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Charging to Submit
I don’t enter photography contest as much as I’m suggested to but I’ve changed that about me because it’s really a great assessment in seeing how your photographs stack up against others as well gaining the exposure that comes with winning one. Some are free while others require a fee but I confess it’s the latter that I veer to the most.
What’s wrong with free ones? Absolutely nothing but you must consider that because it’s free, the amount of entries are going to be considerably higher whereas if you pay, there’s the obligation to place extra thought on the caliber of the material that’s being submitted as oppose to submitting just because there’s a wide open door to do so.
Not always the case but a perfect illustration of this would be similar to the amount of comments a blog may receive. Are they always insightful, relevant and do they add value to the topic at hand? Absolutely not but then again there’s no velvet rope at the front to contain it unless you’re one that likes to deal with moderating comments on Wordpress.
I know I don’t which is why I side with the Sun Chronicle’s recent decision to charge $0.99 for a comment that any reader might consider submitting. Unless one has something valuable to contribute, one’s less likely to pay for something’s that’s often abused. Like Marco said, hopefully submissions would “be more civil, more intelligent, and better written.”
I can’t say that I’m overjoyed with every single one of my photographs but the ones that I feel more strongly about are the ones I don’t ever have any reservation paying $20 a piece when submitting to a contest. Whether I win is another question but at least I can stand firmly behind what I think adds substances to a less-likely-to-be saturated environment.
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Sharing Your Art
In case you’ve never read any of Seth Godin’s books, I dare you to choose any and get back to me in a week to see if any of his statments has modified your perspective on life in any way. If it does, then it means his work as an writer has translated flawlessly and for me, that same influence in this particular paragraph has opened up the chance to do something nice with my photography -
Some people think that you can’t be generous until after you become a success. They argue that they have to get theirs, and then they can go ahead and give back. The astonishing fact is that the most successful people in the world are those who don’t do it for the money. - Linchpin
Being compensated for your work is a sign of value for your craft but there’s times when the mere appreciation of your work is enough payment if the art has caused the viewer to step back a bit more to admire it. That extra step counts.
I’ll admit to being proud of having the opportunity to monetize some of my favorite photographs at Thingsshot.com but it’s not always about the hard cash.
Friends often comment how they like a particular photograph I’ve mine and I’ve surprised them by having it professionally printed, framed and ready to hang and their reaction has been one that I don’t think would have been replicated if money was involved.
With that said, I would like to give away 5 of any of the prints I have curated at Thingsshot.com. You select the one that most resonates with you, I have it printed with the great folks at Mpix and they ship it to you.
How to Win
Three 5x7 prints will given away and two 8x12. How will you know which format you’ll be receiving? It’ll all be dependent upon answering one question and sharing one photograph.
The top 2 submissions will receive the 8x12 prints and the 3 runner-ups will receive each a 5x7 print.
The Queries
- What initially interested you into photography?
- Share with us your most meaningful photograph and describe it’s significance.
This small contest will be open for a week, starting today and ending on July 8th. Send your replies and images to contact[at]jorgeq.com with the subject title “Things Shot Giveaway”. Please ensure to include your name and also a website URL if you have one.
All the winner’s questions and photographs will be published here. In the end, it’s all about sharing each other’s art. You don’t have to be a professional anything to create art. You just have to have confidence in that you’re a creator of it.
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Showcase Your Flickr Photos on London Gallery →
Leading East London photographic gallery theprintspace has announced details of a forthcoming exhibition to be compiled entirely of work by photographers on Flickr.
A different specialist in the field of photography will select the four best photographs from entries submitted by Flickr users each month to be part of the summer 2010 exhibition, giving budding photographers who don’t normally get the chance, a stage on the big scene.
Truly fantastic opportunity to extend and showcase your best work. There’s a limit of one submission per day. I’ll be submitting everyday.
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I’m a Preset Heaven Winner
As an avid Adobe Lightrooom user – my application of choice for managing and editing photos, I work with select few of presets to spruce up what I consider my best work and so back in January, Preset Heaven was holding a contest where they were seeking submissions of photos that had been modified with one of their Lightroom Preset and today I found out that I was one of the winners.
What did I win you ask? Well, the three lucky winners take with them a professional preset kit ($39.99 value) from the great folks at Wonderland Presets. Thank you guys at Preset Heaven for the selection and if you utilized Lightroom for your photography, I highly suggest you subscribe to them for invaluable advise on the craft.
