Hello everyone,



I am very happy to announce that an idea we've had in the back of our minds for a good while has finally been brought to life! Today we're officially unveiling the PentaxForums Exclusive Gallery, which is conceptually similar to Pentax's PPG. At first, we wanted this gallery to also appear fancy and have cool effects, but we found that other solutions wouldn't offer the level of integration that this one did. So, let's jump right in to what we're looking at here.

Our Exclusive Gallery will become a collection of only the best photos taken by our users. Only PentaxForums.com users will be able to submit to this gallery. We will also be imposing certain quality standards to make sure the photos are at their very best.

To submit a photo to the gallery, simply click the 'upload' link in the upper gallery toolbar, or click here. The submission form is the same as that in our other gallery categories, so you should already be familiar with the controls. The following will be required of each photo:

• JPEG format and compression at 90%-100% (9-12).
• A resolution of at least 1024x700 (WxH or HxW) pixels; preferably around 1500 or 2000px on one edge
  
• Full EXIF left intact in the file, if digital
• Manual addition of EXIF metadata, if film
  
• A photo description and complete camera/lens fields
• If you choose to place copyright text in your photo, please do so in the lower-right or lower-left corner only
• No added frames, borders, or drawings
  
• Taken with a Pentax camera (no exceptions)
• Limit 2 submissions per user day (to be fair to our judges)
  

If your photo conforms to these regulations, it will then be evaluated by the site staff. If the photo is good enough, it'll be approved into the gallery; if not, we'll simply move it to a regular category. You will be able to submit as many photos as you'd like until 10 have been approved in the gallery. This limit is currently going to be in place so that every photographer gets about equal exposure, but may increase in the future.

Why this is going to be better than the PPG:

• Not a slow flash-based gallery
• Large resolutions will be available for your viewing pleasure
  
• Comments can be made
• More great photos will be posted!
• Feedback on your photo will be e-mailed to you once a decision has been made
• The approval decision will be made within 1 week at most (apply to be a judge)
  
• Status tracking at https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/galleryapprove.php?do=status and updates on status via e-mail
• It's integrated with your favorite photo forum
  

And, best of all:

• If 5 or your photos get approved into the gallery, you will be invited to become an Exclusive Gallery judge

So, why wait? Upload your best now!

A note to newbies: the gallery is accessible through the 'photos' button in the navbar. Simply click it and then select 'User Photo Gallery' from the menu.

Enjoy, guys! I'm very excited to be bringing you this.

Photos accepted into the gallery will also be tagged as "exclusive" in gallery searches and listings, and within the exclusive category, supersized thumbnails will be shown!

[Nass]

If the above example is anything to go by, looks to me like there's resizing going on and that might explain the fuzziness. ManhattanProject, your actual image is 800px wide but onscreen it's more like 890 - being stretched. Take a screenshot, measure it, you'll see what I mean. Should be 800 fullsize but it's displayed at 890.

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Last edited by Nass; 09-10-2010 at 05:47 AM.

[Adam]

If you attach a photo exceeding the attachment limits, only then will it be compressed. (at 0.75 quality I believe)

In the gallery, thumbnails (small, medium, and large) are compressed at 0.90, but the originals (accessible by clicking the large thumbnail) remain unchanged.

One remark regarding the PEG submissions: there have been lots of technically-great insect submissions lately, but keep in mind that good documentation doesn't necessarily make a good photograph. We now therefore increasingly selective with insect macros. This wasn't the case in the past, and there won't be any retroactive removals except those requested by the individual.

[yeatzee]

Which one is it? Some of your macro photography is excellent. I'd be surprised if one of your best ones doesn't make it in.

So far rejected:














and the list goes on and on...

[Adam]

Is that yellow one giving birth to that thing, or trying to eat it?

Adam
PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide | Site Help | My Photography)



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[yeatzee]

Is that yellow one giving birth to that thing, or trying to eat it?

Its eating the aphid

[Class A]

We now therefore increasingly selective with insect macros. This wasn't the case in the past, and there won't be any retroactive removals except those requested by the individual.

If you ask me, that's just plain wrong. This establishes a double standard. If you were early, you could sneak in a shot that wouldn't be accepted anymore today. Where's the fairness in that?

1. This policy leads to a gallery with quality range that is wider than it could be, and
2. it leads to submitter frustration as they see images in the gallery that are worse then their rejects.

I can see why yeatzee is not a happy puppy.

Some of his great shots easily beat some of the images already present in the gallery and rejecting them would only be possible if the lesser images in the gallery were removed too, AFAIC.

[GregK8]

I don't have any idea how to evaluate a photograph, but I find this to be an absolutely astounding image.

[ManhattanProject]

I don't have any idea how to evaluate a photograph, but I find this to be an absolutely astounding image.

Thats part of the problem, I think, is the evaluation comes down to a very small group of people's personal preferences.

[Adam]

If you ask me, that's just plain wrong. This establishes a double standard. If you were early, you could sneak in a shot that wouldn't be accepted anymore today. Where's the fairness in that?

1. This policy leads to a gallery with quality range that is wider than it could be, and
2. it leads to submitter frustration as they see images in the gallery that are worse then their rejects.

I can see why yeatzee is not a happy puppy.

Some of his great shots easily beat some of the images already present in the gallery and rejecting them would only be possible if the lesser images in the gallery were removed too, AFAIC.

Again, this goes back to the whole technically sound vs. successful as a photograph debate. The decisions made are as objective as possible given the circumstances. See the criteria in my earlier post in this thread.

[GregK8]

Well, I'm kind of a regular lurker, occasional poster, Marketplace user and avid supporter of PF. I am really not part of any of the established social circles here on the board, so at the risk of barging into a discussion I don't belong in, I feel compelled to say something.

I am not going to criticize Adam, because it's his board at the end of the day and he can do whatever he wants. If anybody doesn't like the PEG or the way it is moderated, don't participate and don't look at it. I really like some of the images that are known to be rejected and I don't care for some of the images that were included, isn't that nature of the beast? No one is served by continuing to argue over the criteria, and someone is going to become offended over something that at the end of the day isn't really that important.

Any one of us can go create our own gallery, call it the Class A Gallery or something, ask for submissions and use whatever criteria we might want to select images for inclusion.

[Class A]

The decisions made are as objective as possible given the circumstances.

That's fine. What I'm criticising is that the criteria are changed mid-game and are not reapplied to what is already in the gallery.

If anybody doesn't like the PEG or the way it is moderated, don't participate and don't look at it.

Ask me whether I'm participating or whether I have any inclination to do so.

No one is served by continuing to argue over the criteria, and someone is going to become offended over something that at the end of the day isn't really that important.

If we all didn't care about the forum, there would be less arguments, that's right. If suggestions/objections lead to improvements then someone is served. For example, all the submitters who are currently rejected and feel that either getting in shouldn't be harder than it used to be or that every image in the gallery should be held up to the same (subjective) standard.

Any one of us can go create our own gallery, call it the Class A Gallery or something, ask for submissions and use whatever criteria we might want to select images for inclusion.

You perfectly know that the prominence of the PEG makes it a community gallery. That's why people have been arguing towards making it the best community gallery it can be. If it were any odd user's private gallery, we wouldn't have this discussion.

I'm fine if my comments are ignored. I'm offering them in the hope that someone will be able to base improvements on them.

[Boris]

One remark regarding the PEG submissions: there have been lots of technically-great insect submissions lately, but keep in mind that good documentation doesn't necessarily make a good photograph. We now therefore increasingly selective with insect macros. This wasn't the case in the past, and there won't be any retroactive removals except those requested by the individual.

Adam, if I may suggest another modification of the rules of PEG. Perhaps, along with a quota per single photographer, another quota could be introduced per single genre (per single photographer). You see, the way I see the situation now with those amazing macro shots not getting accepted in PEG is related to the number of such shots submitted and already accepted in the gallery. Perhaps, if one couldn't submit more than 2 or 3 shots of the same genre, that among other things would prevent people from being offended and also would generate certain degree of diversity in the gallery. As it is now, it seems rather lacking in diversity department.

[yeatzee]

there have been lots of technically-great insect submissions lately, but keep in mind that good documentation doesn't necessarily make a good photograph.

Than please, for the love of god, tell me what makes a good insect macro photograph in your eyes.... because at this point im clueless. I am not trying to "document" anything with these particular images, so what am I doing that constitutes them being put into this category? Please fill me in...

We now therefore increasingly selective with insect macros.

Thats just plain stupid IMO. Why should insect macro's be singled out?
It seems just about anything I do with my macro photographs, they get penalized or criticized for no apparent reason other than just because they are macro's. Far to often are they labeled as the easy way to take "good" pictures, and the comments like "shoot a macro and it will get in automatically" really piss me off because I work hard at these shots.

Im sorry, rant over.

[falconeye]

I see Adam's problem. The PEG was mutating into an insect gallery. It was long before his post. I was wondering but kept quiet

But the problem really is that no single person without long years of experience of curating a photo gallery can prevent this. The first photos of a new kind (insect macro, starry sky, eye closeup, mouth closeup, colorful staircase etc.) will catch the curator's attention and be accepted. And all the better work coming after will look like me too work to be rejected.

But hey, it is "Adam's personal picks" and Adam's ambition to compete with PPG is ... well, I think I commented about that one already, didn't I? So please, don't now be surprised. It's all logical and foreseeable.

Adam had no other chance than to do what he did. Kudos to him that he was open and told the user base about.

[petetax]

I've posted 2/3 and they have not been accepted as exclusive.
This raises the question --- was I close and to keep trying or missing some significant flaw in my work that I could learn from. Any chance of feed back, but I expect you are too busy to do this for everybody.

Also how do some pictures get the yellow star ratings, who decides that? I got 5 star on one and no stars on another that I might have expected at least one on?