Weekly photo contests RULES and SUMMARY

[Kaitou Ace]

We're going to be holding weekly photo contests, every Sunday, with a prize of 4000 rupees to the winner, along with the satisfaction of knowing you took a good picture.

Rules are as follows:

We will announce each theme a week in advance, and you will have until Sunday midnight, to find/take the photo, and post it in the weekly contest thread. The mods will post a theme photo also, but we aren't eligible to win ^_^

On Monday, the contest thread will be closed, and we will post both a voting thread, and a thread for the next weeks contest. We will also set up a subforum for archiving the contests. The voting will run for a week, when the winner will be announced.

The rules are as follows:


Your submission must be:

• Taken with a digital camera that records EXIF, and EXIF should be left in the submission
• Attached to your post.
• Taken and post-processed by you.
• Created from a single capture, unless the contest specifies otherwise

You may:

• Use any feature of your camera, EXCEPT to combine multiple images into one
• Crop, rotate, resize your entry
• Use filters or stand alone utilities designed to preserve image integrity (Neat Image, Noise Ninja, Unsharp Mask, dust & scratch and color correction tools) These filters must be applied uniformly to the entire image. No effect filters may be used past Noise and Gaussian Blur.
• Saturate / desaturate or change the colors of your entry, but only as applied to the whole image
• Add a border to the outside edge of your image, if it's easily visible as such
• Use RAW conversion software, so long as all changes are made globally

You may NOT:

• Spot edit the entry, except to remove sensor dust or hot pixels
• Submit the same image in two consecutive contests
• Submit any image that previously won or an image that was picked for voting less then 5 weeks ago
• Submit more than one image per contest
• Make any edits to a selection of the image
• Add objects or features (such as text, lens flare, clip art, renders, parts from other photos) to the image
• Remove objects or features other then sensor dust/hot pixels
• Distort or stretch the image in any way
• Submit a photo containing anything that goes against the general rules of the site (nudity, etc)

[>LuSt<]

okay..i have a question..im not all that familar with the photography lingo so to speak.. so what exactly do you mean by the EXIF??

[Kaitou Ace]

Every digital camera saves the settings you used when you took a picture (even a cell phone) If you take a look at the camera files in windows xp, and right click, going to properties you'll be able to go to properties, and then advanced, to see something like the attachment

[Capernicus]

Wait...so would something like this work then?

[Kaitou Ace]

Yup, works perfectly. You used a Kodak Easyshare C643 Digital
Flash was on, 18mm (108mm equiv on a 35mm) and 1/125th of a second, at f 4.8 and ISO 140, and camera was in auto mode ^_^

[Capernicus]

o____O;;; Dood...I don't speak camera.

I just won't adjust any of mah entries and that should be fine. Can't anyway....no photoshop. ;__; So, we telling time on Eastern Standard Time? >.>

[Kaitou Ace]

Well your camera does ^_^

[Buruku]

Yup, works perfectly. You used a Kodak Easyshare C643 Digital
Flash was on, 18mm (108mm equiv on a 35mm) and 1/125th of a second, at f 4.8 and ISO 140, and camera was in auto mode ^_^

O_O Did you figure that out by just looking at the picture??

This looks like fun! Though I wont be able to enter one by this friday, I still need my camer's usb cord. But I look forward to next weeks.

[Fabala]

No, you can see all that information under the advanced properties for the picture. I've attached what I could see about Cap's picture. That's all Ace used ^_~ Seemed like magic to me at first too, lol.

Oh, and I love the idea of contests. I'll be sure to enter as soon as I get my replacement camera. It'll probably be a few weeks, having to be shipped from around the world and all ;p

[Capernicus]

Will there be a feline themed contest soon? I'd really like to use a pic of that one. She was a stray cat that hung around outside my work for years, until 6 months ago. She was really friendly, as you can tell.

[wizzanator]

There may be a feline contest ^^;;

If you have any other suggestions for the contests just mention them ^^;

And I guess I should write a small tutorial of the so-called "camera talk"

[niKopol]

I hope this will still be around in six months. Cause this a good idea. We get to be artistic with the camera. So is it art immitating life or life immitating art?

[OminousCloud]

That kinda sucks that we can't utilise the weekend for the first contest, oh well.

[Daenerys]

I have a question. Can we post a photo, that is ONE image, but split into three different sections?

[>LuSt<]

There may be a feline contest ^^;;

If you have any other suggestions for the contests just mention them ^^;

And I guess I should write a small tutorial of the so-called "camera talk"

oo please do!! that would help ppl like cap and i..i get lost in the vocabulary as well... its like speaking to me in germen. lol

[Jagan Eye]

Mentioning: I think there should be a cake themed contest. xD

[Kaitou Ace]

I have a question. Can we post a photo, that is ONE image, but split into three different sections?

Ah not sure about that O_o; it may be more editing than is allowed by the rules, but post the image, or PM it to me, and I'll say if it's within the rules or not ^_^;

[Fabala]

Definitely a black and white contest. Only trouble is whether it would be open only to people who have camera that can take pictures in black and white, or whether Photoshopping a color photo would be allowed. Hmmm.

Mer. Camera cannot come fast enough!

[niKopol]

Definitely a black and white contest. Only trouble is whether it would be open only to people who have camera that can take pictures in black and white, or whether Photoshopping a color photo would be allowed. Hmmm.

Mer. Camera cannot come fast enough!

I have photoshoped photos into B&W before and it still shows the camera info so that isn't a problem. So it should be fine as long as you make the whole picture B&W from what I read.

[Kaitou Ace]

Yeah, the rules allow basic photoshop work including adjusting colors, curves, levels, all of it, but you have to apply the changes evenly to the entire image, and you can't add or remove elements.
So making the entire image black and white is perfectly allowed by the rules ^_^ and there is no reason not to submit black and white images to any of the contests, but we may indeed have a b&w only contest in the future.

[Key]

About the rules, can I manipulate the photo? As in, using filter...erm, more like in deviantart...something like, a fantasy/photo-like feel...

[wizzanator]

About the rules, can I manipulate the photo? As in, using filter...erm, more like in deviantart...something like, a fantasy/photo-like feel...

Well all depends on what filter ...
Lets say all filters in PS under "Filters" (except noise reduction, smart blur, unsharpen mask and smart sharp) are not allowed

Under "Image -> adjustment" the not allowed are "Replace Color", "Gradient Map", "Threshold", "Posterize", "Equalize"

Adding text is also not allowed, adding a border is allowed.

[UrusaiSevera]

Ok so I tried to get the EFIX info you guys were talking about, but when I go to properties... it doesn't have an advanced option -_-"... perhaps it's just stupid IE...

But contest sounds great and the rules are clear to me!! Btw are we going to start this week ?? Or will the kick-off be the weekend after that ?

EDIT: nvm I just saw it xD

[Key]

Well all depends on what filter ...
Lets say all filters in PS under "Filters" (except noise reduction, smart blur, unsharpen mask and smart sharp) are not allowed

Under "Image -> adjustment" the not allowed are "Replace Color", "Gradient Map", "Threshold", "Posterize", "Equalize"

Adding text is also not allowed, adding a border is allowed.

Sigh...looks harder than I thought. Cus usually I use noise and smart sharpen.
Gonna be a hard one to manipulate without those things...

[Kaitou Ace]

You can do noise cleanup and sharpen filters, ones that impact the whole image. You just can't use filters that greatly alter the image, or ones that add or remove elements.