Entering photos in the county fair - what do you think?
Jul 14, 2019 11:20:11 #
billnikon wrote:
So, you consider yourself a photographer but you need our help picking your WINNER. No thank you. You are the photographer, YOU PICK YOUR shot. I am not going to do your work. And, you do not want to know what I really think of your shots.
Since you are a pro the op probably does want your constructive comments. Consider that your printed words in this case may come across very harshly to the OP, from your other posts here you don't usually come across that way.
Jul 14, 2019 11:26:04 #
IMHO: Nothing stands out of the bull elk and deer photo. Osprey is #1 for me, it is a bit tight on the left side wing. The eagle is too crowded with the branches in the way. The moose is a nice image, I would suggest cropping a bit off of the bottom. The osprey and the moose are first and second, with the elk and deer third, the eagle last. Good luck!
Jul 14, 2019 12:08:48 #
pmsc70d wrote:
Our county fair allows only one entry per category. I have several in mind for the "Wildlife" category, and don't know which to choose. What would you choose?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Second one!!
Jul 14, 2019 12:17:18 #
Jeffcs wrote:
I’m a photography judge at NJ photography clubs, that said, the only contender you have is the osprey with its catch.
*The other images are way to busy
*The osprey isn’t sharp but I’m sure you can bring that out
*Don’t crop to tight to the right the bird appears ready for flight and needs room to move with in the frame
*You need to lighten the left eye it’s way to dark
* add a catch light into the birds eyes
*The other images are way to busy
*The osprey isn’t sharp but I’m sure you can bring that out
*Don’t crop to tight to the right the bird appears ready for flight and needs room to move with in the frame
*You need to lighten the left eye it’s way to dark
* add a catch light into the birds eyes
This is the best advice yet. If the OP takes if, they’ll have a better chance at placing. Good luck to the OP!!!
Jul 14, 2019 12:20:18 #
pmsc70d wrote:
Our county fair allows only one entry per category. I have several in mind for the "Wildlife" category, and don't know which to choose. What would you choose?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Over the years, I have submitted to many contests, such as the Photographic Society of American International competitions, and county fairs.
You can never predict what will happen in a competition such as a county fair, because the quality of the judging can vary widely. On a whim, I once submitted to a county fair a photo that won me a Gold medal in a PSA International. I got honorable mention in the county fair, and the photos that got First, Second, and Third each committed sacred-cow mistakes that would send people on this website into hysterical laughter.
My advice is to go ahead and submit, but don't second-guess yourself if you don't do well. Sometimes, such fairs have judges who really do recognize good photography.
As far as subject matter goes, seek the obvious things that non-photographers would be attracted to.
Enjoy the experience.
Jul 14, 2019 12:37:52 #
Jul 14, 2019 12:45:28 #
speters wrote:
Not an easy decision as all of these are very nice, but to me, the one that talked the most to me is the two moose!
And I agree speters. I like the mother and calf moose.
Bud
Jul 14, 2019 13:21:11 #
RRS
Loc: Not sure
bleirer wrote:
Since you are a pro the op probably does want your constructive comments. Consider that your printed words in this case may come across very harshly to the OP, from your other posts here you don't usually come across that way.
Sorry but I disagree with you on this one. I don't always agree with Bill either but he's very honest with his reply. Too many times here on this site I see pictures that are , what do I say, so so at best and the remarks are" WOW" and so on. To be fair and also helpful we don't know the history of the individual posting and what they do post may be a vast improvement from where they started. This isn't little kids soccer where everyone gets a trophy just for showing up, it's a photo contest! It may sound harsh but if these are the finished shots that are to be entered I don't see much chance of a ribbon, any color. With remarks such that they need sharpening, cropping and etc. and the people saying this aren't judges at the Fair. There's still time to look at the inventory of photo's or to rework these. If it's his first time at Fair photo competition it may be an eye opener to look at what he is up against and learn and prepare better next year.
Jul 14, 2019 13:30:12 #
pmsc70d wrote:
Our county fair allows only one entry per category. I have several in mind for the "Wildlife" category, and don't know which to choose. What would you choose?
Thanks!
Thanks!
I like the third photo of the eagle with its wing spread and in the tree. You can crop it tighter for greater effect.
Jul 14, 2019 13:30:40 #
Jul 14, 2019 13:57:06 #
Jul 14, 2019 14:22:19 #
RRS wrote:
Sorry but I disagree with you on this one. I don't... (show quote)
Very sage advice. My advice to him is to pick his favorite and either further edit it or go with it as it is. Live and learn. When I submitted a landscape in a local contest, there was only one winner in each submitted category plus the overall. While I received honorable mention in the landscape category, the landscape winner was also the overall winner. Personally I thought my photo was a better representation of the contest genre, the judges liked the artistic quality of the winner and I learned a lesson.
So to the OP, go with your instinct, not the selection by us here.
Bud
Jul 14, 2019 14:29:48 #
Aldla
Loc: Central NJ
AndyH wrote:
All of these are very nice, but I'd go with the second one, personally. The framing and focus are great - sometimes the presence of branches and foreground foliage can distract from the image, especially in a competition.
Andy
Andy
Jul 14, 2019 14:31:23 #
Jul 14, 2019 14:39:43 #
RRS,
I find your comments most arrogant, and certainly not supportable. Unless you have won first place in every competition you have entered (you haven't), and unless your photography is world famous (it isn't), then you should tone the outward expression of your opinion down a bit.
Photography is inherently subjective, and no photographer should ever assume that his own subjectivity is the standard by which all others are judged.
In county fairs, the "quality" of the judging is highly variable. In many cases, the judges opt for photos the average non-photographer would like. Nitpicking subtle differences in sharpness, etc. are almost always secondary.
I have won Gold awards in Photographic Society of America International competitions, yet my first attempts at entering competitions such as county fairs was frustrating. It was hard for me to realize that the judges were not using my standards (or the standards most of us in this forum would appreciate). Once I realized that, I was able to win such contests with photos you would probably dislike.
I find your comments most arrogant, and certainly not supportable. Unless you have won first place in every competition you have entered (you haven't), and unless your photography is world famous (it isn't), then you should tone the outward expression of your opinion down a bit.
Photography is inherently subjective, and no photographer should ever assume that his own subjectivity is the standard by which all others are judged.
In county fairs, the "quality" of the judging is highly variable. In many cases, the judges opt for photos the average non-photographer would like. Nitpicking subtle differences in sharpness, etc. are almost always secondary.
I have won Gold awards in Photographic Society of America International competitions, yet my first attempts at entering competitions such as county fairs was frustrating. It was hard for me to realize that the judges were not using my standards (or the standards most of us in this forum would appreciate). Once I realized that, I was able to win such contests with photos you would probably dislike.
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