Well put, Mark. I have found that for me, sometimes I like a shot that I had to work really hard to get and some other shots that were so easy to do, I don't give credit to. Others viewing our images don't have any context like that when they pick what they like. One of my premier collection shots, I almost didn't submit - I just didn't think much about the shot.
I also think they have a job cut out for them to be accepting of work from an individual. If you are accepted to post some shots, and they never accepted any of them, it could be demoralizing. If every image was compared purely to everything else submitted, some people may have very little or nothing to show - so I think they have been smarter than that and also tried to compare shots within a single photographer to show their best work. This makes for a win-win situation. It encourages you to work hard and do your best, rather than discourage. Perhaps for me, the most frustrating thing is not being able to submit shots taken with other lenses. That means that most of my macro shots, all of my sports shots, all of my bird shots, etc. can't even be considered. Them's the breaks, I guess. -- Bruce Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 6:26:10 AM, you wrote: MR> 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. MR> Precisely. MR> Furthermore, I've come to realize that I *already know* which shots of MR> mine *I* like best ;-) Part of the value in a selective gallery (or a MR> photography contest) is specifically in gaining some insight into what MR> *other* people like. Sure, any artist has to please himself/herself MR> first and foremost. But if the only person you please is yourself MR> you're not going to get anywhere. Moreover, if you're only pleasing MR> yourself you clearly aren't communicating with, or connecting to, MR> anyone else with your photographs. You can't possibly expect to please MR> everybody, but that shouldn't be taken as an excuse to reject or ignore MR> all other opinions. MR> Another thing that's useful about selective galleries or contests is MR> that they encourage you to think about *why* you disagree with the MR> official selections. Thinking about why you like what you like (and how MR> to achieve it) is a crucial part of growing and improving as a MR> photographer. Even learning about opinions with which I may disagree is MR> valuable. MR> If the Gallery accepted every shot I submitted and put it in their MR> Premier Collection it would be a huge ego boost, but I wouldn't learn MR> anything. MR> In light of all this, it certainly would be helpful if they provided MR> some commentary to explain why photos were declined, but I can MR> understand that there's no possible way they would have time for this. MR> The note on the web site that says they'll provide a reason for MR> declined shots was clearly intended to refer to technical issues like MR> "not taken with a Pentax camera". They'll eventually remove that text MR> or at least fix the wording, but this gallery is a huge undertaking and MR> these projects never have all the staff they need. Heck, two weeks ago MR> their list of Pentax cameras didn't even include the MX (for shame!) MR> and last time I checked, their lens list didn't include the original MR> "K" series. MR> After weeks/months of being too busy, I'm determined to get out and do MR> some shooting this weekend and I think the Pentax Gallery has played a MR> major part in motivating me. Come to think of it, it's having shots MR> declined by the Gallery that's the biggest motivator. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
