Susan Ruddick Bloom has a book “Painting with Photoshop”. It’s available on Amazon. Good instruction for getting various painterly effects. More complicated than just using a plugin, but her techniques allow you to apply the effects to specific areas in the way you want rather than globally. Best effects are achieved with a Wacom tablet.

Below is an example of two images I did using her techniques. This is more of a watercolor or illustration effect, but it will give you an idea.

At the club level, to get a critique from a professional. In many community events, it’s a chance to get one’s work (and/or name) out in front of a larger audience. Sometimes it’s just the fun of being displayed along with some of the “big boys” at a high prestige show. Monetary prizes are great, but sometimes a ribbon, medal, or plaque can be more meaningful and satisfying.

I think many place far too much emphasis on judges' subjectivity or bias; its a convenient way to explain not winning. Unfortunately it ignores other factors that may have much more significant influence on the results.

First, the level of competition matters. What might win consistently at a club level, may not do so well in larger community contests, and may not even make it into the show where a two-tier judging is used. Generally, the bigger or more well known the contest, the stiffer the competition will be. Not winning may simply reflect that.

Second, the "creative" level of the image. I can illustrate what I mean with an example. I was entered in a large competition a few years back. In looking at the entries in the landscape category, there were three almost identical compositions showing the Mittens in Monument Valley. (Some of you are out there nodding, yup, I know that shot). All three images were technically Excellent, with a capital E. None would win; they were suburbly done but they were also cliche shots. Given the technical merits of these images, I have no doubt their authors thought the judging was simply biased, rather than recognize that their work had no originality.

I think the most important strategy that helps to do well in photo contests, is to learn to able to evaluate your own photos as objectively as possible. That is not always easy, as most of us have definite emotional connections to our own work. It is difficult to grow and improve until we learn how to be good critics, especially of our own work. So, a first step is finding places where you can get quality feedback and critiques of your photos. [Snarky side comment: My experience has been that those who complain the loudest about biased judges are those whose work is generally least deserving of winning. They just don't realize it! ]

A good way to get started is to join a local photography club(s) and participate in the monthly critiques and competitions there. Look especially for clubs who have PSA (Photographic Society of America) affiliation. These clubs usually employ judges with quality credentials, and who are familiar with PSA guidelines. Their feedback can go a long way toward helping you to improve your critical eye. Many contests elsewhere will also have judging which is in line with PSA guidelines, allowing you to apply what you are learning at the local club level to contests in the broader community.

As you gain experience at the local level, start branching out to other contests such as county fairs, community art guilds, etc. If you start having success there, you can start looking for contests that are larger and more prestigious. One of the things about county fair competitions is that you are not always restricted to having to actually live in that county. Some fairs will accept entries from surrounding counties as well. Some, such as the Photo Expo at the San Diego County Fair are actually nationally open competitions. Whenever a judging includes a public critique session as part of the judging procedure, try to attend.

I would also echo the sentiment that one should not assume that just because a contest asks for an entry fee it is a scam. Especially at fairs, art guilds, etc. those fees go toward paying for a judge(s), renting the venue, paying for promotion, awards (monetary and/or ribbons, plaques, etc.) Consider that without those fees, the contest probably would not be able to take place!

edit: Afterthought: As you move up into larger contests, expect the competition to get dramatically stiffer. Start small, and go from there as you have success. If you have an image that does well, try entering it in a larger contest and see how it does there.

Above all, have fun!

Interesting thread.

My biggest concern when looking at the Newton bracket is that it appears that it would not be suitable to leave attached to the camera all of the time, as opposed to the more common L brackets which can be left on the camera all of the time, ready for use in any situation. I understand the OP's desire for very rapid reorientation of the camera, but I'm wondering if the idea of a rotating bracket is really that much of a benefit over the 3-5 seconds it takes to flip a camera using a normal L bracket, and whether the small advantage in speed is outweighed by the more cumbersome build of the rotating bracket.

I'm 6'4", so I understand your predicament. Unfortunately I found that there are not a lot of tripods out there that meet our height requirement without having to rely on extending a center column ( thus sacrificing significant stability ). In my case, I bit the financial bullet and went with a RRS 34L tripod. No center column, eye level height, superb build and stability, and quite adequate for cameras using longer lenses. I admit I don't usually recommend it because I am uncomfortable suggesting to people that they commit to what is admittedly a rather expensive purchase. However, as your needs are similar to mine as to height requirements in a sturdy tripod, I would definitely recommend that you at least look into and consider RRS. I will also attest to the fact that their tripods are of the quality that you can be fairly confident that you will not be needing to replace it any time soon; indeed, it may very well be the last tripod you ever need to buy.

I believe that there may be a few Gitzo tripods that might also meet your height requirement, but I don't have personal experience with Gitzo. Maybe others here can provide that information.

Also, check both eBay and Craigslist for used RRS tripods that people may have put up for sale. They appear every so often at at least some discount, but they get snatched up pretty quickly.

I agree, Jerry, that photo contest judging has an element of subjectivity to it; I'd submit that any contest where judging compares non-quantitative entries will have to rely on some amount of subjectivity. I don't think that that should discourage photographers from entering contests, however. Despite the subjective element, better contests will usually have judges that (subjective biases aside) have adequate knowledge in technical and aesthetic realms to allow them to make reasonable assessments of a photograph's quality. I think those who enter contests frequently will attest that there is an overall consistency in results across contests. In other words, most good judges have the ability to tell the difference between a good, bad, or great photo, and their feedback can be very valuable to participants. Avoiding contests or discounting them on the basis that the results will have some subjectivity to them, can mean missing a great opportunity for helpful feedback and growth.

[snarky side comment: My experience has been that the photographers who are most vocal in complaining about judging being subjective are those who are least likely to score well in the contest! ]

I've had a fair amount of experience with critiques of my works. When I was first taking classes on photography formal critiques were an integral part of the classes. (side comment: The instructor would also critique our critiques!). I have belonged to local camera clubs where monthly competitions and critiques took place, usually with outside professional judges. I have volunteered to have some of my images critiqued in front of an audience of a few hundred at photography symposiums. In all cases the critiques proved enlightening and helpful. The common thread between all of these situations, and the reason they proved valuable, was that I was expecting the critique and was therefore open to both compliments and criticisms that were offered. Additionally, those doing the critiquing did so with knowledge that I was inviting their comments which implied that they could give honest evaluations.

The difficulty with online forum critiques is that it is not always clear that the photographer posting an image is expecting, and is therefore open to or desirous of, critiques of their image. In cases where the person is open to comments, both positive and negative, offering unsolicited critique may be no big deal. However, in cases where the individual simply wants to share an image, and is not expecting it to be evaluated in any way, unsolicited comments can, at the least, be an annoyance, and at the worst, be deflating, embarrassing, and even hurtful. Face it, who wants to have to endure pages of forum comments picking apart the photo we wanted to share of the hummingbird that unexpectedly visited our backyard that afternoon?

UHH attempts to deal with this by having areas where critiques are not only welcome, but solicited, and areas where sharing is the primary goal, and critiques are unwelcome unless specifically invited by the photographer posting the image. In my mind, this makes the question of whether to critique or not fairly easy. If the image is posted in an area where critiques are expected, or where a critique is asked for, have at it; provide whatever comments one feels are appropriate and helpful. If the image is posted in and area where the forum rules that critiques are unwelcome except when specifically solicited, then hold back comments that would be perceived as being criticisms (constructive or not), and limit comments to "Thanks for sharing", or nothing at all. Contrary to what some would like to believe, it is not our job, nor our right, to provide instruction in photography to everyone WE decide might need it.

Palm Springs is about an hour west of Joshua Tree NP. It’s an obvious photo destination. The tram up to the top of the mountain will provide a great panoramic view of the area.

Personally, I think their products are the best on the market. Pricey, but worth it. Superior build quality, superb long term durability, great customer support.

Fort Ross. Old Russian fort above Jenner on Hwy 1. It’s an interesting place with a number of good photo ops.

Salt Point State Park. Interesting rock formations near the beach; highly water eroded and with euchre color. Make interesting foreground shooting out toward waves.

Lots of good beaches and coves, sea stacks around the Mendocino area.

The Skunk Train out of Fort Bragg is an enjoyable one day excursion. Takes you back into a scenic redwood forest. A bit commercial, but it will provide many good photo ops.

Glass Beach in fort Bragg is interesting. It was once a public dump. Now it is a beach of sea glass. You can have some real fun here if you have a macro lens or extension tubes!

In Humboldt County, a swing into Ferndale is a nice little detour for lunch and photos of a few nicely restored Victorians. The Gingerbread mansion is worth photographing.

Just north a few miles out of Eureka is Trinidad State Beach. Go to College Cove. More secluded than the main beach. Unlike the main beach, you need to hike down to CC, but the hike down is not too bad unless you have limitations. Much more interesting perspective on the main sea stack from CC.

(Download)

Well, good for you.

"Support of extreme post-processing in defense of creativity is no vice, and insistence on 'straight out of camera' in pursuit of "purity" is no virtue". -Gary Boldwater-

Itoya makes a portfolio series that might fit your needs. They have 16x20, 17x22, and 18x24.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?InitialSearch=yes&N=0&Ntt=itoya+profolio+18x24&c3api=4680%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2Citoya+profolio+18x24%2Ce&msclkid=7d79a02b79c41a32fe24fc3e944a75b7

You can add additional pages.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y0CRGG/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=78615147879800&hvqmt=b&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3lhwzygpo7_b

in hindsight, it would have been better had I posted the image alone. But I didn't. I posted the mockup, and later it was too late to change it.

My suggestion is that if the mock matting really is a problem for someone, enlarge it on the screen to eliminate as much as possible. I have a lot of experience with framing and presenting art; I'm sure the final result will be more than satisfactory. Its people's reaction to the image itself that I have been most concerned with.