Good post. Ego-wise it's hard to take when a favorite photo gets rejected, especially when it's met popular acclaim elsewhere. That's OK cause the judges/viewers at Pentax aren't the ultimate judges of my/your/our work anyway.
I submitted a photo that I took on a whim. It's not my ususal kind of photo. I'm still not sure I like it. But they did. http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5754901 Tom C. >From: Mark Roberts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List <[email protected]> >To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: Pentax Gallery >Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:26:10 -0400 (EDT) > >Paul Stenquist wrote: > > >Yep. Either the people who do the pickin' like 'em or they don't. > >Fairly simple. Their taste doesn't correspond exactly to mine, and I > >suspect others feel the same way. But, hey, it's their gallery. > >Precisely. > >Furthermore, I've come to realize that I *already know* which shots of >mine *I* like best ;-) Part of the value in a selective gallery (or a >photography contest) is specifically in gaining some insight into what >*other* people like. Sure, any artist has to please himself/herself >first and foremost. But if the only person you please is yourself >you're not going to get anywhere. Moreover, if you're only pleasing >yourself you clearly aren't communicating with, or connecting to, >anyone else with your photographs. You can't possibly expect to please >everybody, but that shouldn't be taken as an excuse to reject or ignore >all other opinions. > >Another thing that's useful about selective galleries or contests is >that they encourage you to think about *why* you disagree with the >official selections. Thinking about why you like what you like (and how >to achieve it) is a crucial part of growing and improving as a >photographer. Even learning about opinions with which I may disagree is >valuable. > >If the Gallery accepted every shot I submitted and put it in their >Premier Collection it would be a huge ego boost, but I wouldn't learn >anything. > >In light of all this, it certainly would be helpful if they provided >some commentary to explain why photos were declined, but I can >understand that there's no possible way they would have time for this. >The note on the web site that says they'll provide a reason for >declined shots was clearly intended to refer to technical issues like >"not taken with a Pentax camera". They'll eventually remove that text >or at least fix the wording, but this gallery is a huge undertaking and >these projects never have all the staff they need. Heck, two weeks ago >their list of Pentax cameras didn't even include the MX (for shame!) >and last time I checked, their lens list didn't include the original >"K" series. > >After weeks/months of being too busy, I'm determined to get out and do >some shooting this weekend and I think the Pentax Gallery has played a >major part in motivating me. Come to think of it, it's having shots >declined by the Gallery that's the biggest motivator. > > >-- >PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >[email protected] >http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
