Showcase area

[joescrivens]

What about if the forum had a showcase section where people who had submitted photos in the critique and sharing areas could be nominated to be included in. If they got like 50 nominations they were placed into the showcase section.

It would be a great place for us to go to see the creme de la creme of photography that comes through this place as unless you frequent threads frequently you could miss things.

[Kev M]

It's hard enogh to get people to critique photos nevermind nominate them for some sort of special level of appreciation. It's also going to make it harder for people to come along and constructively say why they think a photo is a pile of crap if 50 other people have clicked the nomination button.

Added to that I think there is less value in a nomination than critique (which needs far more encouragement). A nomination by press of a button requires no justification other than because someone wants to.

Another problem would be how it was organised. If I'm looking for inspiration I don't want to be inspired by landscapes, wildlife or still life I want to be inspired by high-end portraiture so how would I find that in a gallery of mixed entries without wading through them all? Sounds like more work for an over-burdened admin/moderation team to me I'm afraid.

[neil_g]

i think a bit like the rep system it encourages elitism.

a showcase section where everyone can have a SINGLE thread to document their work might be worth some thought though.

[joescrivens]

It's hard enogh to get people to critique photos nevermind nominate them for some sort of special level of appreciation. It's also going to make it harder for people to come along and constructively say why they think a photo is a pile of crap if 50 other people have clicked the nomination button.

Added to that I think there is less value in a nomination than critique (which needs far more encouragement). A nomination by press of a button requires no justification other than because someone wants to.

Another problem would be how it was organised. If I'm looking for inspiration I don't want to be inspired by landscapes, wildlife or still life I want to be inspired by high-end portraiture so how would I find that in a gallery of mixed entries without wading through them all? Sounds like more work for an over-burdened admin/moderation team to me I'm afraid.

Perhaps my method for the showcase isn't the best then, but what bout the concept of having an area where the showcase of pics is? I would imagine it would be much like the basics or special interest forum, where there are small subforums

[specialman]

Like the idea, although not sure how it could be implemented. Using the poll system at the top of the thread maybe?...

Then there's the content; having nominations doesn't nesseccarily means it's good photography, just that a lot of people like it. Could work though....

[joescrivens]

Like the idea, although not sure how it could be implemented. Using the poll system at the top of the thread maybe?...

Then there's the content; having nominations doesn't nesseccarily means it's good photography, just that a lot of people like it. Could work though....

I think the number of nominations are important to select. Usually the masses get it right, if enough people like it it's usually a good piece of work.

[Kev M]

I dunno Joe, perhaps I'm a cynic but I see a fair bit of fawning and arse kissing over some very mediocre images at times. That's not to say they're bad images, they're generally very nice and competent but they're not what I'd call outstanding, yet they seem to get praise heaped on them and half the time I think it's because of the OP's standing as much as anything.

If there was to be such an area I'd only want to see truly inspiring work in it, the moment I saw something nice (but ultimately mediocre) the area and purpose would lose all value for me. This is where it gets difficult, because my version of mediocre might be another persons outstanding, likewise my idea of outstanding may not appeal to someone else and as photographic appreciation is subjective then who is ultimately right or wrong?

It's a tough call but I think my preferred option for collecting the best stuff together would be to have a judge or a small panel (maybe 3 judges) of people from each section of TP whose work is in the top 1% who would decide if a thread warranted being showcased, but then there is going to be accusations of favouritism, elitism (not necessarily a bad thing in this case), nepotism, you name it and who is going to be volunteering for that sort of grief.

[joescrivens]

I dunno Joe, perhaps I'm a cynic but I see a fair bit of fawning and arse kissing over some very mediocre images at times. That's not to say they're bad images, they're generally very nice and competent but they're not what I'd call outstanding, yet they seem to get praise heaped on them and half the time I think it's because of the OP's standing as much as anything.

If there was to be such an area I'd only want to see truly inspiring work in it, the moment I saw something nice (but ultimately mediocre) the area and purpose would lose all value for me. This is where it gets difficult, because my version of mediocre might be another persons outstanding, likewise my idea of outstanding may not appeal to someone else and as photographic appreciation is subjective then who is ultimately right or wrong?

It's a tough call but I think my preferred option for collecting the best stuff together would be to have a judge or a small panel (maybe 3 judges) of people from each section of TP whose work is in the top 1% who would decide if a thread warranted being showcased, but then there is going to be accusations of favouritism, elitism (not necessarily a bad thing in this case), nepotism, you name it and who is going to be volunteering for that sort of grief.

yes some good points.

I guess what I'd really like is a way to get around all of what you mentioned and just be able to see a place where the best photography is all in one place without hundreds of replies all around it or the need to change pages to see more. Just a thread with the top 100 images on TP in different categories or something