Photo Contest - Stormy Weather (11th - 18th Jul)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a photo contest themed "Stormy Weather," where participants share their entries and experiences related to storm photography. The conversation includes rules for submission, technical challenges faced by photographers, and reactions to the submitted photos.

Discussion Character

  • Contest-related
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Participants discuss the rules of the contest, including restrictions on photo editing and the requirement for original photographs.
  • Some participants express challenges in finding original, un-resized photos due to technical issues with their computers.
  • There are varying opinions on the appropriateness of certain photo editing techniques, particularly regarding panoramas and multiple exposures.
  • Several participants share their storm photography experiences, including the conditions under which they took their photos and their feelings about the results.
  • Some participants compliment each other's photos, noting unexpected qualities and the luck involved in capturing certain images.
  • One participant raises questions about the definition of manipulation in photography and how it relates to the contest rules.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the contest rules but express differing views on the interpretation of photo editing and manipulation. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the acceptability of certain photographic techniques.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention limitations in their equipment and the conditions under which they can photograph storms, which may affect the quality and style of their submissions.

Who May Find This Useful

Photography enthusiasts, particularly those interested in storm photography and contest participation, may find this discussion relevant.

  • #31
Ben Niehoff said:
I guess I just feel like opening a discussion on what constitutes a "manipulated photo".

Been there. This is Pandora's box :smile:
 
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  • #32
Borek said:
Been there. This is Pandora's box :smile:

Yeah, you're probably right. So is everything else on the internet, though. :)
 
  • #33
Ben Niehoff said:
If I hadn't mentioned anything technical about the photo, and simply put it up with no text, then there would have been no issue and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

No one can check if you took the pictures either. If one is willing to cheat simply to win in a public forum weekly photo contest simply for "bragging rights" (after all, we're not giving away any prizes), then there's nothing that can be done. At some point, this will no longer be fun.

Photo stitching is photo manipulation. I didn't realize that this is a "gray area".

Zz.
 
  • #34
Willing to cheat? Where are you getting this stuff? I already said I won't submit any panoramas again in the future, that I want the contest to remain accessible to anyone, and that you make the rules and that's fine with me.

I don't even care about winning. My vote was going to be for Moose even if my picture hadn't been disqualified.

Do you have any thoughts on the ideas I actually raised? Such as a panorama carefully assembled in the darkroom and then scanning the final print?
 
  • #35
Calm down, Ben. What Zz aims at is that we can't check whether the picture is not excesivelly photoshopped or taken by the person who submits it for the competition, we have to take word of the person for granted. There were situations in the past when pictures were rejected as we were able to prove they were just copied from someones page, there were cases in the past when I was almost sure picture was photoshopped beyond basic operations, but I was not able to prove it. That happened before and it will happen in the future.

Ben Niehoff said:
Do you have any thoughts on the ideas I actually raised? Such as a panorama carefully assembled in the darkroom and then scanning the final print?

Yes, the rules allow for a gray area. Yes, they don't take everything into acount. Yes, in effect in many aspects they are wrong and already are manipulated by cameras, software built into cameras and software accompanying cameras. That happens in every non-trivial system (remember Godel? :wink:). Going over these details and trying to poke a hole is a sure way of destroying good atmosphere we have here and doesn't lead anywhere.

Have I mentioned Pandora's box?
 
  • #36
Hello, back from my hols so I can run the contests again. Thanks to everyone who kept this going when I was gone :smile:

As far as my stance on the manipulation issue goes, I have no intention of changing the rules ZapperZ used in his time running the contest. This does mean simple stuff such as panoramas, b&w conversion etc is ruled out, as is a whole host of other stuff. I kind of feel that it would be opening the floodgates if I were to allow these things in. For example if I were to allow stitched panoramas, why not stitched Photo planets which more or less work on the same principle, but are certainly what I'd call a special effect. As far as I'm concerned, the same applies to darkroom stuff as it does to digital. If you've done anything fancy to it in processing, it can't be entered.