February 2012 Photo Contest

[amanda509]

No mention of the beautiful kinyongia multituberculata.
personally panther annoy me just because they usually win based on thier colors alone. most of the time the pose is just your common defensive pose with the front arm pulled up near the mouth.
ill be happy if i make the top 3. and im glad i finally made the cut.

im soo excited i made the cut too! i hope i make it in top 3 as well, linus would totally get spoiled if i do..but yea, panthers are cheaters cuz they are too colorful, which is more attractive than green and horns -.- but i cant complain..when i one day have one, ill be showing off his colors left and right!

 

[clarkrw3]

No mention of the beautiful kinyongia multituberculata.
personally panther annoy me just because they usually win based on thier colors alone. most of the time the pose is just your common defensive pose with the front arm pulled up near the mouth.
ill be happy if i make the top 3. and im glad i finally made the cut.

Actually you are dead wrong. Look back through last years winners and tell me how many of them were panthers. If anything panthers usually lose because they are so common

Here is the list of last years winners. Tell me where all the panther winners are?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/2011-best-photo-73126/


So if anything those of us that just keep panthers have a very large disadvantage.

 

[okiroo]

Actually you are dead wrong. Look back through last years winners and tell me how many of them were panthers. If anything panthers usually lose because they are so common

Here is the list of last years winners. Tell me where all the panther winners are?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/2011-best-photo-73126/


So if anything those of us that just keep panthers have a very large disadvantage.

i've seen it go either way. there all beautiful animals and people should vote for the one they like, nothing wrong with that, even if they only like panthers

 

[clarkrw3]

i've seen it go either way. there all beautiful animals and people should vote for the one they like, nothing wrong with that, even if they only like panthers

You are right of course that people should vote for what they like. But for someone to complain saying that panthers always win is just plain WRONG!!


https://www.chameleonforums.com/january-2012-photo-contest-73120/index2.html#post706008

https://www.chameleonforums.com/2011-best-photo-73126/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/december-10-photo-contest-50453/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/november-10-photo-contest-49188/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/october-10-photo-contest-47880/


There's the past 16 months winners and there is only ONE panther and it's a baby.

If you are going to complain about a contest Brad doesn't even have to do, at least know what your talking about.

 

[okiroo]

You are right of course that people should vote for what they like. But for someone to complain saying that panthers always win is just plain WRONG!!


https://www.chameleonforums.com/january-2012-photo-contest-73120/index2.html#post706008

https://www.chameleonforums.com/2011-best-photo-73126/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/december-10-photo-contest-50453/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/november-10-photo-contest-49188/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/october-10-photo-contest-47880/


There's the past 16 months winners and there is only ONE panther and it's a baby.

If you are going to complain about a contest Brad doesn't even have to do, at least know what your talking about.

and your right about panthers, i havent seen many win lately. i dont think the people were trying to be rude or anything but would just like their cham to place. but your also right that one- this is a contest and two- brad doesnt have to do it. both of these are facters people should consider before posting on this thread.

 

[Solid Snake]

Tell me where all the panther winners are?

There is one winner!

 

[clarkrw3]

There is one winner!

LOL... That was my point. 1 for 16..(and I bet that most didn't even know for sure that baby was a panther)..and I would bet that panthers make up far more than 50% of the submissions and population on the forum. I have voted for all sorts of chams and just vote for the picture I like best but for someone to say panthers always win.......REALLY

 

[Solid Snake]

I always look them all over, and there are usually at least three that I am torn between.
I factor a lot into the decision, and if someone has better positioning, lighting or another "technical" aspect to the photo that is more "on key" than the others, I usually give my vote to them.
That said....
This thing is for fun!

 

[melric]

I vote for me. Or the picture I like best. Quality has a lot to do with my decision.

 

[clarkrw3]

This thing is for fun!

Isn't that the truth LOL people really seem to lose sight of that. I know that is the reason many other forums have done away with it....too many people getting upset every month, cheating etc.

Which is the reason I was pointing out...it isn't something Brad HAS to do Be thankful and happy

 

[justjumpit621]

Isn't that the truth LOL people really seem to lose sight of that. I know that is the reason many other forums have done away with it....too many people getting upset every month, cheating etc.

Which is the reason I was pointing out...it isn't something Brad HAS to do Be thankful and happy

How do you cheat at this? I think it is fun, I don't see poeople taking it too seriously and i'm glad brad does it. It's like a good horse race it keeps you on your toes until the very end!

 

[DanSB]

I always get a kick out of people debating the judging style of photo competitions.

Nature photography and animal photography in general has been a big interest of mine since high school. I have entered several pro level contests, and read piles of material on theory. Most of the photographs in the contest here are on par with any professional shot and would be at home in a contest being judged by professionals.

The funny thing is most professionals will judge a photograph based on what "pops", what is novel, and what evokes the most emotion. All the technical aspects will generally be close to even anyway. I think that is how the photographs here are judged.

From looking at history the people will vote for a pretty picture where they haven't seen similar ones a million times.

Regardless, I had a heck of a time deciding which one to vote for as they are all so good! More than a contest this is a huge opportunity for everyone to see poses and pictures they like and talk to the photographer about how they made the picture and maybe add to their photography tool box.

 

[blackhawk]

I have to disagree a little with DanSB. Most of the pics entered are not on par with any professional photograph. That doesn't mean that they are bad, just not professional. Except for a few pics, most photographers here have made no attempt in eliminating background clutter or other distractions, haven't isolated the subject, lack a main focal point, and subject placement within the frame is lacking.

However, I'm sure that the purpose of this contest isn't one of photographic expertise. Its a fun contest that anyone with an iphone can enter. Like DanSB said, all good photos will elicit an emotional response or connect with the viewer and most have been successful in this contest. A pro photog would get the same emotional response from the viewer, but the photo itself would be of much better quality as he has mastered lighting, aperture, focal choice, subject isolation, frame placement, white balance and so on and so on...

This is a fun point and shoot contest that all of us can enjoy for what it is. Its not about the photography, its about the joy of sharing your chameleon with like minded people. If it was about the photography, we'd all be interested in what f-stop and focal length was used to make the photo.

 

[justjumpit621]

I have to disagree a little with DanSB. Most of the pics entered are not on par with any professional photograph. That doesn't mean that they are bad, just not professional. Except for a few pics, most photographers here have made no attempt in eliminating background clutter or other distractions, haven't isolated the subject, lack a main focal point, and subject placement within the frame is lacking.

However, I'm sure that the purpose of this contest isn't one of photographic expertise. Its a fun contest that anyone with an iphone can enter. Like DanSB said, all good photos will elicit an emotional response or connect with the viewer and most have been successful in this contest. A pro photog would get the same emotional response from the viewer, but the photo itself would be of much better quality as he has mastered lighting, aperture, focal choice, subject isolation, frame placement, white balance and so on and so on...

This is a fun point and shoot contest that all of us can enjoy for what it is. Its not about the photography, its about the joy of sharing your chameleon with like minded people. If it was about the photography, we'd all be interested in what f-stop and focal length was used to make the photo.

True but the final cuts are based upon that stuff, which is why most of the end choices are very good. I am no photographer, but I have a good eye and love experimenting with my camera and catching my chams in cute, funny, and sometimes beautiful poses. I don't know how many iphone pictures have been selected for the final cut because their quality isn't always the best, these photos go in a calender so they have to have decent quality and composition. I take a lot of pride in having my pictures selected for final cuts, it means they were good but if i don't make cuts I still like voting on the ones that do.

 

[thePopeJP]

The picture of the tails making a heart that won recently is a great example in my opinion. Honestly it's not a "technically good" photo. It's slightly off cropped and the drab gray background is boring. HOWEVER, It is a once in a lifetime photo that captured a beautiful moment. And that's why it won.

Now this month, I think the top three will show that a technically good photo CAN win. But the winner doesn't have to be technically excellent... It just has to capture hearts.

 

[Bloodhound]

A moment is always going to be a superior picture than an image that is technically superior. That saying, the moment must be in focus and of a decent quality to not detract from an image. I really helps to know your subject matter.
Light is very easy to control and can have dramatic impacts on images. Basic composition can also be very helpful.
A negative in my eyes is on camera direct flash. It flattens an image and can cause unnatural color casts.

Things to remember next time you take a photo.

 

[Brad]

The voting results are really tight, so I'm going to keep the contest open for another 12 hours. If you have not voted please do so.

 

[Solid Snake]

Edge of your seats action folks!

 

[summoner12]

Great Photos this month!

 

[Brad]

The Results

The Results​

1st place: moviemanmania
Species: Furcifer pardalis
Common: Panther Chameleon
Sex: male
Age: 1 year



2nd place: zamorajc74
Species: Furcifer pardalis
Common: Panther Chameleon
Sex: female
Age: 5 months



3rd place: Action Jackson
Species: Trioceros jacksonii
Common: Jackson's Chameleon
Sex: male
Age: 1 year



If you are not familiar with how the contest works, please review the [THREAD=102]contest rules[/THREAD].

open member vote
The top ranked photos from the open member voting received the following points:
photo 14 => 5 pts (moviemanmania)
photo 13 => 3 pts (zamorajc74)
photo 10 => 1 pts (Action Jackson)


judge rankings
There were no judges for the February 2012 contest.


There were many great photos this month and I'd like to thank everyone for participating. There is always room for improvement, so if anyone has a suggestion please create a new thread in the photo contest or feedback forums. If you prefer to remain anonymous you can send me an email or private message.

Medals have been awarded.
Congratulations to the winners