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Blog under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Jul
31
(2007)
Thinking of entering the National Geographic Photography Contest
Filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: photography.
I’m more than a little crazy for even thinking of doing this, but what the heck. I’m going to try submitting a photo to the inaugural contest. The rules are pretty strict with respect to model releases and any potentially copyrightable works included in photographs (models must provide signed releases, artists must provide copyright release for any sculptures, etc… shown in the photograph).
With those limitations in mind, I’ve selected 7 contenders from the last year. I can’t decide which, if any, to actually submit.
Little help, please? If you feel like it, anonymous comments are more than welcome. Am I an idiot for thinking of submitting these? Any stand out for you?
Update: Slideshow of photos, in the Flickr album.
A slide show will appear here shortly.
They’re all very nice images. Whether they’re NG material is another question entirely. But I don’t think you’re crazy for entering (if you don’t buy a ticket…). It’s hard to judge the images’ real quality from the sample page you provide, but composition-wise, the two I prefer are the one with the kid holding the ball and the one with the smoke/steam rising from the skyline. I’d love to see larger images though.
I agree with Peter on the logic and pics, but would also add the sunset (or more likely sunrise considering your part of town) skyline. Good luck!
@peter: I hesitated at first, since none of them are “National Geographic” material, but then I realized the contest wasn’t “Be an NG photographer” but “share your vision of the world through your own photography” – that, I can do
Clicking the small version brings up a slightly larger version. And I’ll dig up links to the photos on Flickr.
I agree with Peter on the two photos, especially the one with the clouds rising from the darkened landscape. About the one with the kid holding the ball, this might seem strange, but the guy on the left…his ugly bare feet kill it.
@Peter and @Paul: I updated the post with links to the originals on Flickr, for high resolution viewing.
@Tom: Agreed. I absolutely love that shot, for a bunch of reasons, but the ugly feet… It was about 5,000˚C that day, so people weren’t exactly covering up their pasty white Canadian skin
Maybe if I paint in some socks or something…
D’Arcy-
without looking at comments- 2 and 4, same as what Peter and Paul said. The Flickr link says I don’t have permission.
You know what Wayne said- you won’t score on 100% of the shots you don’t take.
@David: I just altered the permissions on that one photo – I’d set all photos of Evan to be “friends and family only” but I guess that doesn’t make sense for that particular photo if I’m thinking of submitting it to a magazine
I’m personally leaning toward 2 – Evan at the Stampede – it’s got personality, local flavour (taken at the Calgary Stampede), interest (what’s he looking at?).
Just updated the post (again) with a link to the Flickr album for the set, and embedded a slideshow version.
Oh good, I was so hoping you’d have skies. Of course I like #3 & #5, but hands-down, without-a-doubt for me is #4. Amazingly striking. I remember this one from the last time I looked through your photo-a-day album. It has a modern-day Dickens feel, with the smoke (I know it’s steam) rising vertically-right up through the horizontal clouds. The small squares of light at the bottom — suggesting people waking up to the day — match the same colors of light in the sky slowly erasing the panel of gray at the top.
One thing about contests: no matter what YOU like, you have to target what THEY are looking for. Do you get to explain why you picked the photo you enter? This one certainly could provide a “vision of the world”. On the other hand, how can you argue with looking at the world through Evan’s eyes? The colors, his eyes, the people and bustle. But can you crop out that guy at the left and focus on Evan & the ball?
@dtdiggs: Unfortunately, I think cropping the nasty feet out of that photo would also kill some of the magic – the lights on the merry-go-round… silly feet…
Boy – all this talk about feet. I see those kinds of feet 100 times a day in Virginia. Maybe this is a Canadian phobia? I think that photo is your best by far, feet included – it captures the moment. Good Luck!
D’Arcy, I agree with you that you shouldn’t crop the picture of Evan at the Stampede. A large part of the image’s charm is the “ordinaryness” of the context, if you take my meaning.
And since the contest is more about your “vision of the world,” all the more power to you: go for it, definitely.
Uncanny resemblance on the first one… http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v63/249/72/722110175/n722110175_114961_713.jpg
I would choose between the Magpie Sunrise or the Crow.
Never any harm in entering a contest!
This might be coming from a younger perspective than some of the other people who have commented…but the picture of the kid with the ball doesn’t have any appeal to me at all.
The one that catches my eye out of all of those is the Fire Sky image. I guess it could be looked at from the perspective that sunrises/sets aren’t the most original….but I love the colour in it.
Best of luck.
@Jerry: it’s not really a foot aversion, just a “dude, get some sun” reaction
@Peter: I’m thinking pretty much the same thing.
@Aron: Yeah. I’m realizing that’s actually a relatively common angle/composition. I’m ruling that shot out as a result.
@Raj and @annon: Thanks. It’s getting harder to pick a clear “winner” – I might have to see if I can enter photos in different categories…
I like #4 and #5…the colors on #5 in particular are spectacular and the swath of gradation change across the sky is fantastic….
I like I and 4 -but I am biased to cities, for in my opinion nature is overrated! The cityscape on a cold Calgary morning is gorgeous! Go get ‘em, D’Arcy.
i think your dusky smokestacks are the winner of the bunch. it has compelling details and contrasts, is unique to your geography. thanks in part to the fantastic foreground wolf-eye lights, is distinctively unsettling.
compositionally and subject matter-wise, the rest are more mundane.
i like the first two, they have story and focus.
Curious about the widget you used to include the slideshow…
(which on edid you enter?)
@Teddy: I used FlickrShow http://www.flickrshow.com/ but there are lots of other options, including FlickrSlidr.com and SlideFlickr.com
I entered the one of Evan at the Stampede, and downtown Calgary with the steam rising from the buildings. Not holding my breath, but it was fun even submitting to NG