Photo contest guideline questions

[Equilibrium]

I thought these were the rules all along except for the limit of 4 per member per month for the Photo of the Month contest??? Am I missing something? Wasn't there a big discussion about this in February where almost all of this was ironed out already? Wasn't everyone trying to model these contests after contests on other websites? Didn't everyone decide they wanted NO manipulated photos so colors of animals and plants would be more realistic to help people identify species better but also so that people didn't end up submitting photoshopped photos of ducks with four legs and wolves with Wiley Coyote heads superimposed or who knows what all can be done with photoshop and other software? I also thought professional photographers would be welcome. I could care less if I lose out to somebody who is better than me. It isn't hard to be better than me. I think all of us do this for fun and a chance to see what everybody else takes photos of from their neck of the woods.

[Dave Stiles]

Photo of the month rule of four images will take effect starting in August. Until then add however many you wish for July, just remember I don't have a large amount of free time to judge entries - so the fewer from each person the better for me. If we want to model the contests after others found online - well, many I have seen have a limit of less than four per person...

[Hedgerowe]

I was not a member of the forum in February, so missed the discussion noted by Equilibrium. I must say that there is something to be said for limiting the number of entries but since I did not state that from the outset for the SAP contest, that horse has already left the barn.

[Fearless Weeder]

This thread has been moved to Forum Feedback from Gardening Tips, Tricks, Techniques, and Experiments to increase its visibility.

[Staff]

When originally discussing photo contests, our main concern was that our members would retain the copyright to their photos.

Who wants to enter a photo contest only to learn they missed reading the fine print and gave up their copyright when they shared a photo?

There are many photo contests that strip people of their copyright by the very act of submitting photos to contests. Wildlife Gardeners does not do this. All members who submit photos to our contests retain their copyright.

[WG Admin]

Another consideration regarding photos submitted to contests as well as photos posted in any threads was that our members not infringe on the rights of any other photographer or person.

Signed model release forms are not needed if a photo is of yourself or was taken at a public event or festival.

[Staff]

Good point. Many photo contests include rules disqualifying photos infringing on the rights of others. Our Fine Print addresses this however below is a sample of how another site addressed the issue.

If the Photograph includes other people, you must be prepared to provide a signed written personal release from all persons who appear in the Photograph submitted, authorizing use of the Photograph as provided below in "Third Party Releases/Licenses." If you are unable to provide a personal release, upon request by Sponsor and in the form provided by Sponsor, then your entry may be disqualified. You do not need to send the release with your entry. If you win, we will contact you if a model release is needed.

[trillium]

See, I guess I read this which is stickied at the top of the POTM board. It doesn't list any limits on # of pix, or ban editing. So you guys might want to change that, because I'm sure I'm not the only person who only looked at that, and did not search for older threads which discuss the topic in more detail.
Guidelines for Photo of the Month Contest

[Fearless Weeder]

You have a good point. That was originally created as a guideline to limit the pixels for the benefit of dial up and satellite members.

Determining rules for individual contests was left to the member judging the contests. We have learned there is a need for more uniformity. This will be addressed.

[joepyeweed]

I've taken lots of pictures of flowers whose color in real life is much more vivid that you can capture on film (or digitally)...especially in the middle of the day...the time of day a photo is taken has a huge effect on color.

Shall we limit all photo submissions to only those taken between the hours of 5 am and noon?

Sometimes color manipulation is necessary to better reflect reality...

I think not allowing "any" manipulation is a bit silly.

Most experienced photographers do notice when a picture has been "over" manipulated.

Perhaps just a quick note saying what edits beyond cropping have been done would be helpful for those of us who are learning.