Fall Fair Entries

rub · Aug 23, 2009

Here area few photos I enered in the local fall fair. I have never entered any type of competition before, but I have started a small photography business.

WhenI dropped off the photos, I was completely belittled. The organizer made me feel like crap, and said that maybeI shoudl join the local camera club as there are lots of "complete novices" like me, as well as experienced people I could learn from.

It was a blow, for sure. Especially as I had a wedding to shoot the next day.

Are these photos that bad? They were mostly shot about a year ago (and I have progressed quite a bit over the last year). But I did think that they were okay. I wouldnt have entered them if I didnt.

Are these far below "fall fair" quality entries?

C&C is very much appreicated. Please let me know what you think.

1) Category - Shuswap (the area I live in) - Easy Livin'

2) Category - People - Cowboys

3) Category - Nature - Afternoon Tulips

4) Category - Open - Funky Llama

5) Category - People - Silly Willy

invisible · Aug 23, 2009

The organizer of the fall fair is an idiot, regardless of the quality of your photos. I like 2, 3, and 5. I'd be happy if I took any of these.

c.cloudwalker · Aug 23, 2009

rub said:
Are these far below "fall fair" quality entries?

That would depend entirely on the overall quality of the entries to your fair. Some fairs attract better entries than others. I have an aunt who couldn't paint worth a darn but she sometimes got ribbons :lol:

Overall, the exposures are good but to me that's about it.

#1 I don't even understand why you would enter it. It sure doesn't tell me a thing about where you live and it's not interesting anyway. What is the image about?

#2 could have been interesting. I would prefer the cowboys a bit away from the dinner bell but, mostly, the problem is that they are looking off in different directions and we have no idea what they are looking at since all we see behind them is an empty field/space. If you had turned them around and done a portrait, you would have had a much better photo.

#3 Not a bad photo. I like the subtle tones but it is very top heavy. Not the best composition.

#4 Two of the images, you are looking up his nose. The middle one by itself is not bad but the tones are a bit blah for my taste and that piece of fence in the lower right corner is annoying. I love llamas and, having shot them for a breeder friend, I know you can get much more interesting images of them.

#5 is just silly.

Considering your wedding photos which I usually like, I was a bit surprised by this offering. Of course this is only my opinion.

Dagwood56 · Aug 23, 2009

I think all your photos are fine. I like 2, 3 & 4 the best. The organizer at the fair was wrong to say what they did to you - that was down right rude! Unless they have strict entry rules limited to a pro, he should have accepted your photos without comment. I've been to many fairs over the years and your photos measure up quite well to those I've seen in fair competitions.

:thumbup:

Dominantly · Aug 23, 2009

Well, I would have probably been irritated if I was told something like that as well. Then I would have looked for a photo taken by the organizer and reviewed it.
Photography is an art, and of course open to interpretation. If the photos were acceptable to you, and you thought they came out to your desire and intentions, then thats all that matters. The person should have just thanked you for your submission and put them up to be judged and voted on.

Dominantly · Aug 23, 2009

Oh and

#1- I get the idea/intention of your shot. To me it seems you wanted to convey a warm summer afternoon, sitting on a grassy overlook of the water, with your favorite redwine by your side. The wine showing sophistication.

#2- Well, I do like the idea of it, Cowboys having a conversation at the edge of a pasture, BUT the otherside of the fence is kind of boring, and the bell does throw me off. If it had been a flat pasture with a horse getting worked in it and the bell was gone, I would have been more excited about it.

#4- Only thing I would change is the contrast and the fence creeping into the edge of 2-3.

c.cloudwalker · Aug 24, 2009

Dominantly said:
Well, I would have probably been irritated if I was told something like that as well. Then I would have looked for a photo taken by the organizer and reviewed it.
Photography is an art, and of course open to interpretation. If the photos were acceptable to you, and you thought they came out to your desire and intentions, then thats all that matters. The person should have just thanked you for your submission and put them up to be judged and voted on.

Snapshots are acceptable to the people who shoot them, should they hang at the fair? Not at the ones I want to visit.

Rejection is part of this "artist" life and anyone of us who has ever submitted works has faced it. If you have a problem with rejection, stay away from competitions.

Dominantly · Aug 24, 2009

Why not? Most fairs I have been to have age brackets, the younger kids posting up their work to be judged. Most of those photos are obscure, but they still hang, no matter the opinion of the elitist walking by scoffing at them.

Rejection should come at the end of the fair if there is no ribbon, or if you are trying to sell your work. It should not come from some snob taking entries, and I would have loved to have been there and heard it.

BibleArt · Aug 25, 2009

I agree with all the comments, the fair organizer shouldn't have said that. I like the picture of the cowboys, it really captures a moment in time. I think they are all fine. Thanks for sharing.

eacesign:

manaheim · Aug 25, 2009

I see potential in your stuff with some need for work on technical aspects and compositional tweaks... but tons of potential. And as I've said before, I love the Llamas one. I might omit the text and just have the images, but regardless...

As everyone else said, the person at the fair is an ass. You should have said "Your manners are clearly lacking. You should join a local manners club and learn from some people who have some."

rub · Aug 26, 2009

Thanks everyone for the comments. As this is my first "competition" I was just kind of shocked. And really hoping that this was not normal proceedure while dropping of entries.

And thanks to those who gave some C&C - it always is appreciated and taken into account.

I'll be sure to update with results!

Efergoh · Aug 26, 2009

The person accepting the entries sounds like a douche. He should be dick punched...repeatedly. He should have simply accepted the entries without comment. To do otherwise is unprofessional.

I've entered plenty of exhibits over the last few years, and often the person accepting the entry is not the organizer, or the juror, it is just some flunky doing grunt work. Ignore them If they are anything less than pleasant or cordial. It isn't worth getting wrapped around the axle over it, no matter how strong your desire is to rip him from crotch to eyeball using a dull deer antler.

1. I'm diggin it. I'd like it more if the out of focus grass in the foreground were cropped out. Perhaps shot closer to the glass to make it bigger and more important in the shot...

2. m'eh....the sky is pretty ho hum, not much going on, really, but I do like the hazy something or other against the far off treeline. Again, I would probably crop out the bottom of the shot, and put the fence, cowboys, and bell in the immediate bottom third of the frame.

3. Flower photos really don't trip my trigger, so mine might not be the best opinion to consider because in order for me to really like it, it has to really be something special. I've seen this shot a million times. The perspective is expected, and the tones banal.

4. Love it. Love everything about it. Good idea with the triptych, but I don't think I would have included text. I would have simply window matted all three images into the same frame. But I do love the shots. Llamas are funny creatures. I like them simply because they seem so ridiculous to me.

5. The blacks are black and the whites are white, but for some reason this photos seems a tad on the hot side to me. Could be the kid's fair complexion, I dunno. I think this would be one of those occasions where I would ignore the 'rule of thirds' and I would have shot this in a bullseye composition to make give the face more prominence in the shot because the combine on the right side competes for attention. Really dig the color scheme here. Seems somewhat painterly to me.