Secondary to the honor of acting as a judge for the AOL Community Photo Challenge, I also serve as the President of my local photographic society: www.clevelandphoto.org As such, I encounter photographers of all shapes and sizes - some skilled and professional, others still tentatively exploring the mysteries and mastery of capturing light in a box.
Many of them have fallen prey to the siren song of the manufacturers and absolutely must possess the latest, greatest, newest, highest megapixel camera, the longest lens, the most powerful flash and a tripod built to withstand a nuclear blast – without first giving thought to the type of photographer they wish to be. And even I will admit that its tempting to upgrade when LCD screens begin to approximate widescreen TVs and you’re still trying to discern sharpness on the equivalent of a postage stamp.
But before you plunk down an amount equivalent to the gross national product of a third world country or - more important - when you can’t afford that and begin to believe that you cannot possibly be a good photographer without doing so, and begin to give up on a hobby you’ve begun to love, consider this story first:
A photographer is invited to a dinner party and brings along some examples of her work. The host views the stunning images she presents and marvels “These are wonderful photos – you must have a great camera!”. The photographer smiles and the evening progresses. After a sumptuous meal, the photographer returns to the host and exclaims “That was a marvelous dinner – you must have some great pots and pans!”
The moral of the story, of course, is that – just as the quality of a meal is reliant primarily on the skill of the cook, the quality of a photograph is primarily due to the skill of the photographer. We hold regular competitions within our club – and some of the most impactful images I have seen have been taken with point and shoot cameras.
So if you’re new to this magical hobby or have limited funds – and even if you don’t – I encourage you to take stock of yourself and what you like to shoot. Hone your skills with the equipment that you have – and upgrade only when you can honestly look yourself in the mirror and unflinchingly tell yourself that its your camera that’s keeping you from being a better photographer. Until that day, take the time to explore and enjoy – and take a backseat to no one. Happy shooting!
Rob
...and the winner is: Clyde from OldTownePhotos. It was a close race but not a photo finish. Congratulations Clyde!
Thanks to all who entered and congratulations to the runners up.
The polls closed at 9 p.m. tonight (Sunday, 9/14) but, if you haven't had time to visit all the participants, you can still go to the Challenge entry and visit the links in the comment section...lots of worthwhile photos to view in those journals!
NOTE: Many viewers are having difficulty with the poll and cannot vote. Anyone with this problem, please email your vote to me (cmishvicki@aol.com) AND Marie (mariebm56@aol.com). Get your vote in and BE COUNTED!!!
Choose your favorite summer photo...voting ends 9 p.m. Sunday, 9/14.
Welcome back to all our Photo Challenge participants! We hope you all had a great summer and took LOTS of photos for sharing. Things are changing here at the Photo Challenge and we want to lay out all the ground rules for the New and Improved Challenge!
I posted this in my journal (Visions by Vicki) and Marie suggested that I repost it here for all our photographers to see...so, here goes:
I've been a member of the Monmouth Camera Club, in NJ, for 2 years and have been involved in a number of "competitions." I'm still no expert, but have observed that some judges seem to follow what they believe are iron-clad rules of photography (Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, etc.) in some cases, but don't apply these rules consistently. This angered and confused me a bit because they were being inconsistent and that didn't seem fair. Also, as far as I knew from all that I've read, these "Rules" are actually guidelines and NOT written in stone. I just read an article by one of the premier landscape photographers in the US--Alain Briot, Arts and Facts, The difference between judgments and opinions--and something clicked. It's definitely worth a read, so I suggest you go to his website and check it out. While you're there, browse through all his writings and photographs--he's really amazing! And...let me know what you think. :)
P.S. The original article referred to in this one was written for a different website, which I also highly recommend. The original article is titled Being an Artist.
For all who enter the Judged category of our Challenges, please note the following:
In fairness to our judges, and to the folks who want to visit the entries for the challenges without having to wade through multiple entries, any links that go to entire journals and NOT to the entry itself will be disqualified from the judging. Anyone who needs help placing a 'permalink' to their entry can find out more here: Permalink Tutorial.
Keep up the great work, folks!!! We think you're all winners!
