"eerie" was one of the worst themes used because it was never achieved in any of the pictures. You may notice I often make comment about how the theme was never met in any of the pictures. And I don't know if they know what they mean and want when they choose a theme but just hope there are enough pictures so that they can assemble pictures that might fit. Anybody and everybody has a free for all photography contest....and if I don't like diesels or steam or passenger cars or California or New York or the mountains or the desert, then none of the picture, or at least half of the pictures, won't attract my attention, so why judge them? Say you want just GP7s or just mountain railroading or just red trains or blue trains or big city or rural mainlines or yard or yards at night...then you have a compass on how to judge the pics...it's not what you like but how well the photographer captured the theme.
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Bucyrus Matching the theme seems unrelated to the true point of the contest for the best photo.
Matching the theme seems unrelated to the true point of the contest for the best photo.
The point of the contest is to select the photo that best reflects the theme. That best photo should (and based on the work of many of our resident photographers, will) include good quality - exposure, composition, etc, and so on.
Once again, you can produce a technically perfect photo - perfect framing, perfect composition, perfect exposure, everything. But if the theme is "fog" and there is no fog in your picture, you missed the point.
And that is the challenge to the photographer - not just to present a great picture, but to present a great picture that tells the story the theme suggests. If there are a half dozen pictures in the "gallery," as has already been said, you should be able to discern reasonably well the theme of the gallery just by looking at them.
Going back to that portfolio I had to do for that photo class. If you leafed through my 8 or so 8x10 B&Ws, I would hope that it would strike you that the theme was railroads.
If you didn't guess that, then I did a lousy job of representing my theme.
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Henry,
One of the recent themes was “eerie” as I recall. Are you telling me that if you did not know what the theme was, you could look at the pictures and conclude that the theme must be “eerie”? There are probably a hundred other themes that could perfectly fit all the photos in that submission.
The way I look at it, making the photograph requires artistic and technical skill. Matching the theme seems totally unrelated to that basic photographic skill, either in making the photo or in judging it. Matching the theme seems unrelated to the true point of the contest for the best photo. It is like taking a photo contest and combining it with a scavenger hunt.
If you look at a set of 6 pictures and can't tell the theme, then the pictures are failures! I first look for the theme when I look at the pictures before I vote...I dismiss all that don't fit the stated theme then look for the one that does best from the choice.
Yes, I do consider the theme when casting my vote. If one of the submissions for a theme of "mass transit" (to pick a random possible theme) is a 3/4 view of a steam engine running through snowy woods, it's not getting my vote no matter how technically/esthetically perfect it may be.
As I said before, I look for "arty" in the submissions. Show me some imagination. Just because the topic is "heavy duty locomotives" doesn't mean you have to submit a 3/4 roster shot of an SD70.
One of the shots required for a portfolio we had to do for a photography class was either "black on black" or "white on white." There are many ways to approach that. I happened to use a shot of a coal pile. It wasn't terribly inspired, but it worked. And it was a "theme."
My sense is that the photos are not judged on how well they match the theme regardless of whether or not that is the intention of the contest organizers. When people here give their reasons why they prefer one photo over the rest, it is usually based on the aesthetics and informational content of the photo. The theme is just a given context, and nobody is concerned how well the photo matches it.
Here is another way to look at it. Say you had six photos that were intended to fit a theme. Say you, as a judge, were not told what the theme is. Could you look at the six photos and tell what the theme is supposed to be? Of course not. So why have a theme?
I have a few thousand railroad photos that I have taken. I judge them all. It has never once occurred to me that they should be organized according to themes, or even evaluated according to how well they match a theme.
Bob, the "same entrants" are the staff at Kalmbach who were the ones the competition was designed for. Adding a non staffer was a bonus idea after the fact. However, there could be more than one non staffer chosen. But by their own admission, they don't choose the non staffer by reviewing the pic but by blindly picking from a pile.
If you get the newsletter, the old winner will be announced and the new theme and deadline, you kinda got to dig it out..
My problem is only one outsider gets chosen, so you enter and enter and maybe once every you get in the actual voting. If you look at the contests, they often have the same entrants. These are all good people but photographers tend to have the same style and subject types so I can almost tell the entrants just looking at the photo. The other problem is that giving priority to some reinforces the old view point whether correct or not that there are ins and outs.
I think inclusion creates more interest as people will tell their friends and exclusion reduces interest.
Bob
Bucyrus henry6 It is better for judging, to narrow down a reason for judging pictures. No theme is too wide open and there is no rhyme or reason to judge because there are no perameters, no way to compare one picture of another. A diesel coming out of a tunnel in a snow storm vs a steam engine crossing the Australian outback? Better to limit to steam or diesel or tunnels or snow or the Australian outback and do five competitions. Makes it more challenging for the photographer and easier for the judges. No themes makes it an aimless free for all. So you are saying that the photos are judged according to how well they match the theme and by their technical and artistic merit besides? Or do they just have to be in the theme, in order to be judged by their technical and artistic merit? It can't be the former so it has to be the latter. But if it is the latter, what is the point of the theme? In other words, if you are not judging by the theme, what is the point of having one? If you are judging six photos for technical and artistic merit, why is it too wide open to judge if they are not connected by a theme? Even if the six are connected by a theme, they will all be radically different from each other. So I don't see how a theme simplifies judging.
henry6 It is better for judging, to narrow down a reason for judging pictures. No theme is too wide open and there is no rhyme or reason to judge because there are no perameters, no way to compare one picture of another. A diesel coming out of a tunnel in a snow storm vs a steam engine crossing the Australian outback? Better to limit to steam or diesel or tunnels or snow or the Australian outback and do five competitions. Makes it more challenging for the photographer and easier for the judges. No themes makes it an aimless free for all.
It is better for judging, to narrow down a reason for judging pictures. No theme is too wide open and there is no rhyme or reason to judge because there are no perameters, no way to compare one picture of another. A diesel coming out of a tunnel in a snow storm vs a steam engine crossing the Australian outback? Better to limit to steam or diesel or tunnels or snow or the Australian outback and do five competitions. Makes it more challenging for the photographer and easier for the judges. No themes makes it an aimless free for all.
So you are saying that the photos are judged according to how well they match the theme and by their technical and artistic merit besides?
Or do they just have to be in the theme, in order to be judged by their technical and artistic merit?
It can't be the former so it has to be the latter. But if it is the latter, what is the point of the theme? In other words, if you are not judging by the theme, what is the point of having one?
If you are judging six photos for technical and artistic merit, why is it too wide open to judge if they are not connected by a theme?
Even if the six are connected by a theme, they will all be radically different from each other. So I don't see how a theme simplifies judging.
I get a kick at the way you pull words and sentences apart! First, I said, yes, there should be themes. Second I said that the judging should be based on those themes and not just because it is a pretty picture. Third, I--and others--often don't think the entries fit the stated theme but are what are chosen to be part of the game that week...either because the theme is weak, not enough entries to really search, or theme not understood by the one who chooses the pics. If all the guidelines are followed then the voting and judging is concentrated, understood, and fun. Otherwise, there is no rhyme or reason for the pictures or the voting.
Why are themes good?
No...themes are good. But they've got to be chosen, presented, and voted on based on the theme and not just a couple of shots to fill the week's need.
Maybe the photos are not judged on how well they match the theme, but to find out if they are, let me ask this:
What would be wrong with just asking photographers to submit their best shot of railroading with no other theme specified?
And don't get me started about the "Photo of the Day" fiasco.
Theme doesn't bother me...but rarely does a group of pictures actually represent the theme in my estimation. This time--the holidays--is the same. A steam engine in the snow, a snow man on a whistling post, a red engine covered with snow? The only real holiday picture has to be Eric's with the train CP Christmas train adorning the top to Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson, PA on its way from Scranton, PA to Binghamton, NY...it is one of the best shots of that train in all the time its been running and sure commands first place in this voting as well as CP's selection when this year's trains have been stabled.
Bucyrus I have never quite understood the need for a theme.
I have never quite understood the need for a theme.
If the theme is, say, switches, then potential submitters are either going dig through their archive for a suitable shot, or perhaps go out and shoot one at a location they recall and can reach without a cross-country trip.
The key, of course, is to submit a shot that is artistic/attractive/unique. Given the choice of an image with a human interest bent (say, a crewman throwing a switch on a foggy morning) vs one of a common switch stand just standing there, I think most would tend to vote for the human interest shot. I might have a snowy shot of the ladder track at Steamtown I think would make a good candidate. Or not.
And if the theme is 'switches,' it would tend to rule out that 3/4 wedge shot of an SD-whatever rolling through pretty scenery, which seems to be a hallmark of some submitters, no matter what the theme.
I understand the time issue the trains staff has - they've mentioned it themselves.
But given ample notice of a theme, it should only take a few minutes to weed out the obvious non-contenders and randomly pick some for a competition.
However, it's their site. I'll enjoy it either way.
Bucyrus I have never quite understood the need for a theme. Is the contest judged on how well the photo matches the theme—OR—on how good the photo is from a technical and artistic standpoint? You might say that it is judged on both, but say you have two photos; one fits the theme best, and the other one is the best technical and artistic shot. Which one wins? Or perhaps the theme is only intended as a guidepost and fitting the theme is not part of the judging criteria. Has this ever been clarified in the rules?
I have never quite understood the need for a theme. Is the contest judged on how well the photo matches the theme—OR—on how good the photo is from a technical and artistic standpoint?
You might say that it is judged on both, but say you have two photos; one fits the theme best, and the other one is the best technical and artistic shot. Which one wins?
Or perhaps the theme is only intended as a guidepost and fitting the theme is not part of the judging criteria. Has this ever been clarified in the rules?
I see that dilemma in many photo contests. Many times the photo which best fits the theme (IMO) is passed over for a shot that may, well in the case of trains.com, is a better railfan shot. How many in-cab shots have won these trackside contests for that reason alone?
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
tree68 Recognizing that the feature started out as a friendly competition between a couple of staffers, then morphed into a slightly more open competition, but still with a cast of regulars (and one "outsider"), perhaps it's time to morph again into something more open. Not "juried," but something easy for the staff to work with - instead of picking one, pick 4 or 5 at random (as long as they meet the well-publicized theme) and put the survey on-line. We already know there are some "fair to middlin'" photographers here, so the competitions would certainly be interesting.
Recognizing that the feature started out as a friendly competition between a couple of staffers, then morphed into a slightly more open competition, but still with a cast of regulars (and one "outsider"), perhaps it's time to morph again into something more open. Not "juried," but something easy for the staff to work with - instead of picking one, pick 4 or 5 at random (as long as they meet the well-publicized theme) and put the survey on-line.
We already know there are some "fair to middlin'" photographers here, so the competitions would certainly be interesting.
The trackside thing seems tired and old. Just a shell of what it once was - and now it's not even featured in the same spot from week to week. I understand there are 56,000 other things to take care of on the trains.com website - so I wonder how it even got this far (199).
But I thought if we got this far into the bowels of these forums we were "in" the club!
You are not alone!
It shows up, goes away…week or two shows up, goes away for a month…
I would love to submit a photo or two, but can’t because I don’t know the theme, or when it will show up again.
Maybe you have to belong to the “club”?
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Once again I find the new pic to vote on and the topic for the first time, in the weekly Trainsnewsetter here. But nothing in the Forums! So, not able to comment. And don't know what next theme is. Am I the only one with this problem?
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