Pentax Galleries Question - Page 4

TaoMaas · 08-06-2008, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by Matjazz

In some way I actually like the way PPG works - my pictures are being judged by people that don't know me a bit and are unbiased in that regard. The picture is then either good or not.

Do NOT take PPG as an indication of whether your pictures are good or not. Granted, if you get one in, that's a fairly good indication that a large number of people understood what you were trying to say so there's reason to feel good about that. But a rejection doesn't mean a picture isn't good. As we've seen from the accounts of folks on this forum, there are pictures that are great pics by any reasonable measure, but for some reason they don't make the cut in the PPG. So who's right about these pictures? The PPG voters? The galleries that display Rosemary's work? The corporations that use Ben's work? Whose judgement should we accept? Ultimately, I believe like a previous poster that we should accept only our own judgement. If the PPG voters like it, that's great. If they don't, eh...that's okay, too. We all need to measure our work by our own internal yardsticks because that's really all that matters and it's the thing that will keep us moving forward.

(Matjazz...even though I quoted you, I didn't mean my post as being directed towards you specifically. It's just how I think we need to look at PPG (myself included.)

*benjikan* · 08-06-2008, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by TaoMaas

Do NOT take PPG as an indication of whether your pictures are good or not. Granted, if you get one in, that's a fairly good indication that a large number of people understood what you were trying to say so there's reason to feel good about that. But a rejection doesn't mean a picture isn't good. As we've seen from the accounts of folks on this forum, there are pictures that are great pics by any reasonable measure, but for some reason they don't make the cut in the PPG. So who's right about these pictures? The PPG voters? The galleries that display Rosemary's work? The corporations that use Ben's work? Whose judgement should we accept? Ultimately, I believe like a previous poster that we should accept only our own judgement. If the PPG voters like it, that's great. If they don't, eh...that's okay, too. We all need to measure our work by our own internal yardsticks because that's really all that matters and it's the thing that will keep us moving forward.

(Matjazz...even though I quoted you, I didn't mean my post as being directed towards you specifically. It's just how I think we need to look at PPG (myself included.)

Believe me...I do not use PPG as the barometer for my images. That I leave up to myself and my clients...

Ben

*rparmar* · 08-06-2008, 07:31 AM

Originally Posted by Matjazz

You ought to click on a thumbnail to get a full picture.

Oh yeah, I know you can do this. My point is that it should be mandatory. Voting should not be allowed on a thumbnail. Bad enough that it's a low res small size screen image.

Gooshin · 08-06-2008, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by benjikan

Believe me...I do not use PPG as the barometer for my images. That I leave up to myself and my clients...

Ben

Ben, while this may be true for you, since you already have a position in the photo world, this may not be true for others.

If someone such as myself, had a small website advertising my services as a photographer, and i had a link there to the PPG (a very "flashy" site) and indicate that i have had "a number of works graciously accepted by this gallery", then i am very certain that this would seal the deal with a good number of possible clients.

maxwell1295 · 08-06-2008, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by Gooshin

Ben, while this may be true for you, since you already have a position in the photo world, this may not be true for others.

If someone such as myself, had a small website advertising my services as a photographer, and i had a link there to the PPG (a very "flashy" site) and indicate that i have had "a number of works graciously accepted by this gallery", then i am very certain that this would seal the deal with a good number of possible clients.

Hey, you may be onto something....

*straightshooter* · 08-06-2008, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by TaoMaas

Ultimately, I believe like a previous poster that we should accept only our own judgement. If the PPG voters like it, that's great. If they don't, eh...that's okay, too. We all need to measure our work by our own internal yardsticks because that's really all that matters and it's the thing that will keep us moving forward.

You're right and to be absolutely honest about it, I don't ever expect to have an image accepted by the PPG. Do I care? Well yes because it's always nice to have others validate something you have done. Will I lose sleep over it? Not a chance!

I will continue to take my pictures, print and frame or put in an album those I deem worthy and I'll continue sending images to the PPG for them to deny.

CW

MRRiley · 08-06-2008, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by rmtagg

very single one of my impressionistic photos have been rejected even with notes explaining that I do not use software or special lenses. Now one would think that pics that are accpeted to upscale fine art galleries and sold at $2,200.00 each would be of interest. Or at least as to what the camera is capable of, well and the artist too, I guess, lol

Very few artists are appreciated in their own lifetime (and most aren't even appreciated after their death) so be thankful that you are selling images for $2K each. With that kind of success, PG would be a minor feather in your cap.

MRRiley · 08-06-2008, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by Matjazz

You ought to click on a thumbnail to get a full picture.

I agree PPG can be frustrating, but with time one learns to live with it and play it as a lottery. In some way I actually like the way PPG works - my pictures are being judged by people that don't know me a bit and are unbiased in that regard. The picture is then either good or not.
What I found interesting is that "premiere collection" stayed the same ever since they introduced voting. Well almost. They updated it once in July. It grew from 83 to 86 pictures and all the new ones were from the same batch of "recently added" pictures. Seems like premiere collection isn't maintained much. Oh yes and there are images that make you wonder why they got in "premiere", but I believe all of them were added there in the very beginning of PPG. Judges should do an overhaul of "premium collection".

Thats very true. The Premiere Collection has stagnated. The need to keep it fresh and insure that only the best of the best of the best are included... Even if this means demoting early acceptances.

*kent vinyard* · 08-06-2008, 10:13 AM

Rosemary,
as Ben and others can testify, when it comes to photography it's the money that counts! I look at my photos and some are good and some are not so good, but the best ones are the ones that I have sold or have been paid for use in a publication--show me the money LOL

*rmtagg* · 08-06-2008, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by MRRiley

Very few artists are appreciated in their own lifetime (and most aren't even appreciated after their death) so be thankful that you are selling images for $2K each. With that kind of success, PG would be a minor feather in your cap.

I have to agree, Accomplishing your goals and having people willing to pay well to hang your work in their homes of offices is a big deal and is very satisfying as well. Mostly I was saying that you can't let PG be the determining factor for "what you think" the quality of your work is.

Originally Posted by kent vinyard

Rosemary,
as Ben and others can testify, when it comes to photography it's the money that counts! I look at my photos and some are good and some are not so good, but the best ones are the ones that I have sold or have been paid for use in a publication--show me the money LOL

Which is what I think I said in my first and second statements

Many of us here have successfully sold our work but yet our works may not be accepted to PPG so it shows you can not use this as a deciding factor as to how good someones work really is.

maxwell1295 · 08-06-2008, 01:16 PM

I agree, which is why I prefer to get feedback from several sources as opposed to banking on one source to validate my work. While I've had a total of 6 images accepted into the PPG, in addition to the members here, I value the LWG, CWG, and FFG a lot more than the PPG.

LWG = Loving Wife Gallery: My biggest fan and (other than myself) my biggest critic. I value her opinion more than any, especially since she might be reading this.

CWG = Co-Workers Gallery: They all love my work, which is great for the ego.

FFG = Friends and Family Gallery: They all love my work as long as it's a good photo of them.....or their kids. They can be harsh critics if I show too many wrinkles or they don't come out looking like models.

*rparmar* · 08-06-2008, 01:18 PM

Good one Maxwell! I need to remember some of those acronyms.

*benjikan* · 08-08-2008, 02:27 AM

PENTAX Photo Gallery

TaoMaas · 08-08-2008, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by benjikan

PENTAX Photo Gallery

Congratulations! Okay...now that you've had some photos accepted and some rejected, do you think the judges made the right choice? Did your favorites from the series make the cut or not? And do you detect any pattern to the selection process?

mel · 08-08-2008, 07:22 AM

I'm going to jump in here finally. I am new to the PPG and the very first image I submitted got in. But the next three were quickly rejected. I now have a slew of them under review. Looking at the rejects, and going through the voting process, I can understand pretty much why they were rejected (one of them more in principle rather than quality if anyone but me understands what I mean by that).

I have done some small-time jobs for money and I have sold a few prints, but I still got a bit of a tickle when my first image was deemed worthy by my fellows to show in this gallery. It meant other people liked it too, and not because they were just being nice.

I think the peer voting sample that is taken before they kick it out is large enough to eliminate any randomness or having-a-bad-day-ness in the voting. For a small fry nameless nobody like myself, it's quite a charge to my personal ego to be in the same gallery with the likes of Benjamin Kanarek (and my sincere apologies if my presence causes any drop in your status).

Just my own thoughts.