Live-Shooting Holiday Photo Contest at PhoozL

A new and different photo contest has just started at the PhoozL photography site. It is a live-shooting contest, where all images must be shot between Dec 8 and Jan2. There is an overarching theme of “Celebration” and 9 different categories including Silhouette, Street, Night Scene, and Still Life. Ideally each contestant will enter an image for each theme; points will be deducted for any subjects not completed.

Sample Image for the Celebration theme “Red”

Harald and I put quite a bit of time into defining this contest, and we hope it proves a fun and educational challenge for those who participate. Sample images for each category can be seen here.  The contest overview page is located here. I am looking forward to seeing the images that participants capture, and to judging the final sets once the contest is compete.

Sample Image for the Celebration theme “Portrait”

Credits: C. David Tobie, Copyright 2012.   Website: CDTobie.com   Return to Blog’s Main Page

Latest PhoozL Photo Contest Results

I recently judged a photo contest on the PhoozL photography site as part of the Alphabet series, with the theme “T”. Here is an excerpt from my judges summary:

“Lots of great images for this letter. Many of them had no conceivable connection to the theme ‘T’ however. The first judging criteria is that they relate to the theme. So unless they channeled ‘T’ I couldn’t really consider them. And there were numerous repeating T themes. Trains, Trucks, Trees, Towers, and Tea were at the top of the list. There were also Twins, Triplets, Taxis, Tunnels, and Tracks. Non-concrete T themes were attempted, with the only clearcut example being Tired. Some of them indeed channelled the essence of a T theme. So those that did were then reviewed for their other characteristics per the rules, such as creativity, technique, impact and artistic merit. This brought it down to a short list that led to the three winners. Congrats to them.”

Here is the link on Phoozl to read more, to see the winners, and to read the critiques of them. Thanks to Harald Johnson for inviting me to participate in this PhoozL event.

Credits: C. David Tobie, Copyright 2012.   Website: CDTobie.com   Return to Blog’s Main Page

The Enigma of White in Photography

I recently judged a photo contest on the PhoozL photography site on the deceptively difficult theme “White”. Here is an excerpt from my judges summary:

“Photography, in essence, is light, on forms, in space. An image may have a lot of white or near white in it, and yet not speak about white at all, if it does not speak about white as light, on forms in space. In this contest, lots of snow, but not much to say about white. A white church, but somehow it doesn’t speak about white. This is perhaps the most subjective contest I have every judged, as I was looking for images that spoke about white to me, that channelled white, that offered an iconic white image; while of course meeting other expectations of interest and composition. And yet, despite a career in color management, I am not exactly sure what makes an image “iconically white.” I’m tempted to quote that U.S. Supreme Court Justice who claimed he didn’t have a definition for pornography, but he knew it when he saw it! By the time I sorted through all the submissions to this contest, I had a bit more objective description of my criteria. And the mantra held: light, on forms, in space.”

Here is the link on Phoozl to read more, to see the winners, and to read the critiques of them. Thanks to Harald Johnson for inviting me to participate in this PhoozL event.

Credits: C. David Tobie, Copyright 2012.   Website: CDTobie.com   Return to Blog’s Main Page