Comments on: Should Photo Contests Require Original Image Files? http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/ Daily discussion of photography business issues & photography websites. Marketing and sales tips for smart photographers, plus a dose of inspiration from the PhotoShelter team. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:34:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: The use of edited photos in contests. | Bykers Blog http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-857786 The use of edited photos in contests. | Bykers Blog Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:46:20 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-857786 [...] Murabayashi. 2012. Should Photo Contests Require Original Image Files? . [ONLINE] Available at: http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/. [Accessed 14 March [...] [...] Murabayashi. 2012. Should Photo Contests Require Original Image Files? . [ONLINE] Available at: http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/. [Accessed 14 March [...]

]]> By: Thursday 29 March 2012 http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-491727 Thursday 29 March 2012 Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:54:39 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-491727 [...] [...] [...] [...]

]]> By: Mark http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-81096 Mark Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:42:58 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-81096 I am not saying that having this discussion is wrong, no discussion can really be a bad thing but this particular debate has been around as long as photography in one way, shape or form. Photography is all about an image, competition is all about having the best image you can make. As long as the content has not altered then the winner will be judged on its merits. Digital practice has made the kind of post production we see today commonplace and I think as an industry we have to accept that things are moving on. There never has been a level playing field and there never will. Its all about what you can get away with. I am not saying anything goes, but the limitations will never be universal, so lets leave the competition rules to those who write them and enjoy some of the cracking inspirations that are delivered. No doubt there will also be some of bad taste too that we can cringe at. I am not saying that having this discussion is wrong, no discussion can really be a bad thing but this particular debate has been around as long as photography in one way, shape or form. Photography is all about an image, competition is all about having the best image you can make. As long as the content has not altered then the winner will be judged on its merits. Digital practice has made the kind of post production we see today commonplace and I think as an industry we have to accept that things are moving on. There never has been a level playing field and there never will. Its all about what you can get away with. I am not saying anything goes, but the limitations will never be universal, so lets leave the competition rules to those who write them and enjoy some of the cracking inspirations that are delivered. No doubt there will also be some of bad taste too that we can cringe at.

]]> By: Meryl Schenker http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-80093 Meryl Schenker Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:48:58 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-80093 Thank you for your thoughtful article. I like your criteria. but on the first photo, I dont see the problem. Maybe because it's small? I have always thought that what could be done in a darkroom (such as dodging and burning) should be permitted. Thank you for your thoughtful article. I like your criteria. but on the first photo, I dont see the problem. Maybe because it’s small? I have always thought that what could be done in a darkroom (such as dodging and burning) should be permitted.

]]> By: Ian Martin http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-80081 Ian Martin Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:17:23 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-80081 Thoughtful guidelines from photo editor Mike Davis on this issue: http://www.michaelddavis.com/blog/2012/2/1/wheres-the-line-on-toning-photos-especially-for-contests.html Thoughtful guidelines from photo editor Mike Davis on this issue: http://www.michaelddavis.com/blog/2012/2/1/wheres-the-line-on-toning-photos-especially-for-contests.html

]]> By: Ian Martin http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-80079 Ian Martin Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:11:50 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-80079 And film-based photographers should ship their original, irreplaceable negatives or slides to be considered? Then it'd only be digital photographers competing, and that would be everyone's loss. And film-based photographers should ship their original, irreplaceable negatives or slides to be considered? Then it’d only be digital photographers competing, and that would be everyone’s loss.

]]> By: james tourtellotte http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-79991 james tourtellotte Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:46:53 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-79991 In the darkroom we used to manipulate contrast, brightness, tonality, dodge and burn, tone and so on. One of the most common things was to burn around the edges to draw the eye toward the center or to the subject. Unless this changes the image materially who cares? If you don't care for the way it looks, fine. If you like the way it looks, fine. This is just photography. Relax a little. In the darkroom we used to manipulate contrast, brightness, tonality, dodge and burn, tone and so on. One of the most common things was to burn around the edges to draw the eye toward the center or to the subject. Unless this changes the image materially who cares? If you don’t care for the way it looks, fine. If you like the way it looks, fine. This is just photography. Relax a little.

]]> By: Weekly roundup | 10.03.2012 | João Almeida Photography|Blog http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-79559 Weekly roundup | 10.03.2012 | João Almeida Photography|Blog Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:46:03 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-79559 [...] Should Photo Contests Require Original Image Files? | PhotoShelter Blog [...] [...] Should Photo Contests Require Original Image Files? | PhotoShelter Blog [...]

]]> By: Roger Crowley http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-79528 Roger Crowley Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:59:54 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-79528 I think somewhere between the "extreme purist" and the "extreme manipulator" there's a way to judge photos and be fair even with all the post-production tools being used. The idea that what comes out of the camera is the purest image is a bit extreme. We all know that cameras can be tuned to do a lot of production work as you shoot. I have 3 different camera settings that control the 18+ custom functions built into my camera. Maybe we'll start studing metadata as part of the photograph and claim that Custom function B should not be allowed. Splitting hairs over what tools are allowed can get complicated. Is flash allowed? Is flash with diffuser allowed? Is flash, diffuser and CTO gel allowed? Some of the papers I work for don't print all photos in color so many times they are converted to B/W and they may tell a better story. I crop every photo. I use levels, curves, adjust saturation, sharpen and do what needs to be done to make the image look as real as when I was there. Sometimes a just a little, sometimes more than that. Setting a limit of say 20% opacity doesn't take into account the environment when making the photo. 23% might be needed . . . All contests can't have the same rules but each contest needs to be up front before judging. I want to be able to use all the tools in my bag to make pictures. Some of those pictures won't necessarily fit into some contests and can't be used with my newspaper clients but I know the difference. It's spelled out to me. Contests should also be clearly spelled out as to what is allowed and what is not within reason. If every picture we look at becomes an exercise in finding manipulation and technical fault then we loose the reason why we make pictures in the first place. At deadline my editor asks where's the art? He does not ask where are the RAW files? Although I'd better not delete those RAW files just in case... I think somewhere between the “extreme purist” and the “extreme manipulator” there’s a way to judge photos and be fair even with all the post-production tools being used. The idea that what comes out of the camera is the purest image is a bit extreme. We all know that cameras can be tuned to do a lot of production work as you shoot. I have 3 different camera settings that control the 18+ custom functions built into my camera. Maybe we’ll start studing metadata as part of the photograph and claim that Custom function B should not be allowed. Splitting hairs over what tools are allowed can get complicated. Is flash allowed? Is flash with diffuser allowed? Is flash, diffuser and CTO gel allowed? Some of the papers I work for don’t print all photos in color so many times they are converted to B/W and they may tell a better story. I crop every photo. I use levels, curves, adjust saturation, sharpen and do what needs to be done to make the image look as real as when I was there. Sometimes a just a little, sometimes more than that. Setting a limit of say 20% opacity doesn’t take into account the environment when making the photo. 23% might be needed . . .

All contests can’t have the same rules but each contest needs to be up front before judging. I want to be able to use all the tools in my bag to make pictures. Some of those pictures won’t necessarily fit into some contests and can’t be used with my newspaper clients but I know the difference. It’s spelled out to me. Contests should also be clearly spelled out as to what is allowed and what is not within reason.

If every picture we look at becomes an exercise in finding manipulation and technical fault then we loose the reason why we make pictures in the first place. At deadline my editor asks where’s the art? He does not ask where are the RAW files? Although I’d better not delete those RAW files just in case…

]]> By: Erika Schultz http://blog.photoshelter.com/2012/03/should-photo-contests-require-original-image-files/#comment-79052 Erika Schultz Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:03:50 +0000 http://blog.photoshelter.com/?p=20138#comment-79052 Hi Alan, I work for a newspaper, and do to the high volume of assignments and archiving, we mostly we shoot JPEGs. A couple of us were interested — How do you translate 20 percent in levels or curves? Erika Hi Alan,
I work for a newspaper, and do to the high volume of assignments and archiving, we mostly we shoot JPEGs. A couple of us were interested — How do you translate 20 percent in levels or curves?

Erika

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