opening credits.

I would be all for total anonymity until the picture voting was over... and if possible it would be cool if the comments were hidden until the end. I can see where all this could get to be a pain in the ass and I don't want to take the fun out of it for Jeremy if he keeps running this thing... so ultimately whoever is doing the work can decide for all I care... I'll go happily along with whatever the situation is... but I totally agree that if a picture (or fest entry) gets just a little momentum then it's just a slippery slope with the other contenders certain to fall off. When there's no comparison I'd say we all know it... but usually there's at least a couple of close calls and whoever pulls ahead first is guaranteed to win.

If you read what sounds like an intelligent analysis either for or against something it's almost impossible to not be influenced by it.
 
Now this is a PORTRAIT!

Now this is a PORTRAIT!

Unfortunately I didn't take this picture & unfortunately this is me in the picture! :)

This portrait was taken by a nurse in a hospital in China, I didn't feel I could enter someone else's work!

I think it would of got some pity votes!

1155234049.jpg
 
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Wow lots of comments...

After going through the control panel I was able to remove the top rating function, so hopefully that will not influence the vote or lead to weird voting. With the comment section as of right now I cannot alter the showing of comments as soon as they are voted upon, but I did remove the average voting, looks, comments field.

Here is what I have in mind for future contests (starting next week):
1. Faster Server (this will go online Sunday)
2. Photographer Comments in initial upload
3. Hidden votes, comments, ranking

I do not know if I can hide the comments until after the contest ends, but I can see what I can do.

Now a couple of other things:

I understand that this week is different because it is the first and we're working out the bugs and all and because I put up that silly $50 gift card, but if there is any stacking of the ballots I will DQ that image immediately. There are several people who have registered on the member list who are not members here, and this is a DVXUser.com community event and is not open to every guest on the internet. I don't mean to be an ass with this statement but this is a community event, if you want something for everyone I recommend dpchallenge.com.

Voting on your image... By all means vote on your image. If you feel that this captures what you had in mind and you are proud of it, give it a 5. If you think it sucks then give it a 0. When voting on your own image I do not think it matters in the greater scheme of things.

Comments: I have made a decision that while I believe in free speech any comment that is: A) Insulting B) Offensive C) Threatening will be removed immediately. While this contest isn't hosted on DVXUser, since it is a community event that will continue on a weekly basis we will abide by DVXUser forum rules. Comments are welcome but either compliment or offer constructive criticism. The goal is to encourage filmmakers to learn more about photography or share their other visual mediums. I know we have a prize on the line this week but in future weeks it is for respect, showing off, and honor (not to mention choosing the next week topic).

Finally, and maybe most importantly, this is meant to be fun and I will do everything within my control and power to implement every request people have asked for but it might take more than one week.

As of right now, since this week is sort of weird, please send me an email to DVXUser@stffilms.com with any comments you would like logged. I will copy and paste these into the image information tonight about 10pm EST (during the Yankee / White Sux game) and have it completed no later than 11pm EST. When you email me this information please just include which photo is yours so I don't need to search and can do this quickly.

For all future entries you will include information when submitted because I believe that the artists vision is just as important as the image he uses to transmit that.

OK, that's about all I have to say right now... I think that this is really working out well but I just want to make sure I can implement as many requests as possible.

-Jeremy
 
I think you're doing one hell of a job, Jeremy. Thanks for all the time and work you're throwing at this contest. :beer:
 
Let me echo what Horse has said. Jeremy, you're doing a great job! The whole idea of this for me is not winning prizes (as if I had a chance :happy:) it's about learning and having fun doing it. All your hard work and efforts are not in vain. I'm loving this! :thumbsup:
 
Yeah let me echo the echo even though I didn't get a pic in this week... I will be a part of this from the next one on and I like seeing a sample of DVXuser media.

The fun and excitement of this idea is great for the weekly (or whatever the period) payoff and the instant gratitude of the event. It's a great idea and I hope everybody will keep it up. Thanks for your time and effort to run this.
 
Thank you for the kind words, guys. For me it's not about winning or the money or anything like that. A lot of us have really been caught by the photography bug and it's fun to just share our work. I think that these contests are similar to the DVXFests in that it motivates us to do something creative and also continues to build that sense of community for a place that we all spend a lot of time.

I have the server space and everything like that so it's easy for me to do this, and the time is not that large (laptop on the couch while watching a baseball game).

I just hope that people are excited about this and continue to enter every week because it motivates me to continue to shoot. I love everything I've seen already and I know that I'm learning a lot from looking at other people's images and the posts on the one I submitted.

Regarding the comments, the best thing I can say is try not to read other people's comments prior to posting yours. I know it's hard because of that little thing called human nature, but when I went through and voted and commented today I did my best to not read comments and only on one or two images did I screw up. Photography, like all art is subjective. Something might say a lot to me and nothing to you, and that's cool.

Here is the thing that I think needs adjusting...

The voting scale. I consider a 0 to be just complete garbage, no thought or action put in. I didn't give out 1 0. I consider a 5 to be the most exceptional image of the contest, like the top 2-3 got 5's from me. An average image I gave a 2.

Then again, I saw the images as I was uploading them so I had a completely unfair advantage of looking at each image a while longer.

I know it might suck, but maybe going through the images once and then going back and voting is the best solution, then again, it's for fun, so does it really matter?

I will update all photographer comments this evening... If you are one of the numerous 'untitled' pictures, please just give me a description, that will save me a lot of time.

-Jeremy

EDIT:
The only thank you I want is people to continue to enter and participate... that's more than enough thanks. Let's be honest, this community has given me a lot, so hopefully I can give something back.
 
Alright Jeremy... I just cost you a whole dollar and I have to say that was probably the hardest dollar I've earned in a long time! I'm not the best with words especially when I'm trying to be critical with folks that know more about photography than me!

CR
 
TheYankee said:
Wow lots of comments...
I understand that this week is different because it is the first and we're working out the bugs and all and because I put up that silly $50 gift card, but if there is any stacking of the ballots I will DQ that image immediately. There are several people who have registered on the member list who are not members here, and this is a DVXUser.com community event and is not open to every guest on the internet. I don't mean to be an ass with this statement but this is a community event, if you want something for everyone I recommend dpchallenge.com.

In that case, then the sight should be VISIBLE to the public (but they obviously can't vote). I for one have sent a few friends to look at the contest, and they had to register just to see the pictures.

Aint web development great? hehe
 
Thank You Jeremy / Yankee

Thank You Jeremy / Yankee

I too would like to thank Yankee for organizing this and making it all happen. For most people it would be really frustrating and discouraging to get constructive feedback but you are handling it beautifully. I really appreciate you trying to consider and address every concern and comment, very impressive and noteworthy effort! I am definitely an amateur shooter, and this contest/forum has given me a new sense of inspiration and drive to become a better photographer....love it. Keep up the hardwork Yankee. If you figure out a way to delegate any of your many responsibilities dealing with organizing the contest....please feel free to assign me a task. I would be glad to help out.

As for all the entries, I respect everyones unique interpretations and submissions. Conformity and unity are two of my least favorite trends in any group, and there is none of that here! There is no right or wrong way to take or process a picture and that is the beauty of this in my opinion. Looking forward to the next contest!

Sincerely, Johnny aka Cast4shows:dankk2:
 
CR_OPSO said:
Alright Jeremy... I just cost you a whole dollar and I have to say that was probably the hardest dollar I've earned in a long time! I'm not the best with words especially when I'm trying to be critical with folks that know more about photography than me!

CR
That may be true, I don't know. BUT you KNOW what YOU find pleasing and what you don't. I'm sure all the entrants feel that way about people's comments. I know I do. :thumbsup:
 
above and beyond

above and beyond

Jeremy-

you are awesome, thanks for all your time and effort, i love this forum and love what you are doing to help. Thanks!
 
One last question... For future contests do you think that the submissions should be anoynmous? I was just thinking... Does it really matter?

-Jeremy
 
TheYankee said:
One last question... For future contests do you think that the submissions should be anoynmous? I was just thinking... Does it really matter?

-Jeremy
Actually, I think you get more UNBIASED feedback when your entry is anonymous.

EDIT: That way you're basing your judgement on the entry and not for or against the entrant.
 
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Blaine said:
Actually, I think you get more UNBIASED feedback when your entry is anonymous. It doesn't bother me either way, though.

EDIT: That way you're basing your judgement on the entry and not for or against the entrant.

I can both AGREE and DISAGREE with that.

On the one hand, you have a point.

But on the other hand, some pieces are more understandable within the context of the photographer. Imagine one piece of LaChappelles work without the greater context of his collected work??? Knowing his other work CERTAINLY helps to understand each piece.

Or Mapplethorpe. Imagine finding a floral of his that you just love... and knowing how much you (not you personally, you the generic viewer) may despise his controversial work makes you appreciate that floral even more.

I think most art should be taken together with the artist in order to be understood.

Take the desaturated blue book picture... Is the selective desaturation prevalent in his other work? Or has he never ever done that, but felt it just simly had to be done for this one piece? It certainly could, and probably should, make a difference in how the piece is interpreted.

I guess it turns out, once I think it through, that I disagree more than I agree.
 
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Hey, I'm cool with keeping everything a secret for the first 48 hours and then letting the artist post and reveal who was what (although we all know that Horse was Horse because we could smell the alcohol coming off the image). I think it's allgood and I wont make that change. Please just log in tomorrow and claim your photo and make more open comments about how you achieved and email me that file information so I can update everything.

-Jeremy
 
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