Please help me win photo contest with your votes

[maxpixel]

I entered the Texas State Fair (petting zoo) photo contest and I need votes to win (I am behind in votes because I entered late). Please use this link and vote for "Babyface" - http://www.childrens.com/Barnyard/form-vote.cfm?photo=50 .
Thanks for taking time to help!:blushing:

 

[joemc]

How can we vote for yours when we can not see the competition?

Isn't that cheating?

 

[maxpixel]

Thanks for asking Joe. I gave a link directly to my vote page in order to make it as easy as possible for those who were kind enough to help, but
there is a link right in the middle of the page that says return to gallery
and vote for another contestant; and if someone wants to vote against
me, they certainly have that option.

 

[Chuck]

So you've joined a photo forum to ask complete strangers to vote for your photo??

 

[maxpixel]

Certainly Chuck, why not? It's a contest based on the public voting for you.
Why would I not think that I could reach out to other newbie photographers and ask them to vote?

 

[mishele]

Maybe you should take the best picture to win..............

 

[syphlix]

not too interesting of a photo...

 

[bigtwinky]

not too interesting of a photo...

That actually goes for most of them there.

I cast my vote for who I thought should win

 

[pony]

Nice!
I could use a camcorder. Off to search for petting zoo pics

 

[maxpixel]

Wow....I'm not sure what my crime was here. I spent two hours working really hard to get a photo in ridiculously impossible conditions and then entered it in a contest that requires people to vote. My photo is not great but it is far better than the cellphone snapshots I am competing against. I had no idea that reaching out to the photography community for help would
make so many people feel that I was taking advantage of them. It seemed to me that the beginners forum was a good place for a beginner to ask for help but I guess the only help that most people want to give is their precious advice and criticism. I am sorry to have disturbed you, it won't happen again.

 

[Dao]

hum ... it did not appeared you were asking for advice or criticism in the first post ... maybe you did but I just did not noticed.

I thought you were asking forum member to vote for you to win ... well, at least that's what I thought, I could be wrong.

 

[Overread16 4]

Well entry into the competition appears to have ended so I can't get to see the terms and conditions for entry into the compeition - however a lot of competitions like this don't have a judge or any formal voting because the quality of the winning pic is not that important.
What the company's are often after is a rights grab -that is when an image is submitted they (the company) get a full royalty free right to use that image for any use, to modify it in any way and the photographer taking the shot has no right to contest nor to get royalties. This extends beyond promotin of the competition itself (often a common feature of most comps) and into the business world. Essentialy the company puts up a decent prize and then opens the doors - they get a lot of rubbish and a few good shots which they can use themselves or sell on - its far cheaper than paying for hte images themselves.
Since I can't see/find the TC for this site I can't say if this is or is not what is happening, but it is highly likley to be the case.

On a second point is free advertising, since each person runs away and plugs their site to all the ones they are one and as many others as well - its little different from spambots posting spamads for places, save that the company is legit in this case. This is certainly happening as you have just proved


Ergo that is why these sorts of competitions are generally frowned upon - especaily on photography forums.
Also as a final academic question (that is I am NOT trying to get at you at all with this point) you critisize members here for not helping a fellow photographer, but you fail to realise that others in the competition are also as valid "photographers" as you yourself are.

 

[mrodgers]

Here is the problem with this thread as I see it....

I have done basically the same thing. I didn't specifically take a shot to enter into a photo contest, but I had family members begging me to enter one somewhere. My wife found a contest from a toy company and wanted me to send my photo in.

The contest was basically similar, where it was simply a "vote" contest. I did the same thing as the OP here, I came onto this forum and posted my image, a link to the contest, and said, "Hey, vote for me." I also commented on that if you want to vote for another photo, please do so.

The difference is, I was a current active member of the forum here. It appears that the OP here signed up just today (yesterday?) just to post a "vote for me" thread.

I also did this on other forums of which I had been an active member for years on. I was basically asking "friends" to vote, not complete strangers as is the case with this thread.

For what it's worth, those votes did net me a $250 gift card to Target and my kids received $100 worth of toys for being the 1st month's winner

 

[Dao]

mroger, you were the clear winner at that time. I looked at other entries back then ... and voted for you not because of you, it was because of your photo.

 

[inTempus]

Here's the problem maxpixel, you've come into our community and right of the bat asked us to do you a favor. You're not contributing to our community, you've only appeared to take advantage of it. At least that's probably how your post is being taken.

This is a community. It's not just a bunch of faceless robots sitting here typing. We have worked to build our community and our own personal standing within our community. I would suggest you find a photography board that you call home, contribute to it, and when you have a future favor to ask, I'm sure they'll be willing to help out.

Also know you're not the first to do what you're doing. That's another reason your post isn't being warmly received. Periodically we'll get such drive-by's and the posters never return. Such behavior tends to jade the regular users of the forum.

I would stop finding random photography forums asking for people to vote for your image(s). It often times has the opposite effect and you wind up angering people who then vote for your competition. A new strategy is in order.

Good luck with your contest.