Help Please??

photographer97 · Oct 23, 2011

I am a new photographer and I want to enter some pictures in a teen photo contest. I know I'm not supposed to ask someone to browse through flickr but would anyone please do it? Could you select the overall best photo from the set "animals" and one from the set "scenery"?

Thanks in advance!!!!!!!:mrgreen:

My flickr: Flickr: photographer97's Photostream

MTVision · Oct 23, 2011

I am planning on taking a look because I'm bored but.....you would get more help if YOU chose your favorites and posted them here. Then people would give you feedback on them so you could choose which one to enter.

You are asking a lot of the people on here if you think about it. Just post a few on here and see what people think. I can guarantee not many (if any) are going to go through your photo stream to pick out photos for you to enter a contest.

mishele · Oct 23, 2011

Choose 2 of each set that you think you should submit. We shouldn't choose for you. Entering a contest is about you and what you are proud of. I will give my opinion though if you post a couple. If not ...good luck!

Compaq · Oct 23, 2011

Be warned, if I choose your winning pic, I claim 49% of the prize...

That said, choose your own favs and post them here. I agree with mentioned points.

WesternGuy · Oct 23, 2011

I will echo what others have said. Very few people are going to plow through a Flickr posting and look at a bunch of images that someone else has posted - not enough time and I have others things that are more important to me on which to spend my time. Think about it for a minute - I mean do you really think that is going to happen. Pick the 5 or 6 that you think are good and let us know why and then maybe you will get some feed back - as well, if you do post some, then please number them so that reviewers can refer to them. I would also echo what mishele has said - Entering a contest is about you and what you are proud of...so, show the ones you are proud of and this will get you some C&C.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

KmH · Oct 24, 2011

photographer97 said:
I know I'm not supposed to ask someone to browse through flickr but would anyone please do it?

Think about what others might well 'read between the lines' when they read that sentence.

scorpion_tyr · Oct 24, 2011

Having someone else pick your entry might... just might, help your chances on winning the photo contest, but it won't help you become a better photographer. Find out what makes a good photograph and it'll make you a better photographer.

scorpion_tyr · Oct 24, 2011

Ok, so I'm really mean. I looked through your photostream and I picked one from each category that I felt stood out from the rest as far as being more interesting and being a better picture as a photography textbook would judge it. Here's the mean part. I'm not going to tell you which ones I picked.

I will tell you that your photography is good. I was quite impressed, espeically considering your age. I'm not saying younger people are worse photographers, I'm just saying when someone has 20 years of experience it's hard for someone who doesn't have that many years on this earth to compete with them. I don't know how big this contest is, but if it's just a local contest or something and you don't come away with a prize I'll be very suprised.

MTVision · Oct 24, 2011

scorpion_tyr said:
Ok, so I'm really mean. I looked through your photostream and I picked one from each category that I felt stood out from the rest as far as being more interesting and being a better picture as a photography textbook would judge it. Here's the mean part. I'm not going to tell you which ones I picked.

I will tell you that your photography is good. I was quite impressed, espeically considering your age. I'm not saying younger people are worse photographers, I'm just saying when someone has 20 years of experience it's hard for someone who doesn't have that many years on this earth to compete with them. I don't know how big this contest is, but if it's just a local contest or something and you don't come away with a prize I'll be very suprised.

I was pleasantly surprised when I looked through the pictures as well. Now, I'm curious to know what your favorites are. You are mean!!

DiskoJoe · Oct 24, 2011

kinda boring.

sm4him · Oct 24, 2011

I, too, apparently don't have enough to do with my time and took a look at your photostream; you have some real talent! BUT...
1) As others have stated, you need to narrow the choices down and post maybe 2 or 3 "final choices" here for others to chime in on. But ultimately, it's what YOU like that you have to go with. I once entered several photos in a local contest...one was the one *everybody* told me to enter, that got raves, the other I just really liked, but none of my other friends or colleagues made any real comment on. That one got 2nd place; the one everyone loved got nothing. Does that mean it wasn't good? No, it just got picked in THIS particular contest. Which leads me to:
2) You need to tell us more about this contest. Is it local, national, online, art show? Will it be judged by professional photographers or by "popular vote" or what? I assume you are entering in two broad categories for 'scenery' and 'animals' but do you have any additional information about what they are going to be judging? Is it just about the composition and technical skill, or are they looking for unusual shots, different perspectives, etc. Have you seen any of the photographs that have won this contest previously? That can often help guide you in what the judges (or the people who vote) generally tend to like in a photograph.

As scorpion said, if this is a local contest, you should have a very good shot at a prize. Regardless, I'll tell you one thing...you don't even NEED to win a contest to know that you have some award-winning photographic talents!

EDIT: One other thing--you do need to watch your composition. In looking back over your animal photos, you have a tendency to put the focal subject right in the middle of the photo. Read up on the rule of thirds if you haven't already.

unpopular · Oct 24, 2011

Unfortunately some cannot appreciate simplicity and the small, quiet moments in life - they rather photograph some fantastic idea of the world in a glamorous, MTV often overstylized fashion of sophomoric proportion. I am unsure why, however, these glitzed out simpletons cannot offer any scope of useful feedback - likely due to their dissatisfaction in the world which they actually live they cannot see it beyond "boring".

Even more unfortunate is that the sophomoric eye candy that these types often produce are the winners of such contests, and of you wish to win you ought not approach the world from within your actual world view - but that of the contest judges.

There were many I liked from your selection, and I would encourage you to continue photographing these conceptual nature pieces, such as "Serenity", "Bats" and "Reflections", whcih remind me a lot of Elliot Porter. "Anomones" and "Glacier Bay" I think are also quite strong.

That said, nobody seemds to like my photography at all - so I wouldn't pay much attention to me. If you want to persue this kind of work, be prepared for lots of self doubt and cynicism ahead. Though if you are truly passionate - perhaps moreso than I - then it will be worth every exposure, no matter how under appreciated.

Overread · Oct 24, 2011

photographer97 - please don't repeat post the same threads over and over to the site; once is quite enough.

In addition if you've new photos to show/new info to add its better to add it to the existing thread you have running on the topic (ie this one) rather than to start up another two threads concerning it. I've locked your other threads, but left this one open to be used.

Good luck in the competition.