dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

My photo was chosen as one of the top 5 in a local non-profit photo contest. (I’m pretty excited! I’m an amateur.)

In lieu of trained and official judges, the winner will be determined by popular voting on Facebook and Instagram. This has become quite common lately. I have accounts on each, but rarely use them and have few ‘friends’ or ‘followers.’ My question: is it ethical and appropriate to text/email my real-life friends and photo club members, tell them my situation, and ask them to consider voting for my photo?

Also, may I vote for my own photo? (Voters are not anonymous!)

[In this contest, voters do not have to pay anything to vote. Some organizations have instituted a small fee for fund-raising. ]

Thanks!

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Your key words was consider. The way you phrased it, I do not think it is unethical.Good luck.
My question: is it ethical and appropriate to text/email my real-life friends and photo club members, tell them my situation, and ask them to consider voting for my photo

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

"Vote for my image..." sent to many people is an attempt at stacking the deck.
People being your friend will vote for it regardless if they like it, just to help you win.

"If you like my image, please vote for it." may be better, but what do they do if they like another more???
Will they still vote for yours because you're they're friend and they don't know the other entrants, or the one they like more...

AndyBob Loc: St. Louis

Not unethical to ask. The choice is still theirs. As for your vote, go for it - after all, political candidates vote for themselves, don't they!

BebuLamar

One must vote for oneself because if you don't then you yourself don't think the image is worthy. I don't think it's the same asking friends and family to vote for you because they might just like you and not your image.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Thank you all! These comments are helpful. The folks I’d contact would never even know about the organization, much less the contest. I can explain the organization’s important role here, too.

And yes, they can certainly vote for another photo! 😉. That’s a risk I take.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Not unethical to say "Flood my image with votes please."?
The choice of voting or being ethical would be theirs.
I guess it depends on how they feel about you winning.
More important than being ethical or not?

Vote early, vote often.

I REALLY like the ones that let you vote once a day for, lets say, 30 days..... /s
100 friends voting daily is only 3,000 votes...

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

I would never say ‘please vote for my image.’ Mostly I’d be sharing my delight at getting selected at all, and letting them know about the contest in case they wanted to check it out. For me, it’s all in fun. No big prizes or anything. (I frequently share photos with these friends, so photography is a common topic for us.)
Thanks for your perspective.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Kinda implied?
Or just more likely to be inferred.

"Contests" are usually entered to win.

BB4A

An interesting mathematical problem, with a multi-perspective model thrown in.

If you believe your photograph is the best entry in the competition, then it will do your chance of winning no harm by asking friends to vote for the best photograph. If your photograph isn’t considered the best, then encouraging more people to vote for the best photograph could hurt your chances of winning.

Ethically, I believe it’s OK to tell friends you have entered a competition and invite them to vote for the best picture... but be aware you may not get what you want? I believe it’s not ethical to ask people to vote for your photograph... it then ceases to be a perception of merit competition and becomes a personal popularity contest. That’s just one small step away from political electioneering. 😉

Of course, most photographic competitions tend to have a small element of (unconscious?) political engineering inbuilt. When in doubt between two excellent photographs, most people tend to vote for a good picture produced by a known, previous competition winner. Particularly in International competitions, voters gravitate to perceptions of track record success and often don’t associate winners with long periods when they weren’t winning anything. It’s like the popular music industry; “overnight sensation” is mostly myth overlaying hard work for many years.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Good points. Guess if I knew a friend had a photo in a contest, and I liked it, I'd be happy to vote for it. I wouldn't feel pressured. That's just me.

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Thanks. Food for thought. There are risks! And that's ok...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

As with the vast majority of people.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

If folks vote for you because you are a friend it is an issue. If you are totally honest, send them to the site and let them decide w/o saying what you shot.

As to the political 'vote'... Using your friends/relative/workers/whatever to vote for you just because you are you is the best bet to create dictators. See how that will work.

No, thank you.

Leitz Loc: Solms

If the picture is good enough, it will get the votes without your solitation.