Photo Challenge - Finale

[venta]

Well, I dunno about you, but I think it's probably about time I judged this photo comptetition. If nothing else, those of you with no interest in the thing will cease having to read posts about it.

I'm sitting here with a huge Excel spreadsheet[*], totting up the votes that were sent to me. And I think we can safely conclude that everyone has pretty disparate tastes in photographs. The pictures that knocked some people out left others completely cold.

However. Some people didn't cast votes for every category, and some people tried to confuse the sums by voting for two people in the same category. Nobody got no votes - so whoever you are, someone likes yer pics :)

In most cateories, there was no real clear favourite; three or four pictures were about honours even. The following[**], however, deserve prizes for romping home with a clear victory:

Dave Sheldon, for Autumn.

Mike Wallis, for Corner (beating off hot competition from Neil Hopcroft).

Stuart Jenkins, for Curve.

Simon White, for Motion (you'll have to scroll down a bit as Simon didn't put an anchor in :)

The overall winner, though, is Glyn Faulkner. He would have won Friend outright, but also managed to attract a significant number of votes in almost all categories.

Prizes, of dubious taste, value and quality, will be issued. Glyn I'll see soon, Stuart I can track down easily. Simon I'll probably run into at Intrusion sometime. Dave, can you suggest a handy mutual acquaintance to act as courier ? Mike, I suspect, will have to trust me with a postal address if he wants his loot :)

A number of people commented that the standard of the photos submitted was unexpectedly high - and I really enjoyed seeing people's pictures. A few entrants also commented that they liked having a goal to their picture-taking (or at least something to act as a boot up the backside...), so there may potentially be other photo challenges in the future as/if/when I think of them.

Cheers all.

[*] Yes, all right, this is clearly bollocks about the spreadsheet. I've actually got a bit of paper with pencil tally marks all over it.
[**] It dawns on me that subsequent discussion down below may get a bit confusing... can people let me know if they mind me listing their LJ names in conjunction with their real names up there, to help the unfamiliar out?


Thanks to everyone who entered, and to those who voted (by mail or comment).

Comments

[surje.livejournal.com]

really enjoyed voting. i wasn't inspired by the competition, but seeing how other people interpreted it has given me inpiration for next time.

one comment on the format. it was VERY HARD to vote, as everyone's page was in a different format, and you had to look at each category on each site separately, so it involved keeping a million windows open. i suggest that you provide template HTML so that everyone's page is the same, or set up a gallery with uploads so that they are all in the same place, or have a downloadable zip file so that they can be viewed locally using explorer.

[surje.livejournal.com]

and there should be a rule about file names - presumable theme_firstname_lastname.jpg or something.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yup, after you'd voted wimble came up with a partial solution (http://mrwolf.afraid.org/gallery/competition) to this... but it is definitely something to bear in mind for next time :)

[surje.livejournal.com]

ah, that just about solves the problem! thanks :)

[surje.livejournal.com]

in fact, you could collect votes by people leaving comments in the gallery agains the pics they want to vote for! that would make things easier as well.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I wondered about doing something like that, but though that some people might want to vote anonymously (and in fact at least one person specified they wanted their votes anonymous).

Fancy a job as site designer next time ?

:)

[surje.livejournal.com]

ok sure, i guess i would do it in gallery on my website, with a separate folder for each category, so each person would have to do 9 separate uploads, but voting would be easier.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Well, I doubt another one is going to happen any time soon, but I might come bothering you in the future :)

[nalsa.livejournal.com]

Aw! *schniff* Well, I'd like to thank my manager, my family, and the PEOPLE OF PLANET EARTH for just being wonderful.

Seriously, thanks. It was nice to work towards a specific target, and it was fun to wander around thinking "What the hell am I going to do for these?"

If I hadn't excepted myself from voting - I really didn't think I ought to, really - I would have voted for Glyn to win overall too. His pictures were of an exceptional quality, and well done him. Saying that, though, Simon White's Motion was oustanding. Well done, all who entered.

Elizabeth, I'm quite happy to give you a postal address :-) I'll try to remember to email you with it!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth, I'm quite happy to give you a postal address :-) I'll try to remember to email you with it!

You forgot, didn't you :)

[neilh.livejournal.com]

so there may potentially be other photo challenges in the future as/if/when I think of them.
Oooh, yes please.

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a horrible thing to say, but I'm rather glad I didn't enter, now. :-)

Many thanks to all the entrants for sharing their time, imagination and very considerable talents!

[kneeshooter]

Gee. Shucks. Intrusion after next for me. Skiing during the next one.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Skiing during the next one.

Well, that'll cause a stir on the dancefloor :)

[kneeshooter]

I've got snowblades now - they take up much less room and other people are less likely to step on them.

:-P

[brrm.livejournal.com]

there may potentially be other photo challenges in the future as/if/when I think of them

Hello. We've not met, but I'm an Oxford-based friend of a few of your friends, who takes photos (http://www.photonhunter.co.uk/~art/photography.html). I'd definitely be interested in another competition; shame I missed this one.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yup, chrisvenus mentioned your interest the other day.

There'll be another along just as soon as I, er, think of an interesting question. I'll try and remember to flag it up for you on your own journal or something.

[brrm.livejournal.com]

I've added you to my friends list, so I'll see if you post one to your LJ. Let me know if you mind.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Course I don't mind, I was just trying to spare you having to wade through a couple of months of drivel in the interim :)