AOL Community Photo Challenge

10:46:10 AM EDT

For FUN Category~

Spring is here & so is the color!!!  So Our Challenge this week is easy.....
LANDSCAPES in COLOR!  FOLLOW GUIDELINES which can be found on the sidebar, must leave permalinks, also found on sidebar.  Post your NEW entry now till Friday May 16th for Judging.  If you have any questions email me or Vicki.


What is a Landscape.????......
From AOL dictionary;
1 a : a picture representing a view of natural inland scenery b : the art of depicting such scenery

From Vicki's Dictionary;

1. An expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view: a desert landscape.
2. A picture depicting an expanse of scenery.
3. The branch of art dealing with the representation of natural scenery.
4. The aspect of the land characteristic of a particular region: a bleak New England winter landscape.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/nature/landscape.phpDefining landscape photography
Landscape photography is difficult to define. The more landscape photography I do, the broader my definition becomes. For me, landscape photography is not so much about what is contained in the image, but what it portrays about a place. While a landscape photograph might be a wide-angle image of a pristine lake or an ocean sunset, it might just as well be a dormant plant in a winter pond. If the lake, the sunset and the dormant plant image each reveal something significant about a place, its inhabitants, or its conditions and evoke an emotional response in the viewer, they qualify as landscape photographs in my book. Grand or tiny, a landscape is not so much about the subject itself, but rather about the place in which the subject exists and the feeling the subject and place evokes.

11 Surefire Tips for Improving Your Landscape Photography



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10:44:20 AM EDT

For JUDGING Category~

Spring is here & so is the color!!!  So Our Challenge this week is easy.....
LANDSCAPES in COLOR!  FOLLOW GUIDELINES which can be found on the sidebar, must leave permalinks, also found on sidebar.  Post your NEW entry now till Friday May 16th for Judging.  If you have any questions email me or Vicki.


What is a Landscape.????......
From AOL dictionary;
1 a : a picture representing a view of natural inland scenery b : the art of depicting such scenery

From Vicki's Dictionary;

1. An expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view: a desert landscape.
2. A picture depicting an expanse of scenery.
3. The branch of art dealing with the representation of natural scenery.
4. The aspect of the land characteristic of a particular region: a bleak New England winter landscape.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/nature/landscape.phpDefining landscape photography
Landscape photography is difficult to define. The more landscape photography I do, the broader my definition becomes. For me, landscape photography is not so much about what is contained in the image, but what it portrays about a place. While a landscape photograph might be a wide-angle image of a pristine lake or an ocean sunset, it might just as well be a dormant plant in a winter pond. If the lake, the sunset and the dormant plant image each reveal something significant about a place, its inhabitants, or its conditions and evoke an emotional response in the viewer, they qualify as landscape photographs in my book. Grand or tiny, a landscape is not so much about the subject itself, but rather about the place in which the subject exists and the feeling the subject and place evokes.

11 Surefire Tips for Improving Your Landscape Photography




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8:02:40 PM EDT Thank you everyone who participated in our Tribute to Mother's Creative Challenge.



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8:35:55 PM EDT Vicki sent these links to me & suggested we post them. 

The Ten Legal Commandments of Photography

http://www.kantor.com/useful/Legal-Rights-of-Photographers.pdf

Great idea Vicki! THANKS!  Ü


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11:32:25 AM EDT

This Challenge is a "Tribute to Mothers"  ALL mothers, one mother....any mother...Ü
Could be your sister, if she's a mother....could be your own mother, could be a portrait of yourself as a mother.
ANYTHING GOES, be creative, use whatever you want....quotes, poems.....things your mother always said.....  Stories of your mother, childhood memories....
Only one category this week, "FUN"
You have now till  THURSDAY, May 9th 7PM EST to post your tribute to your mom. Or any mom......  I will post them on Friday.
Come back here & leave your link.

PLEASE FOLLOW GUIDELINES  Ü
USE PERMALINKS!



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10:28:49 AM EDT I want to apologize to those who started with us & have tried to follow the guidelines, I had posted one photo that was submitted after the deadline.  I realized I should not have posted it, b/c it is not fair to those who follow the guidelines.

 I wanted to include about 7-8 images in the FUN category, but had problems downloading the images.  

We have had many new people enter in these challenges & don't read the guidelines. For those who are new, I suggest starting out in the FUN category, it has less restrictions.

If a photo is entered & it is not within the time frame, it will NOT be included in the Judging.  I will not e-mail anyone on the rules, anymore.  The JUDGED category has to follow the GUIDELINES, because it is not fair to others that do follow them.

Also, we allowed one entry per person per category(this is new).  If you make a mistake in posting in the same category, JUST E-MAIL ME, & let me know, I will remove the one you want.  If you don't e-mail me, I will remove the second one.  I will not try to figure out which one to delete.  I understand we all make mistakes, so a simple e-mail would help.

I know the rules have been changing all the time,  We are still trying to work things out to make it easy for everyone.  I am not sure how much longer the JUDGED category will continue.  It's been a lot of work & with the nicer weather coming , I will be away from my computer.  This week has been difficult for me to get this challenge together.  

Guidelines:
 
--Challenges are bi-weekly on the following schedule:

    --Topic will be announced on a Friday, end the following Friday and winners will be announced on or before the following Monday. Everyone then rests for a week before the next challenge is announced the following Friday.

***--You may still post an entry after the deadline, but it won't be eligible to win...we'd still love to see it, though! 
**This goes for Judged category only.  If I didn't post the winners in the FUN category, then they may be included.  FUN entries can post anytime.  BUT should be posted within the time frame so people will still see it. Otherwise last entries may get overlooked.
I hope that clears up any confusion....Ü

    --The winning images will be posted on the challenge journal the Monday following the deadline--for all to enjoy.

--Self-portraits must be just that--a portrait of yourself taken by yourself. If yousubmit a photo taken by someone else, it's not yours. This challenge is for YOU to showcase your best work.
 
--Entries - to be eligible for the challenge the following must be followed:

    --Entries in your journal must indicate in the subject that it IS an entry into the challenge. The title of your entry can read: AOL Community Photo Challenge - <challenge subject> and should contain a link to the Challenge itself.

    --The link (PERMALINK to the entry NOT your entire journal) should then be posted to the comments section of the announcement for the level you're participating in (Advanced or Beginner). This will guide folks back to view your entry and give you exposure.

    --All entries must be new ones and be posted during the challenge timeframe. Please do not post a link to an old entry--it will be removed from the comment section.

    --Presentation counts. If your image needs a border, add one. If it doesn't, don't. Just be sure any frame or border you add enhances your image and doesn't overpower the image. The presentation can win or lose a challenge, sometimes KISS works (Keep It Simple...).
 
  --IMPORTANT--PLEASE READ!!!!! All entrants into the challenge grant permission to the Challenge owners to post their images in the event they win. No further permissions will be requested and the ONLY use of the images will be to display them in the "winner's circle."

NEW UPDATE:
 If you post people on your blog, you must have permission to POST on your blog, not just have permission to take a photo.  I have photos of my nieces that I have permission to take their photos but I don't have permission to post on my public journal.  So be careful who & what you post.

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1:07:38 AM EDT We had so many entries in the Challenge & it was hard to select a few.  I had more that I wanted to post, but I was having problems with them loading.
So I am only posting these few.  Thank you all for joining in, we have our regulars but we also had quite a few newbies!!! 
Watch for our new challenge on Friday!
Here are some samples of our FUN category, to see more check out the comment area in both categories, you will see why I say it was hard choosing just a few.

                                                                            
MONICA

 
     rRose                                      Greg


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12:45:44 AM EDT Our 1st Place winner in our B & W Landscape Challenge goes to Jeannette
Congratulations Jeannette!


We had 4 people who came in 2nd Place
They are Nancy, Robin, Betty, & Gina
Congratulations!!!



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1:44:34 PM EDT

For all who enter the Judged category of our Challenges, please note the following:

In fairness to our judges, and to the folks who want to visit the entries for the challenges without having to wade through multiple entries, any links that go to entire journals and NOT to the entry itself will be disqualified from the judging. Anyone who needs help placing a 'permalink' to their entry can find out more here: Permalink Tutorial.

Keep up the great work, folks!!! We think you're all winners!

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9:01:09 AM EDT


JUDGED Category

Take a Landscape photo in B & W or transform a photo into B & W.
 You can sepia tone the image, frame it, but keep in mind when framing, not to take
 away from the image. 

First photo in the entry is what will be judged in our JUDGED Category.  You may enter in both categories, but only once in each.  They also must be different photos, not the same image.
All entries need to be posted by Friday, May 2nd, 7 PM EST.

Please follow our guidelines & leave a link back to our challenge journal.  Also, leave your permalink, which the instructions are on the sidebar.


Helpful links to Landscape Photography, are below.  Also check out Greg's journal, link on sidebar. 

10 tips on Landscape Photography-

10 Really Good Landscape Photography Tips

Dead center
I have noticed a tendency among new photographers, and some older ones to center the main subject every shot. Try some different compositions and positions. Finish the shot. Don't be in a hurry.
 
Simplify the photo
A lot of scenic/landscape photos are just plain busy. In an effort to cram every detail in, we lose sight of the main attraction. Emphasize the main point and eliminate the unimportant. Less is more

16 tips on Landscape Photography

Leave your Permalink for the JUDGED Category here.
Thanks~


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