Digital Picture of Britain competition

Does anyone else share the view that the shortlist for this competition
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/apictureofbritain/gallery/
shortlist/index.shtml) is on the whole pretty poor, especially "wales -
rural" (every shot is rubbish) and "north of england - rural" (a couple
of decent shots but compared to some of the amazing shots entered into
that category, incredibly disappointing). Frankly I think it shows
that you're a hostage to fortune if you let people vote as I strongly
suspect that many of the poorer shots only got in because the
photographer and his/her mates voted in large numbers.

 

That's a bit harsh. I quite like a couple of them. The definition of
"rural" is being stretched more than a little though and when was a
Contax 139 ever digital?

Did you take part? I didn't, so couldn't possibly comment.

 

Nonsense. There are some excellent shots in that category.

Yes, there are a great many mediocre snaps too, but your analysis
of the whole is grossly misplaced.

 

No, I don't share that view. There are a fair number of mediocre shots
in there but there's some good stuff also.

I guess that could be true, but why do you suspect it? Any evidence or
is it just a 'feeling'?

 

i do have some evidence, in that (a) i happened across one photographer
all of whose 15 or so photos ranked at an average of at least 9.5,
despite the fact that few of them deserved anything like that (i found
virtually no other photos with an average that high anywhere else among
all the amazing photos i clicked on) - clearly they had either
themselves or though mates given the photo multiple 10/10s; (b) a
number of times my photos were hit across the board with 1/10 (sad to
admit i was keeping a tally) - maybe someone genuinely hated all of the
photos, but i suspect it was someone trying to sabotage the opposition.
in fact, i was generally very surprised at how low-scoring most of the
photos i rated highly were - of course maybe my judgment is skewed but
i believe there was wide-scale nobbling going on. the other reason i
think many mediocre shots got through is that people didn't bother to
vote for them, so that the photographers (who, like me, inevitably
rated their own photos highly) got away with an average skewed too
high. re my comment about all the welsh rural photos being rubbish, i
recognise that might be seen as a very harsh comment but it's my view
and i'm sticking by it.

 

Plonk! Bye ...

 

i should, by the way, clarify that i gave the wrong link - the one i
gave takes people to ALL the photos entered into each category, you
have to click on "shortlist" to see the final 13 in each category -
correct link is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/apictureofbritain/gallery/shortlist/index.shtml
not sure if people's replies were based on the former or latter - i
can well see their point if they looked at the full list. having had
another look at the shortlist, i can see there are 2 or 3 decent ones
but still, considering this category received at least 1500 entries
(probably a lot more), surely you'd have to accept it's a pretty poor
shortlist

 

It is an odd selection. There are plenty of cracking shots in the
competition that haven't been shortlisted. However, that's just the
nature of these things. Talking about "rubbish" and "nobbling" doesn't
endure you to anyone. If you enter a competition, you should be prepared
to accept the judges decision and put up with it, even if it is a little
strange...

 

So what you're saying is that your pictures didn't make it?* ;P

I don't have a huge level of critical skill on photography, but it looks
like a mixed bag to me - some of them don't look at all bad.


*mine didn't either.

Cheers,

Stu

 

It's all pretty irrelevant, as no photographer in their right mind
would agree to the conditions of entry:-


Where you are invited to submit any contribution to bbc.co.uk
(including any text, photographs, graphics, video or audio) you agree,
by submitting your contribution, to grant the BBC a perpetual, royalty-
free, non-exclusive, sub-licenseable right and license to use,
reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works
from, distribute, perform, play, make available to the public, and
exercise all copyright and publicity rights with respect to your
contribution worldwide and/or to incorporate your contribution in other
works in any media now known or later developed for the full term of
any rights that may exist in your contribution, and in accordance with
privacy restrictions set out in the BBC's Privacy Policy. If you do not
want to grant to the BBC the rights set out above, please do not submit
your contribution to bbc.co.uk.


A major rights-grab, expanding the BBC's picture library (which they
sell, don't forget) at no cost to themselves.

 

The shortlist is fantastic. I get three in in different catgories:

East Rural
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/apictureofbritain/gallery/shortlist/single/england_east_rural_11.shtml

South West Rural
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/apictureofbritain/gallery/shortlist/single/england_southwest_rural_8.shtml

South West Human
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/apictureo...tlist/single/england_southwest_human_11.shtml

 

"If you enter a competition, you should be prepared to accept the
judges decision and put up with it, even if it is a little
strange... "

My whole point is that this wasn't a decision by a panel of judges
(we're still waiting for them to decide on the shorlisted photos), it's
a decision by the voting public. I would say that, like their current
fortnightly photo comp, the BBC should have reversed it and had the
judges pick the shortlist then let the public vote on that (ok there's
a lot of photos for them to judge but it's not an impossible
challenge). The way they've done it has sold us short in terms of
quality shortlisted pictures (and I'm not necessarily talking about
mine: I never expected to be shortlisted but equally I'm frustrated
that some of mine are, in my view, better than many of the shortlisted
ones). When they tour the country they will leave a lot of people
uninspired, which is an opportunity lost. Since this is the first and
biggest competition of its kind i do think lessons should be learned.
I'm not attempting to endure (guess you mean endear) myself to anyone
Willy: in terms of 'nobbling', the competition was easily manipulable
and i strongly believe it has been. In terms of 'rubbish, there are a
lot of banal, aesthetically unappealing shots on the shortlist which
there really shouldn't be given that i believe over 100,000 photos were
entered. As for Neil's the point about the BBC terms and conditions,
unless you're a professional why would you care what they do with your
photos - you still own the copyright at the end of the day. And as for
Stax - well done mate, what's your secret? (come on admit it, you
cheated ha ha). Rant over.

 

And my point is that at that stage, the voting public _were_ the judges.

Hey, it had been a long day...

The problem is, if you really want people to discuss this rationally
without everyone concluding that it's merely sour grapes on your part,
you need to moderate your language. Talking about other photographers'
work as "rubbish" is not going to get you anywhere.

 

I guess that depends on whether you're happy with someone making money
at your expense and also whether you mind accepting liability from any
problem arising from the usage of your images.

I know I wouldn't be, professional or amateur.

 

Channel 4 ran a vote for the sexiest screen scene a while back. The great
British public voted for a woman coming out of the sea in a bikini. That in
their judgment was the *greatest sex scene of all time*!

Says it all really.

There is only one thing worse than 'the judges' decision, and that's the
public's decision. Be your own judge. If a photo pleases you then that image
is a winner.

 

That'd be amateur then.

--
Phil Kyle™
Uno
Dos
Tres
Cuatro
CINCO!!!!!!

"Be very aware that my willingness
to continue to criticise your sig
is infinite." -- Neil Barker

 

Miserable git.

--
Phil Kyle™
Uno
Dos
Tres
Cuatro
CINCO!!!!!!

"Be very aware that my willingness
to continue to criticise your sig
is infinite." -- Neil Barker

 

Congratulations Greg/Stax - I see you won the South-West Rural
category. "The picture captures the mood of the moors and uses an
interesting, mysterious narrative with the disappearing road" - one of
the less pretentious bits of gobbledygook from the judges (compared
with eg "The judges felt that this picture had a very brave narrative,
a real dialogue" - no, it's an old car in a wood)