Heritage week/Pixie Photo comp - did not win -totally gutted!!!

Valentia

I'm absolutely amazed I didn't win this competition. What the **** is going on? Don't the people who judge these things know the least shagging thing about photography? Jasus H Christ!!!

The winners are here.

Seriously though, I'm still trying to figure out what a bubble has to do with our heritage. In fact the criteria that they laid down for the competition seem to have been ignored when it came to judgeing.

Fenster

Valentia wrote: »

I'm absolutely amazed I didn't win this competition. What the **** is going on? Don't the people who judge these things know the least shagging thing about photography? Jasus H Christ!!!

The winners are here.

Seriously though, I'm still trying to figure out what a bubble has to do with our heritage. In fact the criteria that they laid down for the competition seem to have been ignored when it came to judgeing.

Those are some pretty 'feh' photos alright.

whyulittle

They probably didn't like the light in yours!

PCPhoto

can we see yours ?

was this a competition aimed at kids (some of the winners are VERY young)....Fenster - what age are ya ? (not bein' nosey but they might have just wanted kids)

xia

Valentia wrote: »

I'm still trying to figure out what a bubble has to do with our heritage.

Well...Children are the next generation to learn about heritage...and we need water to survive???

Everybody looks differently at pictures I guess - especially judges.

DaireQuinlan

By the looks of things a neat byline probably had as much if not more to do with selecting the winners than any desire to select quality pictures.
"mother and daughter scoop prizes" indeed ...
OTOH maybe all the other entries are appalling !!?!

Tallon

TBH that bubble photo is pretty cool, its a nice photo.
Its natural, spontainious & fun

You have to think, was this aimed at the 'serious photographer' ?

Prizes were divided into three categories of Adult (over 21), Youth (13-21) and Junior (7-12).

!!

Tallon

Valentia wrote: »

Seriously though, I'm still trying to figure out what a bubble has to do with our heritage. In fact the criteria that they laid down for the competition seem to have been ignored when it came to judgeing.

Just to ad, if you read the article you'll see why the judges chose each picture, the books are heritage, the kids learning about water is heritage, waterford bridge is "heritage for the future", and the heritage centre.... well, you get the idea!

Valentia

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

OTOH maybe all the other entries are appalling !!?!

How bloody dare you!!!

Valentia

Tallon wrote: »

Just to ad, if you read the article you'll see why the judges chose each picture, the books are heritage, the kids learning about water is heritage, waterford bridge is "heritage for the future", and the heritage centre.... well, you get the idea!

Indeed I don't get the idea at all. That's my point.

Valentia

Tallon wrote: »

TBH that bubble photo is pretty cool, its a nice photo.
Its natural, spontainious & fun

You have to think, was this aimed at the 'serious photographer' ?

!!

You are joking?

Tallon

Im not joking, at all.
you seem to think that a photo that takes x amount of time with x gear is automatically better than a P&S / camera phone or whatever shot.

Valentia wrote: »

Indeed I don't get the idea at all. That's my point.

You don't get the idea of a father and son sitting on front of a heritage centre has to do with a photo competiton about heritage?

Im confused as to why you are so upset about the outcome.

Valentia

Tallon wrote: »

Im not joking, at all.
you seem to think that a photo that takes x amount of time with x gear is automatically better than a P&S / camera phone or whatever shot.



You don't get the idea of a father and son sitting on front of a heritage centre has to do with a photo competiton about heritage?

Im confused as to why you are so upset about the outcome.

I'm not upset at all. What are you talking about the father and son thing? Your comment about the "bubble photo is pretty cool" is indeed true but what on earth has it got to do with our heritage. A bubble made out of water and some washing up liquid connected to our heritage? Now that's stretching it!

There are many photos entered that would have fitted the criteria better. Mine are not that great at all to be honest and if you didn't recognise the first bit of my OP for what it was well it just goes to prove how difficult irony is on a written forum...;)

DaireQuinlan

Valentia wrote: »

How bloody dare you!!!

Present company excepted of course :-)

DaireQuinlan

Tallon wrote: »

Im not joking, at all.
you seem to think that a photo that takes x amount of time with x gear is automatically better than a P&S / camera phone or whatever shot.

Now thats just patronising. I sincerely doubt that's what Valentia was getting at. However, it IS just a bit of a mediocre snapshot, it could have just as easily been taken using a couple of thousand euro DSLR as with a P&S, the camera is pretty irrelevent.

Valentia

Tallon wrote: »

you seem to think that a photo that takes x amount of time with x gear is automatically better than a P&S / camera phone or whatever shot..

How did I miss that? Hardly worth commenting on though! In fact not worth commenting on at all. See? I'm a man of my word!

Tallon

Valentia wrote: »

I'm not upset at all. What are you talking about the father and son thing? Your comment about the "bubble photo is pretty cool" is indeed true but what on earth has it got to do with our heritage. A bubble made out of water and some washing up liquid connected to our heritage? Now that's stretching it!

I said the "the heritage centre.... you get the idea" as in, if you dont know that the picture is about heritage, your a bit on the non-responsive side.

...as for the bubble, if you read the article, as I said, you would see that it was taken at the national heritage week, teaching kids about water! nuff said

Valentia

Tallon wrote: »

nuff said

I think so. My brain is sore.

GhostInTheRuins

Ah ****e, I was planning on entering this one and all, stupid memory.

Corkfeen

Valentia, I've taken a heritage week photo just for you. It evokes heritage while jumping out at you at the same time. Possibly my finest to date.


No photoshopping required.

Valentia

Corkfeen wrote: »

Valentia, I've taken a heritage week photo just for you. It evokes heritage while jumping out at you at the same time. Possibly my finest to date.

To say I'm flattered would be an understatement Thank you soooooo much!

tororosso

Just wondering do any of these photo competitions ever adhere to the central tenet of picking a decent photograph?! I know this will lead to the question: What is a decent photograph? But Mother and Daughter winning an award in the same competition just reeks of an agenda to get a nice headline that makes people watching Nationwide or something go "Ahh":rolleyes:

I think I found the Bubble photos link to heritage....the red t-shirt with the big letters in white "AIG" :pac:

smash

Valentia wrote: »

Seriously though, I'm still trying to figure out what a bubble has to do with our heritage.

Yea, a bubble and a Man Utd jersey... a lot of Irish heritage there!

pete4130

It's similar to what I wrote about in the thread about the Metro Photo Challenge....it comes down to people in charge/judging who don't know what they are looking at photographically deciding who should win. I've already come to accept that most of these type of competitions are going to be rampant with poor judging by people who don't have much of a clue.
Don't let it get to you...not worth it!

Jemmy

I've just taken a read through and your disappointed you didnt winner or whatever but you still haven't posted your shot for us to see!

It seems to me it was more an amateur/youth competition and not aimed towards professional, top gear photographers. There is nothing wrong with the winning shots for this kind of competition imo. From the winning shots it seems they are going to try show the lighter side of learning for kids, nothing serious.

Valentia

How do I explain? Right.

I don't give a horses ass that I didn't win. I've said that my shots aren't particularly good, so there isn't much point putting them here. You wouldn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to find them though if you are that keen to see them.

I am well aware of the idiosyncracies of judges, not just in this field so I am more surprised when there is logical outcome. I'll keep entering though but I might start picking shots that have nothing to do with the guidelines. It seems to be the best way of increasing th odds of winning! :-p)

Covey

Hi D.

Given up the competitive sh*t. My entry, but I was on holiday as you know, would have been your esteemed neighbour doing his "ballet" stand on your toes step Sean Nos Troubadour , the great Máirtín Mac Donncha from Rath Chairn.

Now thats heritage worth recording.

T.

Thirdfox

My sister is going to be crushed...she had her heart set on winning the junior category.

Though I suppose being able to get photos of wild deer at Glendalough was amazing enough in itself.

If I may be so presumptuous to put up her photos (I'm sure she'd be happy to know that someone looked at her photos at least )

(Glendalough)

(Glenveagh castle)

(Glendalough)

kumate_champ07

I had 4 entries in a local comp that not many people knew about. I entered the amateur section, there was a 1st prize of 500 and 2nd prize of 250 in that section
I mounted the 4 myself and had my dad hand deliver them as post would miss the deadline. it took them an extra few months to pick the winners, I rang every few weeks looking for an update, even called into their building.

I was excited for months and couldnt wait to win something as I needed money!

this won the pro section but Im not sure if it was this year, I didnt bother going to their award ceremony and they dont have the winners listed online

this is what I entered in the amateur section(there was sections just for kids too)


heres 2 more I entered
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs40/f/2009/006/4/b/4be0dd15e5ba4fb7e8b281d313780864.jpg
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs40/f/2009/006/f/3/f3fc9850adb2a89d476407e94d804740.jpg

I called into them and the guy there went and checked thru the winners names and told me I wasnt on the list of winners. I felt rejected inside, I just wish I could see the winners, Im not big headed, i put work into the enteries and I knew there wouldnt be many other people in the area entering a photography competition so I thought I had a really good chance.

kumate_champ07

I wasnt going to say who the comp was for but...

http://www.kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/Environment/Photography/

they sent me an email telling me about the 2009/2010 competition. I got my camera out straight away and got to work...ye right!

Thirdfox

I think the trick is not to expect anything and winning is an unexpected bonus... be happy in the fact that you got a picture that you're proud of.

For one competition I entered and didn't win I liked my image enough to have it printed to a large size and mount it on my wall...to me that image calls to me (maybe not others but meh).

kumate_champ07

Thirdfox wrote: »

I think the trick is not to expect anything and winning is an unexpected bonus... be happy in the fact that you got a picture that you're proud of.

well ye Im proud of it, I had to hang off a tree trunk over the river liffey and not drop my gear in.

But this was a comp I almost 100% thought Id win, usually Id just forget about it. Like last week I won an online comp that I forgot entering, altho it was only very small compared to the kildare one as far as the prize went

derokid

To me heritage are practices that are handed down from the past by tradition.

Blowing bubbles with some boy in a man Utd jersey standing beside is as far from irish heritage as you could possibly get.

The judges said that the loved the colours.... UTD supporter... The loved the Bubble... Simpleton and the loved the children learning about water... ah theres the heritage element... we've had a tradition of water in Ireland for quite some time..

It screams of FIX FIX FIX!!!! they dont know what they were supposed to be looking for...

CabanSail

I stuck some images in a competition last year just for the fun of it. Was allowed three entries, had decided on two & was throwing another in to make up the numbers. Then at the last minute I changed my mind and stuck in another image I had been working on. There was a long wait & I sort of forgot about the whole thing until I got a phone call saying I had won a prize. Blow me down it was the after thought photo & it had taken first place. I won a lovely Macbook which was a brilliant prize too.

Valentia

Let's just forget about the quality of shots for a moment and look at the rules and guidelines.

The shots had to be taken during Heritage Week and at a Heritage week event. That excluded most a large number of the shots entered.

The guidelines also say this: "Capture the connection between people, environment and heritage in imaginative ways and share your National Heritage Week experiences....."

Here are two of mine especially for Jemmy:







As far as competitions go I won €1000 in the Irish Times awhile ago in The Call of the Wild one and had the shot exhibited all over St. Stephen's Green. Ament I the mighty one. Eh?

DaireQuinlan

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

I was excited for months and couldnt wait to win something as I needed money!

this won the pro section (SWAN) but Im not sure if it was this year, I didnt bother going to their award ceremony and they dont have the winners listed online

this is what I entered in the amateur section(there was sections just for kids too)
(SWAN)

I hope Melekalikimaka doesn't see this thread :eek::eek:

Covey

Luckily I was away on holiday Danny. I'm sure my shots of the sean nos dancing in Athboy would have gone down a treat

Valentia

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

But this was a comp I almost 100% thought Id win,

Holy cow! Boy weren't you lucky no one else had the idea of entering a photo of a swan. In future I wouldn't be so sure. To avoid possible disappointment like :rolleyes:

Valentia

Covey wrote: »

Luckily I was away on holiday Danny. I'm sure my shots of the sean nos dancing in Athboy would have gone down a treat

I'm fairly it shold have wiped the floor Tommie. Should have but sure the lovely expert judges and all that! :P

Please post it here. It's a class photo.

Covey

Here it is then. It shows the wonderful sean nos dancer Máirtín Mac Donncha, now in his seventies and still able to stand on his toes, ballet style mid performance. As ancient an art as there is in Ireland. Would it have got anywhere .. of course not.

DaireQuinlan

Covey wrote: »

Here it is then. It shows the wonderful sean nos dancer Máirtín Mac Donncha, now in his seventies and still able to stand on his toes, ballet style mid performance. As ancient an art as there is in Ireland. Would it have got anywhere .. of course not.

Of course not :rolleyes: If he was standing on tip-toes whilst wearing some english football club jersey and blowing bubbles on the other hand ...

dudara

I've started to enter a few comps lately - trying hard to take a unique photo - and then I see the winners and feel very disappointed when I see the standard of the majority of winners.

But hey, I'll persevere. Here are the results of a competition I entered recently for Saol na nGael - I think the winners are decent enough for a change.

Ballyman

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

I wasnt going to say who the comp was for but...

http://www.kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/Environment/Photography/

they sent me an email telling me about the 2009/2010 competition. I got my camera out straight away and got to work...ye right!

The theme of this competition is to take a photo of something that shows Kildare in the best light that you can manage.

I was at the awards night this year and boy was the theme dumped out the window There were three different groups I think, Professional, Amateur and Junior.

Now to be fair, the standard of shots that won were very good. There were no what you might call snapshots and all the winners had perfectly exposed and presented shots. The swan shot by the supposed Pro you showed above wouldn't have made runners up in the junior section.

But most of them had nothing to do with the theme. The amateur section was won with a macro shot of an acorn and second in the Pro was a robin. Lots of Kildare in good light there I can tell ya And to top it off, the amateur and junior section was won by father and daughter
To be fair to them though they were excellent shots, especially the acorn one but my argument is why bother with a theme if this is going to be the case.

Another example was the Goal comp on the Late Late Show last year where the theme was to take a photo of your goals for the year. They even gave examples on the website of, "maybe it's a mountain you want to climb, or a river you want to swim" etc. The winning shot (which was excellent btw) was of an old guy sitting sadly at a table drinking tea!! What was the photographers goal here? Grow old and drink tea???

The best thing to do here is if you want to enter a competition then belt away and do so. And then forget about it. You have as much chance of winning as you have winning the lottery as from what I can see the same criteria is used, picking out a few numbers at random.

If you win, you win. If you don't, you don't. Just don't get too cut up about it.

Chorcai

steve06 wrote: »

Yea, a bubble and a Man Utd jersey... a lot of Irish heritage there!

I don't get the bubble thing either.. as for the Man-u jersey :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I'm not a football fan either

I forgot I had pictures I could had entered into the comp...

kumate_champ07

Valentia wrote: »

Holy cow! Boy weren't you lucky no one else had the idea of entering a photo of a swan. In future I wouldn't be so sure. To avoid possible disappointment like :rolleyes:

it was 2 swans! its not just a snapsot of a swan on water

kumate_champ07

Ballyman wrote: »

The theme of this competition is to take a photo of something that shows Kildare in the best light that you can manage.

I was at the awards night this year and boy was the theme dumped out the window There were three different groups I think, Professional, Amateur and Junior.

Now to be fair, the standard of shots that won were very good. There were no what you might call snapshots and all the winners had perfectly exposed and presented shots. The swan shot by the supposed Pro you showed above wouldn't have made runners up in the junior section.

But most of them had nothing to do with the theme. The amateur section was won with a macro shot of an acorn and second in the Pro was a robin. Lots of Kildare in good light there I can tell ya And to top it off, the amateur and junior section was won by father and daughter
To be fair to them though they were excellent shots, especially the acorn one but my argument is why bother with a theme if this is going to be the case.

Another example was the Goal comp on the Late Late Show last year where the theme was to take a photo of your goals for the year. They even gave examples on the website of, "maybe it's a mountain you want to climb, or a river you want to swim" etc. The winning shot (which was excellent btw) was of an old guy sitting sadly at a table drinking tea!! What was the photographers goal here? Grow old and drink tea???

The best thing to do here is if you want to enter a competition then belt away and do so. And then forget about it. You have as much chance of winning as you have winning the lottery as from what I can see the same criteria is used, picking out a few numbers at random.

If you win, you win. If you don't, you don't. Just don't get too cut up about it.

Why dont they have any of the photos online? Well I'm glad the standard was high. I think I saw the Goal photo, It was a classic photo of 'closeup of old person with many deep wrinkles'?.

Sure that acorn could have come from anywhere, I hope they checked it to make sure it was a Kildare acorn!

nilhg

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

Sure that acorn could have come from anywhere, I hope they checked it to make sure it was a Kildare acorn!

The acorn would have fitted the theme quite well Kildare = Cill Dara = Oak Church, take a look at the Kildare county crest pride of place to the Oak Tree.

Valentia

Chorcai wrote: »

I forgot I had pictures I could had entered into the comp...

Looks like the clothing would have gone down well with the judges anyway

Valentia

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

it was 2 swans! its not just a snapsot of a swan on water

You are not trying to wind me up, are you?

humberklog

Valentia wrote: »

You are not trying to wind me up, are you?

Gotta agree here, that's some confidence to have about a pic of swans.

Back on topic...does it smart being beaten by a girl Valentia?

delly

Valentia wrote: »

The guidelines also say this: "Capture the connection between people, environment and heritage in imaginative ways and share your National Heritage Week experiences....."

I'm sorry, but the below pic fits perfectly into the above guideline if you ask me, considering the where and the why of the event it was taken at.