Well, if you shoot RAW then you HAVE to post process to turn it into JPEG. I am still talking the honor system here. Allow only shooting in JPEG and allow no post processing.
People will really cheat? I doubt it. I think if people are told images have
to come straight from the card with no post processing, they won't post
process. I mean you are looking for the best photographs, right? Not the best PS
user. And if someone does win by cheating (i.e. post processing) then, well, they
do.
I know, I know, some insist on shooting RAW. Well, that would make it
trickier. Unless you provide all the RAW plug-ins and do the conversion yourselves.
But I think the judges can set the parameters. Like the ones I have given above.
People can pick out their three best shots with review. Or they can download and pick. But most people will honor an honor system. (Do THAT MANY carry around their own laptops? I don't.)
Marnie aka Doe
Marnie,
Leveling the playing field is not because we think everyone will cheat, it's because we need to avoid the possibility that someone who doesn't win might accuse one of the winners of cheating. If we don't have safeguards in place, then we cannot say that so and so didn't manipulate that image. The honor system is great, and to a certain extent we have to depend on it, but not having in place a system for limitation of manipulation heavily biases the digital contest toward those with a stronger grasp of digital. Slides that we have processed are relatively easy to police; digital files require a more thorough set of restrictions.
People who are heavily into digital =will= carry a laptop, and we must figure out a way to remove the temptation to manipulate the image more than was done in-camera. We have been in discussion about this since last year's contest, and the discussion will carry through this year and into the next, including some public discussion during this year's NPW. When we feel that we have a good combination of parameters-- that we can fit within the historically easy-going nature of the weekend and contest, we will put it in place and go from there.
Thanks to everyone who has contribute to this discussion thus far and to anyone who cares to continue it. It has given me some things to consider.
Doug
