Photo Competition - Why so few entries?

electrolyte

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I don't know if you've noticed but there are only 12 entries so far for the photo competition. That is a lot less than normal especially as there is only one week left before the competition closes. And last month there were only 30 entries - also very low.

Are people getting bored with the comp? I hope not. There are some great prizes on offer. I still enjoy entering the competition and have entered a shot most months since the comp started in Sept 2004. It was the catalyst to getting me interested in photography and is one of the reasons why I enjoy photograph so much. It would be terrible to see the comp die through lack of entries.

So come on, get entering! The theme this month is "play" by the way...
 
I'd love to enter but can never think of anything to enter! This month's topic was a bit easier but I still haven't managed to come up with anything on theme.
 
Likewise been issues with choosing something for the theme.... such wide topics actually make it much more difficult than the tighter ones.
 
agreed - got a couple of things in mind but just not had the time to get them done yet.
 
All I can think of for this month's theme is taking photo's of children playing... but we all know the problems associated with that. I've entered most months for the last year or so, but just have no idea what to do for this as the topic is too open, as mentioned above.

I'd be in favour of the winner choosing maybe three topics, and then a quick vote is held to agree on the topic - that way, if a real turkey, or difficult theme is chosen, there is a chance to veto it.

Plus, your shot is far too good for me to compete with this month Electrolyte!
 
I hold my hands up !:suicide:

Not been doing the competition for many months now. I don't visit the forums much these days either. :(
 
I am also having a real problem coming up with an idea for a suitable shot - but I have not given up yet...:rolleyes:
 
I too find the topics a bit wide and open too such interpretation that it's not easy to figure out something to enter.
 
I just have not had the motivation to take a specific photo for the competition for a long time unfortunately. I have been concentrating more on shots that I can enter in club comps but as this season is soon coming to an end I might have another crack at the comp here.
 
Apologies if the theme was a bit broad guys. I picked it on the grounds of continuing on the previous two (work..rest...) and also because it is quite wide open to interpretation in the hope of a mix of images.

I know I'm just as bad having not entered yet but I'm currently recovering from pulling my back out so haven't been able to get out and about :thumbsdow

I will definitely get an entry in though, just need to pick the right shot ;)

Cheers
Steve
 
haven't entered for a few months which is purely down to not having enough time. normally find it quite hard to come up with an idea to enter
 
Ive not been on the boards much this month mainly due to time...The BOSS is nesting at the mo and giving me lots of jobs to do,ready for when the baby arrives:rolleyes:.

I dont think the theme this month is that difficult to be honest so ill try to get and entry in before the times up...sorry about not commenting on the current entries too...I'll have a say when I post:)
 
Hope some of you do enter - it will be a better comp if you do. :thumbsup:

And if you can't think of anything to enter - don't think so literally. Play can be interpreted any number of ways, it doesn't have to be kids playing. Examples could be:

1. You could order some DVDs from play.com and take a photo of the DVDs with the receipt on show next to the DVDs

2. You could have a kick-about with some mates and take a photo of your mate taking a shot

3. Go to the theatre and either take a photo of a play or if you aren't allowed to take a photo take an artistic photo of the theatre with sign, lights etc

4. Play some snooker or pool

5. Play monopoly, cluedo etc

6. photo of your dog playing with a ball

7. The boys playing poker

There's 7 straight off without thinking too hard. It's not that difficult to think of something...
 
I always try to get an entry in :)

But I have to say, I would prefer to see a straight photographic comp, rather than a theme based one. With people just putting in what they feel is their best photograph of the month. You'll get more entries, and a much more diverse set of images that won't generate the nice, but can't see the 'britishness' in it, type comments.

Either that, or a very open genre based comp, rather than theme based. Like Portrait, Landscape, Still Life, Monochrome etc etc - or perhaps have an 'open' section every other month.

Just my 2p
 
I'm in this month, just not yet. I have a shot but might give it a day or two to get a better one. I thought I'd get something ideal from the polo the other weekend (the rich at play for example) but nothing doing.

Anyway, I know what you mean. I've missed the last 2 or 3 and have personally vowed to put the effort in. It engenders so much thought and creativity.
 
I always try to get an entry in :)

But I have to say, I would prefer to see a straight photographic comp, rather than a theme based one. With people just putting in what they feel is their best photograph of the month. You'll get more entries, and a much more diverse set of images that won't generate the nice, but can't see the 'britishness' in it, type comments.

Either that, or a very open genre based comp, rather than theme based. Like Portrait, Landscape, Still Life, Monochrome etc etc - or perhaps have an 'open' section every other month.

Just my 2p

I know you do enter most months as you do tend to win pretty regularly! Although that is an interesting idea I wouldn't like the comp to be like that. Having a theme helps me come up with a subject for my photography. I sometimes struggle to come up with a subject but if I know it's got to meet a theme - "play", "work", "levels & curves", whatever - it makes it easier for me.

I'm in this month, just not yet. I have a shot but might give it a day or two to get a better one. I thought I'd get something ideal from the polo the other weekend (the rich at play for example) but nothing doing.

Anyway, I know what you mean. I've missed the last 2 or 3 and have personally vowed to put the effort in. It engenders so much thought and creativity.

Will look forward to your entry too Tobers. Generally when Liquid doesn't win, you do! I totally agree with your last sentence though...
 
I've said my piece before about not releasing images until after close of comp.

HOWEVER, it must be darned hard for the guys running the comp, so big thanks to them, though I would assume if they could, they would make or trial a change to see how it goes.

I think many of us may have the same or similar idea(s) but do not post simply on the basis that someone else has already posted something alike. This is likely to be one area why entries could be down (not just for this months comp specifically) because we get to see other peoples work in advance.

It could also be that a given topic may not be inspriring enough to take a specific photo (Steve Green made the point about motivation).

Just my 2 cents.
 
I always try to get an entry in :)

But I have to say, I would prefer to see a straight photographic comp, rather than a theme based one. With people just putting in what they feel is their best photograph of the month. You'll get more entries, and a much more diverse set of images that won't generate the nice, but can't see the 'britishness' in it, type comments.

Either that, or a very open genre based comp, rather than theme based. Like Portrait, Landscape, Still Life, Monochrome etc etc - or perhaps have an 'open' section every other month.

Just my 2p

I completely agree with this, I would find it much easier to enter if we had genre based topics rather than theme based.

For some reason I find it incredibly difficult to come up with an image based on a theme!
 
I don't think i've ever posted in this section of the forum before, i'm quite new to photograpghy and only got a camera a few months ago. I do keep an eye on it though and it was a great resource when i was researching my camera purchase. I've checked out the comp theme for the last few months and would be keen to enter.

I agree with liquid101 in that I'd find it easier with genre rather than theme. Being quite new to all this i maybe get 3 or 4 shots a month that i'd be happy to post up and let people see/comment on and the chances of them fitting the theme are slim. It's difficult enough to find time to induldge in photography and when i do, it's more fun to just experiment and try and get good shots of whatever it is that your photographing without having to also think about specific shots to fit a theme.
 
I haven't entered the competition for a fair while now, but that's mainly down to the course i'm doing taking up most of my spare time.

I like the 'themes' as it does make you go out and get different shots to what you usually do.

I haven't actually been out with a camera for a while, but the latest unit we're doing is going to involve some heavily photoshop'd photography. I also just upgraded from my 400D to the 40D, so i'll be back on here more and entering over the summer months when we're off for nearly 3 months :clap:
 
Just thought I'd post my own thoughts about the theme/genre subject.

Liquids' comment about theme based images getting the "nice image but doesn't say 'xxx' to me" would surely just be replaced by "nice image" comments instead (as we see in the general section when we all post our shots for feedback).

A few other forums I go on (Talk Photography/DVD Forums) also have weekly/monthly competitions but theirs don't have a strict theme. As a result, even though there are some very good images submitted, it feels a bit like a massively wide 'theme' to pick an image from (none at all) which is exactly the complaint aimed towards the competition here this month from a few people in this thread. We all submit our shots throughout the month for general feedback and get a wide range of comments from the extremely detailed and constructive to "nice" and I don't see how the competition would be any different?

It seems a bit odd to have a competition with no specific boundary or structure? I could see it leading to the point where there might be 30 shots submitted ranging from a holiday snap on a beach to a heavily photoshopped 'work of art' and everything in-between with no correlation. How are these compared when there is no 'theme' to judge? I know photography is about perception and we all have our own taste but I feel a competition needs some sort of baseline to measure against.

Maybe it's just me? :)

Cheers
Steve
 
Another vote here for Liquid101's suggestion of a monthly genre rather than a theme...they run a similar style competition in Digital Photo each month, with genres tending to be things like 'Black & White' 'Landscapes' 'Portrait' etc...
 

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