OcUK Photo Comp - Season Five : Round Two - "Religion" Discussion

[RichDay]

OcUK Photo Comp - Season Five : Round Two - "Religion" Discussion

Theme: Religion

Chosen by: cyKey


Closing date: Midnight Sunday 9th April 2006


Please post all discussion for the current competition in this thread and keep entries in the ENTRY thread.
DO NOT post any final entries in this thread!

Judges: RichDay, xolotl, Matt.

This competition is open to everyone.


RULES
-----

Rules must be followed. Failure to follow one or more rules will result in disqualification for the current round.

* One image per entrant (may be a montage consisting of two or more photos).
* If a montage is entered, all photos in the image will be judged on their relevance to each other as well as the theme.
* Photos must be posted in or linked to this thread for consideration.
* Photos must be of a reasonable size.
* Photos may have an optional border. If used, this must be a single colour and a reasonable size.
* Photos must have been taken on or after Wednesday, February 8th, 2006. Invalid EXIF dates must be declared.
* Photos that have been commented on previously by any of the judges, will not be considered.
* Photos must be available for viewing in this thread until the competition winner has been announced.

* Photographers must post their make and model unless it is provided in the EXIF Information.
* Photographers retain full copyright to their entries, so you must contact them before using their entries.

* The winner of each round will choose the theme for the next round.

* The Judges may not discuss or submit their interpretation of the theme until the competition winner has been announced.
* The Judges will not reveal individual scores, however some judges may provide a critique after the competition has ended.
* The Judges may or may not notify disqualified photographers before the deadline.
* The Judges decisions are final.

* Minimum Bribe Level: Canon EOS-1Ds Mk II


RECOMMENDATIONS
---------------

Recommendations are optional.

A '+' sign next to the recommendation means you will gain marks.
A '-' sign next to the recommendation means you will lose marks.
A '/' sign next to the recommentation means your score will not be affected.

Each of the 3 judges will give you a score out of 30 as follows:-


* Technical ( 1 - 10 )

+ Use of Photoshop or Image Editing programs to enhance your photo.
+ Correct use of Lighting/Saturation/Contrast/Exposure.
+ Correct use of DOF (Depth of Field).
+ Appreciation for Rule of Thirds, Golden Mean and other photographic rules.

- Overuse or misuse of Photoshop or other Image Editing programs
- Bad Lighting/Saturation/Contrast/Exposure.
- Blurred photos due to incorrect DOF (Depth of Field) or camera shake.
- Unintentionally slanted photos.

/ EXIF Info is recommended for digital photographers.
/ Camera Settings are recommended for film photographers.


* Theme Relevance ( 1 - 10 )

+ Good interpretation of the theme
+ Originality

/ Your photograph should represent the theme without further commentary.


* Impact ( 1 - 10 )

+ WOW Factor!
+ Overall ambience of the photo.

All past competition Entry, Discussion & Results threads can be found in the PV Archive. Select "From the - beginning" in the Display Options at the bottom of the page to view all Competition threads.

 

[RichDay]

Please note the date here - the deadline is 9th April. This gives you exactly 4 weeks to prepare your entries. I've allowed a bit of extra time due to the delays in judging.

 

[RichDay]

In other news, we're in the process of compiling a template for information we would like to see posted with your photograph (if you do not provide EXIF data). Some is mandatory, some is optional, all of it helps us judge your image better

Once the template has been agreed - we'll post it here for your consideration. This should hopefully clear up any confusion about what is and is not required information.

 

[RichDay]

Is that really the required starting date ??

Oops, copy and paste error

Fixed now! Starting date is actually Wednesday, February 8th, 2006.

 

[RichDay]

Before things get too far in, the other judges and I have been having a discussion and we'd like to introduce a template for information that we'd like you to post with your entry that contains all the infomation we need about your photo if you don't provide the EXIF.

Let me know what you think:

[b]Required Information[/b]
Camera (make & model):	Canon 10D, Canon 50mm mkII f1.8
Date:                   01/01/2006

[b]Optional Information[/b]
Aperture:               f8
Shutter:                1/250th sec
ISO:                    100
Focal Length:           50mm
Flash:                  No

Hopefully this will avoid any of the confusion we had last round with what is and isn't required.

 

[RichDay]

Sorry for not replying to this thread for a while...

now lets make it clear...we still need that box even with EXIF info?

Nope, you wouldn't need the box if your image had the EXIF embedded.

I don't think we need anything like this. It is far too confusing for new people to have to fill in a box before they can enter. The competition is meant to be easily accessible. This just creates a deterent which will stop a lot of people entering. Also, people with film cameras might not know the exact date. Remember, it is impossible to prove a date and is dependent on trust.

They don't have to fill in a lot of the stuff the only thing you must fill in the the camera make and model. You're right though, I need to move the date to the optional section.

As someone who has been lurking for a little while, something like the box would be very helpful for a new person - its clearer on what is required and what is optional than it is in the opening post.

Other than whether the flash was used, I wouldn't be able to tell you any other the other optional stuff, so rather than not entering because I'm worried my lack of info would be frowned upon, it would just be a case of not entering because I 'm a coward

This is exactly the kind of thing I was trying to do. If it's up there in black and white then hopefully it's as easy for a new person to enter as it is for an old hand.

Surely all the digital guys can just post the image with the exif data embedded. If people are not sure on this then there needs to be instructions at the start of a thread or a thread on posting images with the exif data entact.

You'd be amazed at how many digital entries don't have EXIF information in them. Three out of the seven entries for this round don't have proper EXIF embedded. We can't really cover all the image editing programs out there. We could do a couple of the more popular ones I guess...

In summary, what we're trying to do here is help everyone out. We're trying to make it as easy as possible to enter the competition and not get your entry disqualified. By adding all the optional information it allows us judges to see how the camera was set up when the shot was taken which in turn makes marking the technical section easier and more accurate.

Moving the date to the optional section makes the template look like this:

[b]Required Information[/b]
Camera (make & model):	Canon 10D, Canon 50mm mkII f1.8

[b]Optional Information[/b]
Date:                   01/01/2006
Aperture:               f8
Shutter:                1/250th sec
ISO:                    100
Focal Length:           50mm
Flash:                  No

 

[RichDay]

WRT the date thing.

Unfortunately the date isn't enforceable. With digital you can hack the EXIF to make it read whatever you want and film users are stumped because there isn't any in the first place So basically the whole thing is based on trust.

 

[RichDay]

Hey all, have been absent for a while due to my girlfriend and I making arrangements to buy our first house. Everything is now sorted and we collect the keys tomorrow although a lot of decorating needs doing before we're finally in.

So to cut to the chase... I will endeavour to get my results together as quickly as possible but please bear with me if things drag on a bit. I have to go to the solicitors early tomorrow morning so I won't be around to close the competition tonight. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY AFTER 23:59.

Late entries will not be judged.

Just so you know

R

 

[RichDay]

Nice RichDay - and congratulations on the first house!

Anyway, cheers for letting us know

seconded
You still local Rich?

Cheers guys! Just had the phone call to say the money has all gone through so we're now the proud owners of a huge debt! Can't believe I'm excited by that thought LOL!

Yep still local, still Wickford - I'm moving about a mile up the road.

Have got a while till I can get the keys so I'll sort out the entries and send them on to the other judges. Hopefully I'll even start some marking!

 

[RichDay]

Could be weeks he's still got to get back online !

LOL! Still got a net connection for the next week or so - I have use of the flat I rent until the end of the month but the phone gets moved over sooner.

I'm ill today with man flu *sniff* so no work but also no decorating or moving boxes I have however judged half of the entries, will try and do the other half a bit later once my head stops pounding!

 

[RichDay]

Ok my results are all done - most of the paint on my fingers has dropped off into the keyboard but I've finished

Things are going slower than expected with the house - there are a few DIY disasters we're having to fix (not of our making).

On a lighter note - I now own two paint covered ladders, a large paint stirring stick and a small collection of almost clean paintbrushes in pots. I never realised how much that makes you feel like a proper man!

 

[RichDay]

Hey guys - sorry I've not been around RL getting in the way again!

You'll be please to know I've sorted the results and will be posting them in a few minutes.

And yes the season totals are a real pain to work out! I'm going to look into writing some kind of C# app to collate these and work out the stats. Gotta finish the decorating first though


[edit]
Results posted!

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17564680
[/edit]