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The EXCLUSIVE GALLERY ("PEG") at PentaxForums
Posted By: Adam, 08-05-2010, 06:05 AM

Hello everyone,

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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!

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05-08-2013, 07:33 AM   #481
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Like I said above, we're Judges, not parents or disciplinarians.

05-08-2013, 08:28 AM   #482
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QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
The entry was called "The fallen" - story of a leaf on a grass - The fallen - Pentax User Photo Gallery

I guess now is a good time to say that... the foreground grass was on purpose.
I wasn't interested in a sharp image of a leaf but rather of an emotion... for some will work, for others won't.

As a parentheses... as judging goes... maybe sometimes is a good idea to move away from telling the photographer what "you think" the picture should of looked like and judge it for what it is rather than what it should be.
Some things are done on purpose .
All I can say is Touché.
I must admit the image did stir emotion in me - but it was "Oh Dear! How can I possibly rate this without destroying the self-esteem of the photographer?"
I guess for me it didn't work - not at all - sorry.
As far as advice goes, you are absolutely correct - but this image was sooooo bad that I really felt the poor entrant needed all the help and advice they could get!

The best bit is I have been worrying myself silly about some poor bloke sobbing in a dark corner having just put all his camera gear on Ebay
05-08-2013, 08:32 AM   #483
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QuoteOriginally posted by Anton Magus Quote
All I can say is Touché.
I must admit the image did stir emotion in me - but it was "Oh Dear! How can I possibly rate this without destroying the self-esteem of the photographer?"
I guess for me it didn't work - not at all - sorry.
As far as advice goes, you are absolutely correct - but this image was sooooo bad that I really felt the poor entrant needed all the help and advice they could get!

The best bit is I have been worrying myself silly about some poor bloke sobbing in a dark corner having just put all his camera gear on Ebay
Don't worry about it.
Like I have said, I was expecting it to fail... even though is not that bad as you are portraying it... just different.

I hope you had a white night
05-08-2013, 08:35 AM - 1 Like   #484
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QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
Some things are done on purpose .
I would think that every time things are done on purpose. Otherwise the photos we create are nothing but a series of snapshots that merely freeze a fraction of a second or two and nothing more.

And if that is the case, then why do we bother with photography?

For most of us here on this forum we are serious about our hobby (or profession for those who attempt to make a living with it). We are not part of the millions of people who have simple point~n~shoot cameras who go about snapping away at everything that moves. We submit images we have created here, either in one of the critique threads, one of the thematic threads, an album or a gallery, or we choose one of our creations and submit it to the exclusive gallery, in hopes that perhaps our peers will find it as appealing as we did.

I have submitted a few photos to the exclusive gallery. Not one of them has made the cut. Oh well, I really have no complaint that they failed to take a place among the other photographs in that group. I can't expect that everyone will see them as I do, no matter how deliberate my efforts to create them.

But, like some others here, I have been troubled by some of the comments made by a few of the judges. Indeed, when a comment is made that is derisive, sarcastic and not constructive it makes me wonder what is going on in the grey matter of the person(s) who made them.

And after reading through all the discussion here about the specifics of these comments, I sit here at my keyboard and wonder why those who have made the comments that have been posted here have not stepped in and responded. Surely they are reading these threads where their words are being discussed.

I challenge them to step up and take ownership of their words.

05-09-2013, 05:13 PM   #485
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Susan, congrats on your acceptance!
I did vote on yours and though I also commented that I did not like the reflection, that did not impact my score. I think some of the other critical feedback you received from others may have well just been nitpicking to an image that was nevertheless quite successful. chin up!

mrNewt,
I also voted on yours. I am relieved you posted it as an experiment. I had trouble with the grass in front of the leaf and commented/scored accordingly. otherwise it had tremendous potential.
05-09-2013, 06:53 PM   #486
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QuoteOriginally posted by dane.dawg Quote
Well know I am not offended at all by this judge, He or She just uses the same statement for all my photos

Owning a camera doesn't automatically make you a National Geographic photographer.
Great images are made not just happenchance as in e.g. point and shoot as encouraged to sell film. Study, practice and apply the rules until they become second nature i.e. consider the rule of thirds, leading lines, viewpoint, symmetry, background and foreground, framing, depth of field, bokeh, etc.
All photos must stand out in terms of composition, and also be flawless technically in this category of Pentax Exclusive Gallery (PEG). They should exhibit originality and facility with a camera and post processing.
While the Image is a good capture it simply does not not qualify under the strict criteria for PEG. The identification should be expanded.
Try to get some feedback from the section on Photo Critique. Good luck with your endeavors.
QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
It already failed
The entry was called "The fallen" - story of a leaf on a grass.

I guess now is a good time to say that... the foreground grass was on purpose.
I wasn't interested in a sharp image of a leaf but rather of an emotion... for some will work, for others won't.

As a parentheses... as judging goes... maybe sometimes is a good idea to move away from telling the photographer what "you think" the picture should of looked like and judge it for what it is rather than what it should be.
Some things are done on purpose .
Travis and Eugen, I really liked both photos, the bird and the leaf. I thought I'd chime in here and give both of you my input on the images. I saw each one on separate days, and both images made me stop and gaze for a moment. Not many photos do that, so I commend each of you for this.

That being said, I chose not to vote on either image. I didn't want to sway the votes to allow the rest of the judges to collectively accept or reject the images. I rarely purposely skip voting, but I did with these two photos because although I really liked them, they were flawed. I couldn't vote them high because of the flaws, but I didn't want to score them low either.

There is too much motion blur on the far wing of the bird. If it wasn't for the blur the photo would be perfect. The grass didn't bother me at all on the leaf photo, but the depth of field was too thin. If the entire leaf was sharp it would be outstanding. Just my opinions as a judge. I hope it helps.
05-10-2013, 12:09 AM   #487
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QuoteOriginally posted by Racer X 69 Quote
I sit here at my keyboard and wonder why those who have made the comments that have been posted here have not stepped in and responded. Surely they are reading these threads where their words are being discussed.
I challenge them to step up and take ownership of their words.
Making insulting comments from behind a shield of anonymity is the act of a coward. Stepping up to publicly defend your comments requires courage. Cowards are pretty short on courage, so don't expect them to form a line anytime soon.
What they maybe don't realize is that the site administrators can read their comments and see exactly who posted what. My guess is they will be quietly removed from the judging panel and it certainly won't be a loss.
The sooner the better...

05-10-2013, 06:33 AM   #488
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikeSF Quote
...
mrNewt,
I also voted on yours. I am relieved you posted it as an experiment. I had trouble with the grass in front of the leaf and commented/scored accordingly. otherwise it had tremendous potential.
QuoteOriginally posted by builttospill Quote
... The grass didn't bother me at all on the leaf photo, but the depth of field was too thin. If the entire leaf was sharp it would be outstanding. Just my opinions as a judge. I hope it helps.
Thanks for the reply guys.
Like I have said, I knew it won't get accepted. I was more interested in the comments rather than anything else. And rather than sending a really bad image, I've sent something different.
And 85% of the comments was exactly what I have expected. My kind of photography is not suited for PEG anyway .

There was one comment that was completely off - everyone's been talking about it .

And the only other thing that I noticed was that some judges tend to tell the photographer what they should of done rather than judge the image for what it is ... a perfect case where you can apply this joke:

"How many photographers you need to take a picture?
1 to take the picture and 10000 more to tell you how you should of done it
"

Also, I noticed that the uploaded photo tends to be duller in colors once is uploaded on this website ... no idea why.
The colors are much more vivid than what I have seen in the gallery (image removed).
05-10-2013, 11:33 AM   #489
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QuoteOriginally posted by Anton Magus Quote
Making insulting comments from behind a shield of anonymity is the act of a coward. Stepping up to publicly defend your comments requires courage. Cowards are pretty short on courage, so don't expect them to form a line anytime soon.
Painfully true.

QuoteOriginally posted by Anton Magus Quote
What they maybe don't realize is that the site administrators can read their comments and see exactly who posted what. My guess is they will be quietly removed from the judging panel and it certainly won't be a loss.
The sooner the better...
Meh.

I'm partial to public floggings. Take them to the town square, put them in the pillory and throw rotten fruit and vegetables at them. Pull their drawers down and whip them with the Cat~O~Nine Tails.

05-10-2013, 01:01 PM   #490
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QuoteOriginally posted by Racer X 69 Quote
... Pull their drawers down and whip them with the Cat~O~Nine Tails
I think for the majority of judges we really should leave their drawers up!
05-10-2013, 01:18 PM   #491
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QuoteOriginally posted by kcmadr Quote
I think for the majority of judges we really should leave their drawers up!
Maybe. But the sting of the whip is much more effective upon the nekkid flesh.
05-10-2013, 03:25 PM   #492
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QuoteOriginally posted by Racer X 69 Quote
Maybe. But the sting of the whip is much more effective upon the nekkid flesh.
Ahh! But with one's eyes closed one risks stinging oneself perchance.
05-12-2013, 04:25 AM   #493
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I do think judges should not try and second guess the photographer. It's fine to dislike an image and to disagree with the choices a photographer makes but there should be a presumption that the photographer knows what they are doing and has made certain creative decisions.

Some of the comments I have received on submissions have been based on absurd assumptions. One judge stated that one of my still images was a photograph of someone else's illustration, which was a bizarre and insulting conclusion. Another commented that I should have used a tripod where the exif data showed a one second exposure and it was obvious that it could not have been taken handheld. On the other hand I don't need to be informed that a deliberately blurred image is blurred. Some judges seem to struggle with the difference between shallow depth of field and entirely out of focus. My favourite comment though was probably one telling me how the colour in the sky had been lost - it was a black and white image. What I really dislike is sarcasm delivered anonymously. We were promised an audit process to keep judging standards high but there has been no evidence of it. Some judges are doing an excellent job, but there are still too many complaints about ones that aren't. As a user I say sack underperforming judges. As a judge I say sack me if that includes me.
05-12-2013, 09:01 AM   #494
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QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
"How many photographers you need to take a picture?
1 to take the picture and 10000 more to tell you how you should of done it"
QuoteOriginally posted by Dr Orloff Quote
On the other hand I don't need to be informed that a deliberately blurred image is blurred. Some judges seem to struggle with the difference between shallow depth of field and entirely out of focus.
Just a thought but there is a certain very thin dividing line when judging any artwork, including photographs, if one is expected to offer constructive criticism.
Consider the general photograph we are most often called upon to rate and comment on. The vast majority of entries consist of some subject in front of some background. Usually the subject is in focus and the background is not.
Very often even parts of the primary subject are blurred to some extent which may, or may not, detract from the image.

Now, as a judge, you have to rate the image. Hypothetically just accept for a moment that you feel that the entire subject needed to be in sharp focus, and that the background is just too blurred into a kind of uniformly coloured splodge to an extent where there is virtually no continuity between the subject and its surroundings.

You, as the judge, make the comment that; "The depth of field is too narrow because parts of the subject are blurred and the background has totally lost all definition destroying the continuity between the subject and its environment".
To me that is a valid comment, but taking Dr Orloff's view does it offend? Perhaps the photographer intended it to be exactly like it is for some artistic reason totally unknown to the judge?
But equally the photographer may have been trying to shoot the image in fairly low light conditions without access to a tripod, so was limited to a minimum shutter speed and a wide open lens setting - but neglected to consider that raising the ISO level a few stops may have solved the problem?
Judges are unaware of the artistic intent of the photographer, or the photographers level of competence.
As another example, photographers very often tilt the camera on street scenes to produce a particular and desired composition. It would really annoy them if some judge then said that their entry was technically flawed because the camera was not held level!

But if the judge truly feels that the image is "wrong" and needed a wider depth of field or the camera held level or whatever, then surely they have a duty make that comment?
05-12-2013, 09:50 AM   #495
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QuoteOriginally posted by slowpez Quote
Secondly, there seems to be a lack of consistency is the basics of a review. I was told the image was over-exposed and under-exposed by different reviewers. Which was it?
Neither? The histogram puts it pretty much at the ideal location imo and it looks fine on my calibrated monitor...

Exposure is a subjective thing in any case. I have only commented on the exposure if a photo was severely over or under 'the ideal' and I didn't feel it added anything to whatever message it appeared the photographer was trying to get across.
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