The First UwPhotoChat photo contest!

[Jonathan Bird]

Let me begin by saying that I'm not a huge fan of photo contests, because photography is not a competition. It's art. Art is in the eye of the beholder. That being said, certain images do make people excited more than others. In that vein, I'm starting the first photo contest here. I'm hoping to make it a bi-monthly contest (meaning, a new one every other month).

The winner's image takes the place of honor at the UwPhotoChat intro page for 2 months here.

http://www.uwphotochat.com

Right now it's a picture of mine to hold the spot. I want to share the limelight!!

RULES!

1. The image must be your own image.
2. The image must be a horizontal (i.e. landscape) format image. (sorry, that's the way the page is designed for now).
3. If the image has been digitally manipulated beyond the basics, it must be revealed in what way. By the basics I mean cropping, levels, contrast, etc. is fine. Even a little backscatter touch up is OK. But anything more than that, such as adding elements from other images, etc. must be disclosed! Don't try to fool everyone...we'll figure it out and bust ya! ;)
4. The image must be underwater (duh!) :D
5. One submission per person.
6. Photo Pros/Mods are not eligible. Sorry! Can't have people saying we rigged it!

WHAT DO YOU WIN?
You get the honor (?) of being on the intro page of this site for two months. You will be credited in whatever way you like, including a link to your website. We retain no rights to your image whatsover. You grant uwphotochat the right to display your image for 2 months without compensation. You get fame and glory, then the image comes down and we run a new contest!

HOW DO WE DETERMINE THE WINNER?
The Photo Pros, Moderators and I will narrow it down to 5 finalists. Then we will run a poll and the winner will be decided by popular vote!

HOW DO YOU ENTER?
Put a picture on this thread!

WHEN DO SUBMISSIONS CLOSE?
Since the site just started and we don't have many users yet, let's say that we will keep submissions open for a month. So the deadline to enter this first contest is September 18. The winner will be voted on throughout the week of Sept 18 and announced on Sept 25! The winner's image will be on the main site page from Sept 26-November 26!

If I forgot anything, just ask me in this thread. I never did this before, I'm sure I'm forgetting something!

Let the pictures begin!:cool:

Jonathan

[Jonathan Bird]

C'mon you guys! Don't be shy! Someone get the ball rolling and post something!

Jonathan

[Clay Coleman]

Ditto what Jonathan said. I've seen several shots already that I'd like to see entered. -Clay

[Daniel]

My apologies for the oversized photo. I have since replaced it with a smaller version.

Daniel

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h110/DLaFrance/SouthernStingray_600x390.jpg

[Jonathan Bird]

I'm clueless about how you were able to attach an image that large when the settings are for 640 pixels max!

Jonathan

[tarczy]

C'mon you guys! Don't be shy! Someone get the ball rolling and post something!

Jonathan

Whine! Whine! Whine! :D

Ok . . . Here's my first photo contest submission. The way it's going . . . looks like I'll win by default. :rolleyes:

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Copyright%20Pics/TwoSharksBirdSubmission.jpg

[Mike Nelson]

Here's my entry.........Lion Fish from North Carolina 2006. But can you figure out what's up with the picture layout?????????

[Jonathan Bird]

I have set the system to generate thumbnails to speed the loading of pages. That way you don't have to wait for an entire page full of images to load. Yes, I know that it doesn't matter for those of us on blazing broadband connections, but not everyone is on broadband yet. (If you aren't you should be!)

Anyway, it appears that some people's settings are "stuck" on the old method and the thumbnails are not being generated for them. Ya got me! I have no idea what the darned software is doing! I give up! If the image posts, I'm happy!

Looks like we have some entries now! This is going to be fun. Keep 'em coming people!

Jonathan

[Clay Coleman]

I did a little test and this thread lost its place. -Clay

[EcoDiving]

I really like the sharks, whales, baracudas, colorfull corals etc. But these pictures almost always win the contests. Let's try it with a picture from the Netherlands.

http://www.ronaldfaber.nl/crab.jpg

[chris bangs]

[QUOTE=EcoDiving;339]I really like the sharks, whales, baracudas, colorfull corals etc. But these pictures almost always win the contests. Let's try it with a picture from the Netherlands.

Good point! But not always true. When entering contests you should try to enter images that are unique, for example, I do not enter contests but when I submitted images for the last Sport Diver photo annual ( in reality a contest competing with top pros and the prize was just getting in )I entered super macro abstracts and managed to get two images published.

just something to consider

cheers CB

[Clay Coleman]

Wow, Chris. Is that first one a tunicate? -Clay

[chris bangs]

yes! a very tiny one!

On Guam we lack big stuff but the macro wails!

[Jonathan Bird]

I remember seeing that anemone and sun shot in the mag and thinking it was very clever and cool!

[Clay Coleman]

They seem to ring a bell with me, too. Very well done, Chris. -Clay

[Susan Crane]

I took this photo in the Bahamas the first week in August this year. I spent a week on the Dolphin Dream doing the sharks and dolphins. This photo was one of my better, being just by chance of course. Camera is an Olympus 5050 with a Light and Motion housing and Ikelite strobe. The photo is completely untouched.

Susan

[Clay Coleman]

Very nice, Susan. That makes 4 entries--now we're getting somewhere. -Clay

[Jonathan Bird]

I took this photo in the Bahamas the first week in August this year.

"Hey, is there a dentist around? My tooth is killin' me!"

[Clay Coleman]

C'mon everybody! Let's see some more. -Clay

[seabreeze]

OK. I'll give this a try. I'm not sure I've resized my pic correctly. It was shot in Cozumel in 2005 with a Canon S70. It was shot on a night dive and is of a Spotted Moray eating (?) a juvenile French Angel. Correct me if I'm wrong! It's cropped from a larger image - but is unmanipulated otherwise.

Breeze

[Clay Coleman]

Thanks, Breeze! You're correct in that it's a spotted moray and a juvie French angel. Quite a bit of drama as to what's going to happen next! What's that little angel thinking? -Clay

[seabreeze]

If I post images elsewhere on the site does it preclude my using them in future contests?? I mean, if I post one for critique, can I not use it again later to enter the contest??

Thanks!!

Breeze

[Clay Coleman]

If I post images elsewhere on the site does it preclude my using them in future contests?? I mean, if I post one for critique, can I not use it again later to enter the contest??

Thanks!!

Breeze
Breeze: You may certainly enter a "previously viewed" photo in the contest. Previous contest winners will not be eligible, and I suppose that there should be a limit as to how many times a contest-entry photo can be entered in subsequent contests, but I see no reason to preclude images that have been offered elsewhere in the site. We're making this up as we go along, and I guess it's time to come up with some rules, but the mere fact that an image has been seen before should not disqualify it for entry in the contest. -Clay

[Jonathan Bird]

I agree with Clay. I'm not even sure that we should exempt winners from entering the next contest, but maybe say that they can't enter for a year or something. Like Clay said, we're making it up as we go! ;-)

Jonathan

[Warren_L]

http://www.warrenlophotography.com/uw/web/blackbeards-2006-10.jpg

[Clay Coleman]

Thanks, Warren!

[dbh]

http://www.myunderwaterworld.com/Gray-Angels-web.jpg


Dave

[adshepard]

One of the colorful inhabitants (Flabellina pellucida) of Passamaquoddy Bay.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/memberimages/5817_1096976912_f_pellucida_curled.jpg

Photo taken on a submerged piling at the "old steamship pier" in Eastport, Maine.

Nikonos V, extension tube, S&S YS-90 on Velvia 50.

DSDO

Alan

Marine Life of Passamaquoddy Bay (http://www.geocities.com/alan.chepard@snet.net/passamaquoddy.html)

[tarczy]

C'mon everybody! Let's see some more. -Clay


Maybe this one will get the prize!

Can you identify the diver? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

P.S. When is someone gonna decalre the winner? :D


http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Pelagics/BirdSurfacing.jpg

[Jonathan Bird]

Gosh, who is that handsome stud!???

Yep, time for us to announce a winner. First, Clay, the other photo pros and I will get 5 nominees then I will post a poll so everyone can vote!

Jonathan

[Jonathan Bird]

Stand by...we will have a poll started soon so everyone can see the finalists, and vote on the winner! It will be in another thread, but I'll link it when it's up.

Jonathan

[Jonathan Bird]

OK, the poll is up. You have ten days to vote!

http://www.uwphotochat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96

Good luck to our finalists! For those of you who did not make the finals, please be aware that it was tough narrowing it down to five and we encourage entering the next contest!

Jonathan

[Jonathan Bird]

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

Dave "dbh" has won the first UWPhotoChat photo contest and his winning image is now up on the opening page:

http://www.uwphotochat.com/

Congratulations Dave!

Jonathan