Photo Challenge

Current Challenge
"F/8"
Prizes listed at bottom of page

"F/8"
Head out to take one photo that is awesome in every way, but using F/8 as the aperture setting. This is a task oriented challenge, and by restricting you in this way, you are forced to think outside of your normal box. We usually embrace wide open apertures, or closed down apertures. By making you choose something in the middle, it should make you think.

REMEMBER - This is a challenge. Just don't grab a shot and enter it. Visualize something in advance. Come up with a theme or a stated goal prior to going to picking up your camera. Then set it up and shoot it.

Last Date to enter is Oct. 5th, 2012.

TIP - It would be best to not post a photo that provides YOU a good feeling inside because the image is of a friend or loved one, or maybe because it reminds you if a really great time you had on vacation. It would be best if you selected your single entry because it uses great composition, great lighting, and is artistic.

To view and vote on the entries, simply choose that option from the drop-down in the NavBar above. (Located under PhotoChallenge)

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Read The Rules!!

When you upload your photo, please change your file name to include the title, and your first and last name. ( "Morning Glory by Jimmy Beltz" )

1.  MAKE SURE you change the name of the photo prior to uploading. Please do not upload your photo, THEN notice you have not named it properly, and upload a second one to replace it. Followed by sending me an email to please remove the other one. Without exaggeration, this happens at least 10 times every challenge.

2.  YOU MUST LEAVE THE ORIGINAL EXIF DATA INTACT. Modifying the data to look like you took the photo yesterday, when in reality you took it 4 years ago, will result in your photo being removed or not being considered in the final total if we miss it when you first upload it. (Yes we have software that can check that). By the same token, stripping data out of your image will render the same results. EXIF data on all winners is checked before winners are announced.

3.  DO NOT INCLUDE BORDERS. You may edit all you want, but no borders are allowed for the challenge. Creation of borders tend to strip out the EXIF data. This will yield the results listed immediately above.

4.  PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR FIRST NAME AND THE TITLE OF YOUR ENTRY ON YOUR ENTRY.

5.  NO OFFENSIVE PHOTOS. What is an offensive photo? Ones that a mom might not appreciate her child seeing online. Now that might be a bit too vague for you, but if there is any doubt in your mind, don't submit it. Bottom line is, I can remove any image I want to because you are not paying to compete in this challenge. In short, if I see an image that I think is inappropriate to be shown in front of children, I will remove it. If you have a question on this, call me. 

6.  MULTIPLE SUBMISSION. You are NOT allowed to enter multiple submissions. One entry per person only.

7.  USE YOUR OWN WORK. Using someone else's work is called stealing. If we catch you, we will do everything we can to let the original artist know, and remove your entry.

8.  BY ENTERING THIS CHALLENGE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR IMAGE MAY APPEAR ON THE PODCAST, OR THIS WEBSITE. IT WILL NOT BE SOLD, AND YOU RETAIN ALL OTHER RIGHTS. However, we may use your entry to promote future challenges, the PhotoTips podcast, and the website.

If you have any questions about these rules, simply use the contact link at the top of the page and give me a call.

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STOP!
Enter Your Photo ONLY,
After Reading The Rules!

Make sure you name your file -BEFORE- you upload. Choose a file name in the following format: "Shadow Falls by George Jones". 

Please wait at least 2 minutes after the completion of the upload for your image to appear on the Challenge Entry Gallery. It can take a bit to process and show on the page. So be patient. Don't upload it twice.

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**VOTING** 

It's pretty simply. Hold your mouse over the larger image on the right. You will see a thumbs up or thumbs down option. Pick one. Only you will see your choices. Only I will see everyones. And for the record, I do not count thumbs down choices. So.....

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 ~ PRIZES ~

Winner:

1. One free lifetime subscription to a Family Unlimited account with Jimmy Drive. What the heck is a Jimmy Drive??? Click here for more info.
2. One free download from this website. Choose any one item from the Downloads section at the top of every page.
3. One Free ThinkTank product from "The" ThinkTank company. They provide something new and different every time.

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**HOW THE WINNER IS DETERMINED** 

We take all the thumbs up votes and tally the total. ("Likes" in Facebook are not the thumbs up I am talking about, but the red and green thumbs that show when you hold your mouse over the larger picture). The top 10 get put into a pool. I then pick ones that I think should be in that pool as well, based on the intent of following the challenge, and artistic ability. That total pool then is then considered by me only (after all this is my website and the challenge costs you nothing to participate) and a first, second, and third place ranking is assigned accordingly. 

This keeps a contestant from going to their 500 Facebook friends and having them vote on their image, and then winning based solely on how many friends they had, instead of by following the intent of the challenge and their artistic ability. In the end, we know that not everyone will be happy. But honestly, there is no way to conduct this in a way that everyone "will" be happy. I console myself in the fact that this is as fair as I can make it, and it costs you nothing to participate.