Vote fo Raw Artists Photographer of the year through Oct 9th

DevilishFineArt · Oct 4, 2013

Hey all,

So I am in the running for Raw Artists Photographer of the Year Award

The first stage is a week long public vote ending Oct 9th. Until now my online promotion skills have definitely been lacking, mostly due to my own shyness, but I want this and know that I need to put myself out there and ask for your help to win!!! Here is the link to vote, Devilish - RAWartists.org
Also my website is Home Page if anyone wants to see more of my work. Raw Artists is a really cool organization and definitely recommend for artists to check them out!!! Their exhibitions are a ton of fun

I really hope this kind of post is welcome here, so sorry if you think this is kinda spammy-like of me to solicit votes this way, but I really want this, and I really need your help to win!!! Also feel free to share the link if you got some free time and wanna help me hustle up some votes!!!

They do make you register in order to vote, but it is quick and they don't spam you... after you register just go back to my profile (may need to refresh) and VOTE!!!!

View attachment 57066

Thank you all for your time,
Jason "Devilish" Renek

cgipson1 · Oct 4, 2013

you are kidding, right? Spammy like? Yes!

SCraig · Oct 4, 2013

I think I'm gonna pass. Not really interested in registering on a site I have no interest in. Besides, I might like someone else's photo better than yours.

vintagesnaps · Oct 4, 2013

Did a quick search about the contest and it looks like you've already been on sites like getonlinevotes dot com, voterequests dot com (but I didn't click on the links).

DevilishFineArt · Oct 4, 2013

Wow!!! I never really spend time in forums... and have been lacking in my time for online promotion... But I just dont get why you would even bother replying just to say something negative??? I mean, as photographers and artists isn't it our whole goal to share beauty and to make the world a more beautiful place with every click of the shutter!!?? I figured forums would be a great place to promote this because people here obviously have some free time, and I just thought that you all would be down to help out a fellow artist in need, as you clearly have some free time??? WHY make the world uglier with your needless comments??? I
guess you would rather spend your time complaining than helping another... SO SAD!!!

SCraig · Oct 4, 2013

So sad. Kind of like soliciting for votes among people you don't know?

As a general rule the people on this forum are honest. If we go to that site and register we are going to vote for the photograph that we feel is best, regardless of who it belongs to. Obviously you don't feel that your photograph can stand on its own among the other entries or you wouldn't be soliciting votes.

Next time try this: I have entered a photography contest and would appreciate your taking the time to vote for whatever photograph you feel is best. I'm not asking for your vote, only that you take the time to choose the one that you feel is best and vote for it. If it happens to be mine that's wonderful and if it belongs to someone else then they deserved your vote more than I did.

DevilishFineArt · Oct 4, 2013

SCraig said:
So sad. Kind of like soliciting for votes among people you don't know?

As a general rule the people on this forum are honest. If we go to that site and register we are going to vote for the photograph that we feel is best, regardless of who it belongs to. Obviously you don't feel that your photograph can stand on its own among the other entries or you wouldn't be soliciting votes.

Next time try this: I have entered a photography contest and would appreciate your taking the time to vote for whatever photograph you feel is best. I'm not asking for your vote, only that you take the time to choose the one that you feel is best and vote for it. If it happens to be mine that's wonderful and if it belongs to someone else then they deserved your vote more than I did.

The whole point of this stage of the contest is to put ourselves out there, promote, and solicit votes. This contest is not for a single image, I just put that on the post. I just want this so bad that I am using every available network of creative minds to promote myself and my art. Funny thing is that my posts seem to be welcomed on all types of art sites, but for some reason it's other photographers that seem to have a problem with it? The organization holding it is dedicated to helping new and emerging artists that they select and showcase.

Vote, don't vote, vote for someone else, it's all good, but don't hate and spread negativity, It's a waist of energy!!! All I am trying to do is share beauty with the world... through my eyes

cgipson1 · Oct 4, 2013

What does BEGGING for votes online.. have to do with art or photography? Maybe you should consider politics instead...

I find your image above silly, cliche and it has only been done a million times! Hardly something that is going to share beauty with the world!

vintagesnaps · Oct 4, 2013

When it's someone's first post and it includes a link it sometimes turns out to be spam so instead of clicking on the link I looked it up. You said your promotional skills are lacking mostly due to your shyness but a quick search showed the two links I mentioned, so it seemed to me that you are promoting yourself and that made me wonder about the comment.

It might be more likely that you'd get positive responses if you were on a forum posting regularly and then asked others to support your efforts. If people don't know who you are I don't know that they'd be inclined to spend time taking a look at your work or doing voting for the contest.

DevilishFineArt · Oct 4, 2013

cgipson1 said:
What does BEGGING for votes online.. have to do with art or photography? Maybe you should consider politics instead...

I find your image above silly, cliche and it has only been done a million times! Hardly something that is going to share beauty with the world!

WOW there are a lot of miserable people on here!!! Judging by the fact that you have made over 16,000 posts on here in the last 2 years, you clearly have no life... And from your negative comments, it's no wonder the only company you have is insects. I've seen your posts in other sections and all you do is talk down to people because they are trying to get where you never could. Typical grumpy old fart!!! I am finding out first hand why my models always complain about photographers and what A-holes most are.

cgipson1 · Oct 4, 2013

I guess I could mention the bad lighting and poor composition in your image, but you aren't here to improve.. just for votes, right?

I admit I find almost any insect more interesting than a self promoting individual who apparently lacks many of the basic skills!

DevilishFineArt · Oct 4, 2013

Thank you for the constructive criticism in a non-negative way

I do fully understand that, but the truth is that I haven't done a lot of networking. When I am on the computer, I am working on my website, or pictures, I've never really gone into forums and all that. I was only recently scouted by Raw Artists and had my first showcase with them at the end of September. I generally don't enter contests with a public vote, but I actually really REALLY want this!!! So I figured now is the time to start branching out and promoting. I did realize that people may think it is just spam because of the link, but I absolutely will not let any kind of worry get in the way of putting myself out there and utilizing every possible avenue. I am not begging for votes from strangers, I am just asking and there is no harm in asking... best case, I get some votes & worst case, the same as never having posted. The biggest reason I want to win is the chance to have sit down consultations with serious industry pros and get some knowledge. I am 100% self-taught, and a single dad of 2 just trying to make my passion into a career, and I'm not afraid to ask for help to get there.

I really appreciate you not straight up bashing me for asking for help, and yes there are more links out there, like I said, I am hungry for this and putting myself out there everywhere, and no matter what I am stronger for it

DevilishFineArt · Oct 4, 2013

cgipson1 said:
I guess I could mention the bad lighting and poor composition in your image, but you aren't here to improve.. just for votes, right?

I admit I find almost any insect more interesting than a self promoting individual who apparently lacks many of the basic skills!

Well now you have just proven your ignorance in this type of art!!! To you this image is crappy, but as we speak this image is on it's way to an art exhibition in the UK my 2nd European Exhibition... both by invitation I do not in any way shape or form consider myself a commercial photographer... I am an artist plain and simple... You can say whatever you want from here on out, I'm just gonna ignore you, you are a photographer not an artist, and I will take the opinion of curators WAY before yours

SCraig · Oct 5, 2013

Then I wish you well, and I hope you get what you want.

I will add one final thought though: When it's all said and done, when the contest is over, will you be able to say that you did well because your photograph stood on it's own merits among its peers or will you have to acknowledge the fact that it did well because you effectively "Stuffed The Ballot Box" by soliciting votes from people? Or is it just winning for whatever reason all that matters?

DevilishFineArt said:
The whole point of this stage of the contest is to put ourselves out there, promote, and solicit votes. This contest is not for a single image, I just put that on the post. I just want this so bad that I am using every available network of creative minds to promote myself and my art. Funny thing is that my posts seem to be welcomed on all types of art sites, but for some reason it's other photographers that seem to have a problem with it? The organization holding it is dedicated to helping new and emerging artists that they select and showcase.

Vote, don't vote, vote for someone else, it's all good, but don't hate and spread negativity, It's a waist of energy!!! All I am trying to do is share beauty with the world... through my eyes

DevilishFineArt · Oct 5, 2013

SCraig said:
Then I wish you well, and I hope you get what you want.

I will add one final thought though: When it's all said and done, when the contest is over, will you be able to say that you did well because your photograph stood on it's own merits among its peers or will you have to acknowledge the fact that it did well because you effectively "Stuffed The Ballot Box" by soliciting votes from people? Or is it just winning for whatever reason all that matters?

DevilishFineArt said:

The whole point of this stage of the contest is to put ourselves out there, promote, and solicit votes. This contest is not for a single image, I just put that on the post. I just want this so bad that I am using every available network of creative minds to promote myself and my art. Funny thing is that my posts seem to be welcomed on all types of art sites, but for some reason it's other photographers that seem to have a problem with it? The organization holding it is dedicated to helping new and emerging artists that they select and showcase.

Vote, don't vote, vote for someone else, it's all good, but don't hate and spread negativity, It's a waist of energy!!! All I am trying to do is share beauty with the world... through my eyes

Click to expand...

OK, once again it isn't about 1 photograph... This point of the contest, the whole point is to solicit votes, and the public voting just gets my portfolio in front of industry pros... who do the final judging. This isn't like a highly advertised competition, and it is for new artists, so it's basically if you want votes, go out and get em... which is what I am doing!!! So even if I have the most votes, all it does is get my portfolio in front of some industry pros. They make the final judgement.

Raw Artists is a real cool organization for new artists. They put together showcases in cities all over the world, and let you display your art however you want. It is the first exhibition I have ever been a part of where every piece didn't have to be framed, So I was able to display a much larger variety of art. And it is a ton of fun because you are showcasing with all of these creative people that create beauty in so many different ways. There is a fashion show, live local band, sometimes filmmakers and performance artists. I am planning to attend another showcase and do a live shoot as performance art. So every bit as much as I am promoting myself, I am also letting other creative folks know about Raw Artists and that they are definitely worth checking out if you are new and wanting to showcase your work live. If anyone bothers to check out my website, you will see that I have a whole page dedicated to the models I shoot with. I am ALL ABOUT cross-promotion and just plain helping each other out. So many of the other local photographers I have talked to seem to act like there is some competition between all photographers, and I just don't see it that way. I don't need others to go down so I can move up, I believe we can all pull each other up and help each other better and further ourselves.