Again? (rant)

As for my entry for the last competition I was pleased with the idea but very disappointed with the execution. I failed to locate a good roadside memorial and the particular one I wanted was too far away to go to. It was a tree that a friend drove into having suffered a fatal heart attack and for some months his family kept photographs etc. just above the scar on the tree.

For me Aiki's shot was the best of the lot. Technically very good, the treatment suitable and the idea/execution great. I just hope she let her daughter have that chocolate (and that it was good chocolate).

Mike

Hey, Mike. Thanks.
Yes, of course she got the chocolate !And liked it.
I was just talking about the comp theme, having no idea, when she came to me and asked if she could take the chocoleate at last. It was a decision of less than second. Actually I thought she will co-operate with me and pretend stretching her hand to the choc that she cant reach. But as soon as I told: "Wait, not at once!", and she saw the camera.... you see the reaction .
Honestly, I took only two following shots ...and she got the choc and lot of hugs and kisses after a brief moment. But her question:" Do you REALLY HAVE to take pic-s all the time!" is still in my ears and head.

A clever daughter and a good question to which there is only one answer - yes!

Hi Aiki,

interesting thought - I met my new granddaughter for the first time in December 2009 ( she was 18 months old ) and after taking about 100 shots in the first day or so my daughter suggested that the kid would grow up thinking her grandad had a Pentax stuck to the front of his face ...!!
The up side is that she now plays to the camera and is VERY photogenic.

Tony

My two Granddaughters 2 Years and 5 months respectively, will probably think something similar about me! However, the up side is that they both now ignore the camera and I get some great candid shots as well as some good portrait style photos (Well mum and dad like them)

'Do you really have to take pictures all the time?' - that's what my wife keeps saying to me.
david

David, Tony,
My children are quite immune to camera also. And usually quite patient with me.
But I guess this chocolate story was too much for her.

I recall a salutory tale in AP many years ago about the person who was a dedicated photographer and was on a coach trip to a fantastic location for shots.They walked from the bus to the site and realised that they had forgotten something critical ( pre digital ).Because of that they were only able to view the location and realised how much they had missed over the years by staring down a lens and missing the reality all around.
I have to say that whilst I agree up to a point,the camera makes me very much more observant in my day to day living and I see much more than a lot of people with their heads bowed down as they try to avoid contact with anyone.

No disrespect to Aiki's lovely picture of her disappointed daughter or to Mike for his views on it being the best shot in the competition I don't think it came anywhere close to Mattox's choice of Promhandicam's winning entry. A wee bairn crying over chocolate doesn't come close to a disabled beggar in the league of human suffering.
david

I understand your point David. But it begs the question what criteria are being used to judge? As this is a photography competition, for me these should be aesthetic first - ie. what makes the best photograph on the theme of suffering, not the subject that is suffering the most.

Just for the record......Promhandicam was doing and winning/judging competitions here on PUF before a lot of the the posters in this thread were even a member or active on PUF.
So its safe to assume he knows the drill.

He doesn't look old enough!

Doesn't always work then Nathan

That's the problem with set subject competitions Andrew. Quite often the best photograph doesn't win (in fact what is the best photo is only the opinion of the judge)
Usually it's the picture that comes closest to the judge's choice of topic, and is also a fine picture that wins. But if the competition were to be judged purely on photographic merit what if Mattox had decided the most competent entry was, say, of the kitten? That was hardly human suffering. Its a fine line and I wonder where it should be drawn?
david

I find it quite amusing that a few individuals get so uptight about a "Relaxing" HOBBY...