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!

[amusingmia]

If using Photoshop there is a fairly simple workaround.
First, make your image into a finished Tiff. Then Resize and only change the pixel count from 300 or 240 or whatever to 72. Photoshop will reduce the size of the image accordingly. If still too large, simply resize to disired dimensions and the do a Save As .jpg...
The Exif date stays with the image.
Works for me every time.
Mia

[Adam]

As long as you don't "Save for web" it shouldn't strip the data.

[amusingmia]

That's correct Adam. If you use "Save for Web" a different program is called up to do that job. That program strips the data.
Ciao, Mia

[Falke]

As long as you don't "Save for web" it shouldn't strip the data.

Not sure if I missed anything, but "save for web" in CS5 gives me 3 or 4 options if and what to keep of the EXIF data. (edit: it might be called meta data)

[Couscousdelight]

6 submissions, 6 rejects ;, farewell PEG ! Apparently not for my skills, i stop the humiliation here.

[Ash]

No humiliation in image rejection. Got plenty of those myself. Perhaps change tack, get some results that have more 'wow' factor, apply the right PP to effect and see how you go.

[jpzk]

As I am going through the photos accepted at PEG, I am thinking also that this obviously is not my bag of beans.

Of course, I did submit a couple, just a couple, of pics but was rejected right away.
This is not bothering me as I was just "testing the grounds".
Do you actually get comments as to why the pic(s) was (were) rejected?

Congrats to those who submitted and got accepted to the exclusive club!
Great pics (well ... the majority of them that is) in there. ...

Cheers!

JP

[Couscousdelight]

No humiliation in image rejection. Got plenty of those myself. Perhaps change tack, get some results that have more 'wow' factor, apply the right PP to effect and see how you go.

Hey Ash,
Sorry, but that's exactly how i feel after sending two of my best & favorite shots.

Great pics (well ... the majority of them that is) in there. ...

You've got it !
and being rejected after seeing some pics which have been accepted... : humiliation.

I stop to complain, it's not a place for me that's all. I wish all the best for those who are published (photographers and moderators ).

Regards,
Arno

[jpzk]

Hey Ash,
Sorry, but that's exactly how i feel after sending two of my best & favorite shots.


You've got it !
and being rejected after seeing some pics which have been accepted... : humiliation.

I stop to complain, it's not a place for me that's all. I wish all the best for those who are published (photographers and moderators ).

Regards,
Arno

But all is well !

I've decided to start planning for a photo "exposition" and send invites to people whom I know have absolutely no knowledge of photography. (joke )

PEG is way beyond my photographic capabilities/abilities, really !

JP

[baro-nite]

Sorry, but that's exactly how i feel after sending two of my best & favorite shots.

I understand the feeling. I've had a few rejections and no acceptances. Like jpzk, I was "testing the grounds" to see if some images I thought were quite good would be accepted. When they weren't, and after I finished crying into my beer , I took a closer look at the photos in the gallery, and also at the many instructive examples and comments about rejections in this related thread:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/mini-challenges-games-photo-stories/12735...y-rejects.html

From this I concluded that the PEG is for images that meet a quite specific set of qualities and that there are many excellent and compelling images that will not match those qualities and hence will be rejected. I've decided to accept the PEG for what it is and I will continue to make submissions, but only images I think fit in with those qualities. I look at this as a challenge; I currently have zero images that I think meet this standard.

[TOUGEFC]

Submit some birds and bug shots, the judges love them

[yeatzee]

Submit some birds and bug shots, the judges love them

comments like this are why I've long since stopped submitting my shots to PEG and PPG. Plus the fact that I don't benefit any by getting acceptances, in fact its usually a negative.

Funny that....

[TOUGEFC]

Its true though, it may as well be called the Pentax Bird Bug Gallery.
Thats why Ive stopped submitting shots.
Bird and bug shots dominate the gallery.
Nothing wrong with them of course, it would be better if the galery featured a wider selection of genres to balance it all out.

[baro-nite]

Because I have nothing better to do at the moment ...

There are currently 143 images in the gallery. The most popular category is landscape, with 35 by my categorization. Next are indeed bugs and birds, 24 and 23 respectively (I'm including the snail shot as a bug). 11 portraits, 8 cityscapes, 7 flowers, 6 each sports and non-avian wildlife, and a smattering of images across other categories.

I am surprised there isn't more abstract and still life (4 and 3, respectively, by my count), as I would have thought these categories would do well with PEG judging. Of course I have no idea how many such images are submitted. Might have a go myself.

[Adam]

I am surprised there isn't more abstract and still life (4 and 3, respectively, by my count), as I would have thought these categories would do well with PEG judging. Of course I have no idea how many such images are submitted. Might have a go myself.

Not enough of those, IMO. I really like them as well- would be great o see some more in the gallery!