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!

[dane.dawg]

This judge had alot to say about this photo.. I am quite aware I am not a National Geographic photographer but I do try very hard to get Good wildlife photos, so some useful criticism on this photo would of been great..These are the judges remarks..
[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 some originality and facility with a camera and post processing.
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.
The image is good. It simply does not qualify under the strict criteria for PEG.
Try to get some feedback from the section on Photo Critique. Good luck with your endeavours.]

Heres the photo that may not be good enough for PEG a little sharper and more DOF would of been nice but it is not a snap shot, I left the rain streaks in the photo and they are not dust as one judge told me..
I would like to thank all the judges with useful criticism so I can learn as a photographer.. Cheers Travis..

---

Last edited by dane.dawg; 04-15-2013 at 04:44 PM.

[baro-nite]

Being a PEG judge doesn't make one a National Geographic editor, either. I think I liked it better when photos would be rejected without comments.

[whitelotus9]

Out of curiosity, did you mention anything in the comments you can post with your submittal about the rain streaks being rain streaks? I don't know if the judges read the comments we leave or not, but I would think something like what you mentioned here would have been read and noted.

[slowpez]

Out of curiosity, did you mention anything in the comments you can post with your submittal about the rain streaks being rain streaks? I don't know if the judges read the comments we leave or not, but I would think something like what you mentioned here would have been read and noted.

Well, even with my poor eyesight I could tell they were rain streaks. Another "clue" - rain drops on the back of the bird. Looks like dane.dog got bit by Mr. Nasty. Join the club. The comment about not being a NatGeo photographer was completely unnecessary. I just don't understand the cruelty some of the judges seem to get off on.

[mrNewt]

This judge had alot to say about this photo.. I am quite aware I am not a National Geographic photographer but I do try very hard to get Good wildlife photos, so some useful criticism on this photo would of been great..These are the judges remarks..
[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 some originality and facility with a camera and post processing.
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.
The image is good. It simply does not qualify under the strict criteria for PEG.
Try to get some feedback from the section on Photo Critique. Good luck with your endeavours.]

Heres the photo that may not be good enough for PEG a little sharper and more DOF would of been nice but it is not a snap shot, I left the rain streaks in the photo and they are not dust as one judge told me..
I would like to thank all the judges with useful criticism so I can learn as a photographer.. Cheers Travis..

That is actually a very nice picture ... and if it makes you feel any better, I really like it and I have seen worse pictures accepted in PEG.
My advice ... don't get too bumped by it. There are other galleries where your image will most probably get accepted without too many issues.

As for the comment .... yea, kind of off and non-constructive as well. At the current size, the bird is quite sharp and well framed and for what is worth the depth of field is quite good as well. I don't see anything wrong with this image.

Fortunately I know that not all judges are that bad and hope you did got some nice constructive criticism ... even though I don't see what could be critiqued when looking at that specific image.

[kcmadr]

This judge had alot to say about this photo.. I am quite aware I am not a National Geographic photographer but I do try very hard to get Good wildlife photos, so some useful criticism on this photo would of been great..These are the judges remarks..
[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 some originality and facility with a camera and post processing.
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.
The image is good. It simply does not qualify under the strict criteria for PEG.
Try to get some feedback from the section on Photo Critique. Good luck with your endeavours.]

Heres the photo that may not be good enough for PEG a little sharper and more DOF would of been nice but it is not a snap shot, I left the rain streaks in the photo and they are not dust as one judge told me..
I would like to thank all the judges with useful criticism so I can learn as a photographer.. Cheers Travis..

Travis,

It's a really good shot. The one and only issue I have with it is that the focus seems to be just in front of the bird's head. The body is therefore sharper than the face. Otherwise great shot. Good colours and composition. The rain streaks add to the authenticity of the image.

[dane.dawg]

Thanx for all the comments.. I was not disappointed on this photo not making it to PEG as it the some of the first Blackbird shots of the season and the weather been lousy, I just did not understand the National Geographic comments and it would be great if this judge shows me some of his or hers wildlife photos so I can improve on my photography..
Cheers Travis

[kengoh]

Travis, to me this is a fine shot and do not deserve that kind of comments.
if you look at PEG there are few bad ones and I wonder how they were accepted? National Geographic standard?
As commented in the earlier few posts, judges should give constructive comments and not rude ones. There's no need to stress on the uniqueness of PEG and strict requirements (how come there are some poor shots accepted? unique?) without giving constructive comments.

[Miguel]

I was not disappointed on this photo not making it to PEG . . . I just did not understand the National Geographic comments

I think it reflects highly on your character that you can separate the final status of the submitted image from the asinine comments from one judge. It's welcome to see some graciousness.

If you want more thoughtful comments on your blackbird photo than from the brief feedback via the PEG process, consider posting it in the photo critique section. I will gladly expand on the couple of lines I offered. I think too many judges are saving their "feedback" for the PEG process, when the critique forum provides more value word-for-word for both the artist and the greater community--and since it is not anonymous, for the critic as well.

Regarding nasty feedback via the PEG process, sadly not all adults can handle the "freedom" of anonymity. After I got a few from a photo of mine, I just savored the very few useful ones and figured it was better than zero feedback. I am tempted to campaign for an end to judge anonymity as it would ensure more accountability--OTOH--a part of me really dislikes giving that much leverage to one or two know-nothings.

M

[Anton Magus]

Regarding nasty feedback via the PEG process, sadly not all adults can handle the "freedom" of anonymity. ... I am tempted to campaign for an end to judge anonymity as it would ensure more accountability.

I completely agree that some cannot handle the freedom of anonymity, and maybe don't realise that with freedom comes responsibility. Personally I put my name on every comment. This allows the entrant to complain if they feel I have been unfair or rude in my comments. Its also allow people to rate my performance as a judge over time, so they can get a feel for (hopefully) the value (if any) of my comments.

To be fair, judging PEG entries is not easy. On average, properly judging and commenting on one entry takes me about 20 minutes +/- 5 minutes. It can also be quite frustrating as some entries as so far away from the PEG standards that I sometimes have to wonder if the entrant has ever looked at the Gallery to see what is considered acceptable.

I think it is sad that dane.dawg received these comments. What was said would have been much more helpful without the "National Geographic" remarks.
That said, I must defend the judge's right to rate images as he sees them. For myself, I feel a bird photograph must have the bird taking up 50% or more of the total image area. I dislike small images of the bird lost on a vast neutral background. The only exception is when the bird is engaged in some action which lends interest to the photograph. I would therefore have suggested to dane.dawg that some of the area to the right of his bird could have been cropped away to improve the overall image composition.

Another factor is the creativity/originality rating. Let's be honest, a bird sitting on a twig or branch is hardly original in itself. Equally a long lens shot with the bird and twig in focus against a neutral blurry background is a given. Its hardly creative. It follows then that to have an image of a bird gain acceptable originality/creativity ratings it must, as a minimum in my view, be in an interesting pose with a good interplay of light and shadow. The photograph must attract my attention and interest.

Inevitably the person submitting an image thinks it is worthy of inclusion into the PEG, while judges may see it as their duty to find reasons why it should not be accepted. The goal of the PEG is to contain only photographs which are truly exceptional and worthy advertisements for the quality of Pentax cameras. Naturally this will only be achieved harmoniously and without conflict if the judges are completely objective in their comments and ratings and give explanatory feedback which helps the entrant to improve. Any judge who criticises the photographer rather than the photograph should seriously consider resigning from the judging panel.

Finally, judges are human. Sometimes we get it wrong. Some images will be accepted when they shouldn't be, and some images will be rejected when they should be accepted. Hopefully, with a relatively large number of judges rating each entry, errors are kept to a minimum. For my own use I keep score. Of all the images I rate as acceptable, about 75% are accepted into the PEG and 25% are rejected by other judges. Of all the images I reject as unacceptable about 5% make it into the PEG because of other judge's ratings. I rate each image as I see it, in full size, and allocate the scores that are appropriate, without regard to whether those scores result in overall acceptance or rejection.

[kcmadr]

...

Another factor is the creativity/originality rating. Let's be honest, a bird sitting on a twig or branch is hardly original in itself. Equally a long lens shot with the bird and twig in focus against a neutral blurry background is a given. Its hardly creative. It follows then that to have an image of a bird gain acceptable originality/creativity ratings it must, as a minimum in my view, be in an interesting pose with a good interplay of light and shadow. The photograph must attract my attention and interest.

...

When judging I use the third category with an added element of my own: Creativity/Originality/Impression. Impression in this instance is kind of like "wow" factor. It can be unoriginal and uncreative but still leave a major impression on me.

[Anton Magus]

When judging I use the third category with an added element of my own: Creativity/Originality/Impression. Impression in this instance is kind of like "wow" factor. It can be unoriginal and uncreative but still leave a major impression on me.

Thanks kcmadr. That's a very good suggestion. Until now it has bothered me when an entry has excellent technique and great composition and just blows me away. You just "know" that the image should make it into the PEG, and that it truly belongs there, but you equally know that a score of "unoriginal" may keep it out. Adding "impression" to the rating certainly provides justification for a score that is more reflective of the merit of a great photograph of a subject which just doesn't lend itself to creativity or originality.

[dane.dawg]

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.

[Racer X 69]

*sigh*

This latest submission looks pretty good Travis. I wonder what it was that kept t from making the cut. Would you mind posting the more legitimate constructive comments? I would be interested in what details kept it from being accepted.

[kcmadr]

Owning a camera doesn't automatically make you a National Geographic photographer.

A thoughtless comment like this can be let to slide once, but if it's a repeated insult then this so-called "judge" responsible needs to be sorted out.

We are here to JUDGE; we are not here to DISCIPLINE or to PARENT.