I'm really late on this thread, but wanted to mention that "fairness" really doesn't become an issue until one start paying a fee to compete.

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2.4.0 Furcifer pardalis (Sambava)

You got to remember that the camera is just a tool. You can give a crappy artist the best quality paper and best quality pencil but all you will get is a crappy drawing on a nice piece of paper. On the other hand you can give a really good artist the cheapest materials and they will make something awesome.

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"A-Kuna-Mattata" - Timon and Pumba

You could all look to F1 for an example.. hehe They just took traction control away and you are starting to see the 'real' drivers come through.

http://www.thelightandtheland.com/blog/?p=35


great shot, crappy camera

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We added some new sections to our site!!LostLakeChameleons.com
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that image is retouched for sure.

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Dave, you got a point. I fully agree.
Hopefully, i don't offend anybody.

I guess, what i am trying to say is we should be true to ourself.
Granted that I would NOT call this contest unfair. But, it kind of bug me a bit when we say to people that tools and mediums don't matter.
Ideally, this is what we would like to believe.
But, we cannot deny that a good medium makes it easier to create wonderful art in general (photography included).
Saying that the medium don't mater is stretching the truth a bit.

That's why i got an idea for one of the "themed" competition.
Just for fun, how about we set a limitation to the medium (Just for this one competition) to a point and shoot camera.
Therefore, people are encouraged to use creativity instead of relying too much on their camera.
(Just food for thoughts)

Sorry again, if i offended anybody.
Cheers,

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yes. true.
But, I would like to add another statement,
that a good artist given the best material will make something masterful than what they did with the crappy material.

Therefore, material does matter to some degree.
Although, composition skills still more important.
So, saying that tools do not matter is not quite true.

Like I said, Ansel Adams used great cameras to produce his wonderful works.
Why? because the tool helped him convey his art.
If it really don't help even a bit, we would see him using polaroids or instant camera. (since it is cheaper than to buy that camera and lenses)

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Here's a little different perspective, but I think if fits because we are really talking about art. I'm a musician (another hobby). I'm pretty good, but there are a hell of a lot of better musicians than me.

If Eddie Van Halen came over and played a $200 guitar through a crappy $50 amp, it would sound awesome because he's really talented and an awesome guitar player.

So it's not just the tools. It's the talent, skill, practice, etc.

Here's another little tidbit that has stuck with me for a very long time and I think it applies here. I read an interview with the bass player for Living Color (okay, I'm dating myself a little). Here's what stuck: He was talking about learning songs off all these albums (yeah, I know, old) and he's boasting to his friend about being able to play all these riffs and they're not so hard etc and his friend says to him "Yeah, but could you think of them?" He said that really threw him for a loop and made him really concentrate on the creative side of playing bass in the context of his band's songs.

My point here is in the vein of some of the previous posts that just because you have a kick ass camera doesn't mean you're going to be able to just snap off a few shots of your chams and win contests every month. Does having good tools help you get your art across? Sure! But good photography goes beyond the tools. It's subject, context, framing, etc. Basically, it's art.

I wish I was better at it, because I'd love to have a gift certificate from one of the sponsors. But it's live and learn. Try and try again. If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average.

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AFH
I bet you've never had your hand around an oosik.

Well said AFH, I agree with your points.
My point is don't say that medium doesn't matter at all.
Because it does although it's not everything! Van Halen probably won't choose to play with crappy amp in one of his concert.


I am a painter for 10 years. I also taught people how to paint in occasions.
Many students (watercolor medium) always thought that they should buy the cheapest medium and the cheapest paper and gradually get the more expensive one later when they are pros.

I always taught people the opposite.
When painting (or taking pictures- photograph), using the right medium has won you half the battle.
I know for sure that I appreciate a good set of paints and brush.
Just like I would appreciate taking pictures with a handy camera.

It's true that composition skill takes precedence over the medium.
Because a crappy painter is a crappy painter regardless how expensive their tool is.
But, does tool make a difference? yes it does. Don't say that it does not.

I guess AFH made his point.
and I also did.
Sorry guys, when art becomes the subject matter, I tend to get my art teaching passion take over.

Cheers,
again good point AFH.

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Unfair? Really, where do you draw the line? Life in itself is unfair - are you going to say it's unfair because one person was able to go to UGANDA, and take a picture of a ridiculously artificial-looking johnstoni that none of us would ever have a chance of seeing if we don't go to Uganda?

I have a $250 canon A640. 10 megapixels. I use it as a point and shoot most of the time, but I can set it to macro and such. Not SLR at all, but I can adjust things. Most cameras have settings. If you don't learn to use them, you'll take crappy pictures.

If you don't bother to learn how to use a SLR camera, you're going to take pictures that are FAR crappier than th eones you take with a point and shoot! It is not easy.

Most of the pics I have in the past were taken with my old 3 megapixel canon - good pictures - I even won the photo contest. The actual camera is only a tiny part of taking a picture - getting th eright setup and lighting is more important.

This pic was taken with a canon 3.3 MP camera that could be bought for unfder $140 now. probably much less. I got the newer 10 mp version ("A" series are great - ultra cheap rechargable NiMh batteries with tremendous battery life!) for about $270 at newegg this summer.

If I spend a few minutes or hours a day taking pictures, and you don't, th econtest isn't fair.

Heck, if someone's only got a digital SLR with artistic photo skills and single veiled with severe mbd, and the other guy has an adult female C. minor in full gravid coloration and nothing but a 3 MP point and shoot camera - it's not a fair contest either.

All in all, these photo contest on this website have been great. They bring people in, and keep them participating. Plus, they encourage the photography of chameleons, and that encourages good husbandry!

Camera ememory is cheap - unlimited, in fact, if you delete stuff. Take tons of pictures. I take excellent pictures. I have impressed even professional photographers with my work. I cant' help but laugh - I dont' know what I'm doing! For every good picture I take, I take dozens of crappy or modest ones. WIth multiple gigabytes of flash memory, I'm bound to take a few good shots! Eventually, I've learned what works and what doesn't. cool lighting, warm lightsing, sunlight, etc. Keep taking pics and eventually one will stand out. I don't even know what most of the settings on my camera do.

This cute little deremensis pic was easy to set up, but I tell you, wihtout a SLR, it's a pain to get the macro to work just right. It can take dozens of shots - but it only takes one good one.