FILM Photographer of the Year 2019 - Discussion

It's a tricky one isn't it. I'm not happy with the image to be honest but I figured if I waited, someone else would come up with the idea and it would look like I was copying.

However looking at some of the previous FPOTY entries, this is quite common - and looking at the voting, 1st doesn't always mean most votes. Besides, I'm sure there are plenty here who could do a better job :)
 
And there was me holding back posting, trying not to be too keen but that ship sailed :) so apologies but I have posted my "me too" it was the shot I had doubt I'd get anything better this month.
 
Much better job.
 
Thanks Ian, I feel guilty now (well only a little bit)
 
Was exactly what I was going to post - Rollei 35 (smallest 35mm camera) and my Rollei 6003.

Oh well. time to think again!
 
OK I think I shall have to follow that theme within a theme myself (unless something else crops (pun, get it?) up.
 
Well if everyone entered their cameras it would make judging it easy :)
 
Great minds and all that, me too, I wonder how many big and little camera shots will be entered this month :)

Well I have a couple of ideas but it's getting through a roll of film in time......not much else to shoot in winter (if it doesn't snow) and not leaving the house for over a week doesn't help o_O :(
 
We sent a load of films to FilmDev last Wed. The invoice has just arrived so the download should be imminent. Looks like I'll know soon whether I have to take my model of Big Ben down to London at the weekend....;):D
 
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We sent a load of films to FilmDev last Wed. The invoice has just arrived so the download should be imminent. Looks like I'll know soon whether I have to take my model of Big Ben down to London at the weekend....;):D
I've just taken my back-up shot, since I'm guessing it looks better through the viewfinder than it might on film. :( Plan A is weather dependent, so fingers crossed that I'll get a suitable day in the next week or so.
 
In 2018 it felt like I was always just trying to get some sort of entry in time for the end of the month. I rarely ever planned a photo or had time to think of a suitable subject. Just seemed more like, "yep, that'll do". I was desperate to change that in 2019, and I wanted to try and plan photos well in advance so I was always a subject ahead rather than up to the wire. Well, it's not gone well so far as don't even have a suitable image in mind for January and we're almost at the end!

Must. Do. Better.
 
Well, it's not gone well so far as don't even have a suitable image in mind for January and we're almost at the end!

Must. Do. Better.
It's the short daylight hours and grey days that are a problem for outdoor shots at this time of year, but I'm sure you'll come up with an idea in time Carl. (y)
 
Not really sure if I should post this, but it's been bugging me a lot so I thought I should. I've entered every available round of the monthly POTY/FPOTY since January 2013 (2016 fella apart after a couple of rounds). The results have been... well... middle of the table stuff, no noticeable improvement. I was looking at my flickr images, and through my Aperture folders, and they're dominated by POTY/FPOTY attempts, candidates and entries (TPFC outings and overseas trips aside). It seems like I've made it the most important thing in my day to day photography, and I'm not sure it's healthy. It's good to have a stimulus to go out and take photos, but I'm beginning to think the pressure to submit photos that you'll all vote for so as to get a higher result, is counter-productive. I've certainly gone a couple of times for "safer" options, rather than the image I at first thought I really liked (and those safer options never did well, anyway!). And when I've submitted an image I really like, it's sometimes rather crushing to get only 1 or 2 votes (I know this is inherent in the voting system, but still). So, I've been wondering about not participating this year...

However, I've decided not to withdraw completely! Instead, I'm going to try and use FPOTY 19 as a source of ideas for themes. I'm going to try to take at least one photo for each theme on my Chroma (failed, this month). I'm going to try to plan a photo that does something to improve my technique, composition, or whatever. And I plan to submit one of those photos regardless of whether I think you'll like it! I'll vote, but I'll try not to take any notice of my place in the results. This year, it's for me, not for you (sorry, folks!).

I'm not trying to make this a "thing" and I definitely do not wish to encourage anyone else down this path. I think FPOTY is very valuable and I'm sure it'll do well under the able leadership of @Mrs Snap . It's just that I think I'm a bit burnt out.
 
What do you want from your photography @ChrisR ?

Good question! Take better pictures, really. Not make the stupid mistakes I keep on making. Be better able to make the pictures I see in my head when I see something interesting, into satisfying photos. So, learning...

I meant to write in the post above, that it would be really cool to be able to ask for feedback about specific aspects of an image (I think the FPOTY generally makes this harder). For example, I'm trying to work out why some white areas in a still life I took for this month have humungous (intolerable) "grain" as I crop them down a bit, even though (to my eye) the negative looks reasonably dense. I quite often crop a bit and normally have no problem. I'm guessing I got the exposure wrong, failed to take sufficient account of reciprocity failure etc etc, although I used a light meter and a reciprocity app.
 
I think you are right that a competition is not the place for feedback. I find FPOTY gets me thinking and motivates me to shoot stuff on film but personally I would happily trade the voting for decent feedback. In fact feedback in general seems a bit thin on the ground in the F&C section, there are lots of "likes" but not a lot of people say what they like or what could be improved.

One idea may be to start your own thread (here perhaps- https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/photos-from-film.106/) post photos in there and shamelessly ask for feedback in threads like this. Having said that I seem to recall that there was a suggestion that we could run a feedback thread in parallel to FPOTY this year and I'd support that, maybe that's the way to go, perhaps with a rule that photos should only be posted there after the monthly poll has closed.
 
This year, it's for me
Do that every year :)

a competition is not the place for feedback
This. Being judged is very different to being critiqued. Sticking my neck out I'll say I didn't vote for anything that was a river, waterfall or pond in the "Wet" entry because that didn't meet the "theme" in my eyes. So whilst there were some print-on-the-wall images in the list, I didn't vote for them. Just saying this could cause someone to disagree, after all, a lake is wet isn't it? But that's the nature of the judge - no discussion. Having so many judges is (in my opinion) both a blessing and a curse - literally anything could happen with the voting, and often will. Personally, I prefer it to - say - asking a mod to judge it. I like that it's anonymised, and I like that there is no prize. It's just a bit of fun that *should* be a relaxed incentive to get me out with my camera (and for me, it is).

I did think of suggesting a thread where people could discuss their votes and why they voted (or didn't vote) for x, y & z, but as soon as I clicked "New Post" I closed the window. This is the internet. It would just end badly.

One idea may be to start your own thread (here perhaps- https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/photos-from-film.106/) post photos in there and shamelessly ask for feedback in threads like this.
Also this. Feel free to tag me if you do. I love critiquing when asked :)

Finally, the quality of photography in the competition is very high. I only entered for a few months, but every month I knew that there were a bunch of images better than mine. I do accept that I'm "average" when it comes to creativity & vision. Better than "poor", but certainly not what I'd call "good". If I win a month in 2019 it'll be the vagaries of the gods or a bit of blind luck. I know I'm not good enough to win overall though (and that's not pity pot thinking, it's a simple fact), but there'd be no competition without entrants.
 
I agree with all of the above except perhaps for
This is the internet. It would just end badly

I've done the weekly 52 challenge for the last 3 years and a requirement of that is to comment on other 52'ers photos. Whilst most comments are pretty inane “good photo” type things there is some good and valuable feedback amongst it and everything generally remains friendly and civil. There have been one or two people who have pulled out after a few weeks and one I remember who took exception to the suggestion that her photos were less than excellent and deleted all her images.

Anyway, I think I am going to start a FPOTY Photo Feedback thread, people who are interested can post their FPOTY photo for the month after the poll is closed and ask for feedback. I’ll start this in February after the January poll has closed. Should there be a rule that only people who post their own photo can comment on others? Perhaps we’ll have it as all-comers initially see how it goes.
 
We discussed having a critique thread during the ideas chat last year. Having read the latest posts, I was going to create one but I'm happy for @sirch to do it if he wants. I will suggest that it should be in the critique area of the forums i.e. Photos From Film, not Talk Film & Conventional. As previously stated, it has to be entirely voluntary. If you want critique on your image, post it in that thread after the polls have closed. No posting critique in the competition or other related FPOTY 2019 threads please.

This is a friendly competition with no prize. Whether you enter every month or just occasionally, please use it as a source of ideas, a means to improve your photography and something to enjoy taking part in.

Everyone has different tastes, ideas, interpretations etc. Just because you post a brilliant image, if someone doesn't think it meets their interpretation of the theme or it's just not to their taste then they won't vote for it. For what it's worth, I agree with @Harlequin565 about the Wet theme and I also based my voting accordingly. It would be a boring old world if everyone agreed with each other and liked exactly the same things all the time.
 
However, I've decided not to withdraw completely! Instead, I'm going to try and use FPOTY 19 as a source of ideas for themes. I'm going to try to take at least one photo for each theme on my Chroma (failed, this month). I'm going to try to plan a photo that does something to improve my technique, composition, or whatever. And I plan to submit one of those photos regardless of whether I think you'll like it! I'll vote, but I'll try not to take any notice of my place in the results. This year, it's for me, not for you (sorry, folks!).
I think that's the right way to approach it Chris. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been seeking a "little & large" shot this month if it wasn't for FPOTY, so it has broadened my horizons and made me think. It's also got me up and out of the house on at least 2 days when I probably might have hibernated instead, so it also has health-giving properties. :snaphappy: :cool:
 
Well I've found fixed shots of still life like "little and large" on something like a table and passport type portraits all with fixed lighting are easy to perfect, it's other type shots that are more difficult.....and since the club comps many moons ago realised there was always someone better than me, I've accepted this and take shots that I like and hope others think they are great too....make life simple with less worry about trying to win esp when I don't have the "eye".
 
Regarding the critique stuff, I was wondering if it would be worth having a "I've just added something to Photos From Film" thread in here where people could announce that they've updated or started a thread in there. As it gets little traffic compared to this folder, it might alert people to go take a look when something new has been added. That's seperate from the FPOTY critique stuff though, I suppose.

I'm guilty of only occasionally looking at Photos From Film myself, and have found that, when I've added something myself, it can be days before it gets spotted (or at least replied to).
 
You can "Watch" a forum like Photos From Film so if anyone posts in there you will get a notification - there is a button at the upper right.
 
Why not just have a "TP 12 on Film Challenge" along the lines of the TP52 challenge but monthly, to allow for shooting off a film or two and processing times?
 
I'd be up for that but it does need enough people to take part.
 
May be also advertise in "Show us your film shots" that seems to get a fair bit of traffic
 
Thanks for the comments folks. Sorry not to have been back meanwhile, and this is only a short comment as life's a bit hectic just now, hope to be saner in a couple of days (well.... :D ). But I do like the idea of that FPOTY comment thread. Not sure about the TP 12 idea, given we already have one of those ;) .
 
Should there be a rule that only people who post their own photo can comment on others? Perhaps we’ll have it as all-comers initially see how it goes.
I don't see how you can do that. All the forums (except a couple where you have to request access) are open for anyone to comment and respond to. The thread will appear on the front page for anyone to look at & respond to as soon as a new post is made on it. How can you stop anyone, including people who haven't entered the competition and possibly aren't film photographers, from commenting?

I've created the critique thread here
 
I don't see how you can do that. All the forums (except a couple where you have to request access) are open for anyone to comment and respond to. The thread will appear on the front page for anyone to look at & respond to as soon as a new post is made on it. How can you stop anyone, including people who haven't entered the competition and possibly aren't film photographers, from commenting?

I've created the critique thread here

Well you can't "enforce" it but you can give people hard stares, tut and generally ignore their comments. :) One of my pet peeves with this forum is that there are a number of people who are happy to jump in with their views on a photo but they never post any of their own work, so you have no idea on what they are basing their comments.

Would it be an idea to have a thread per theme/month?
 
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