One of the big disappointments when the above happened was that we lost quite a big percentage of the photos attached to posts. These photos are an essential part of the threads on the site and it is hopeful that we can restore a good percentage of them with your help - see this thread:
thread
A number of people have commented on just how much they enjoy the photos posted up on the site and it was suggested that we have a photo competition to encourage members to post up more.
Through the generosity of a number of our great Traditional Bowhunting/Archery suppliers in donating prizes this has become a reality and I am excited to announce the -
2011 Ozbow Photography Competition!!!
There are number of reasons for this competition and of course getting people posting photos up on the site is only one of them.
We hope we will see more people posting on the site rather than just sitting back and reading and looking at what others have taken the time to post and get more people out shooting their bows and taking photos of their adventures. It might also motivate people to make some of their own equipment and show their efforts to others.
Lastly, we at Ozbow wanted to use the competition to say thanks for sticking by us through our recent site problems and for helping us get some of those missing photos posted back up in their respective threads.
The Competition
There will be four sections, these being:
Craftsmanship
Youth
Bowhunting
Traditional Archery
All you have to do to enter is post your photograph in the section it is most suited to eg; a Bowhunting photograph goes in the Bowhunting Section, a photograph of something you made goes in the Craftsmanship Section etc.
There will be prizes for the person who took the photograph judged as the best in each division - see the respective threads for the prizes and further information.
Overall Grand Prize
There will also be a ‘Grand Prize’ of a Howard Hill take-down longbow made to the winners specifications and valued at over $800.00 for the person who took the photograph judged as the very best from ALL those submitted.
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This bow is being donated by Ben Maher (wishsong) of ‘Longshot Archery and Outdoors’. It was Ben who suggested that we have this competition and generously donated this very special prize.
- Click on logo to visit web site
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General Competition Rules
1. All photographs submitted must have been taken in 2011.
2. All photographs must be submitted by the person who actually took the photograph except in the case of youth who may have the photograph submitted by their parents and accompanied by a note explaining who the Photographer was.
3. All photographs must be taken with a normal digital or film camera only (no photographs will be accepted if they have been taken from a frame in a video file).
4. Photographs must be submitted as they were taken at the time - normal editing procedures allowed, eg: contrast and lighting adjustments, cropping, resizing and sharpening. Conversion to Black & White also allowed.
5. No frames allowed around the photographs.
6. Photographs are to be no bigger than 800 pixels along the longest side and the file size is not to be bigger than 150kb.
7. Photos must be uploaded directly to the Ozbow site and not hosted by Photobucket or the likes.
8. Photographs with large watermarks, or those which obscure the main subject do not qualify for entry.
9. Copyright on all images remains that of the Photographer.
10. You may enter as many photographs as you wish in any of the sections you are eligible to enter.
11. By entering any photograph in this competition you give Ozbow permission to use such photograph for promotional purposes either on the www or in print.
12. Submissions close at midnight on Sunday the 11th of December 2011.
13. The winner will be announced later that week.
All the best and please post your photographs in their respective sections.
Jeff
Helpful hints when taking a photograph
1. Is there a clear center of interest? In a strong photo, the viewer can immediately identify the subject. While this sounds only too obvious, a surprisingly high number of photos fail to clearly identify the main subject. Instead, a complex montage of elements compete for the viewer's attention.
In a strong photo, the subject should dominate the image and form the viewer's first impression. If the subject is strong, the viewer's eyes may move to explore other areas of the image, but the eyes are drawn inevitably back to the subject.
2. Is the image composed well? In a strong photo, there should be a sense of overall organization. Simply put, composition is the process of establishing a sense of order for the elements within an image.
Here are a few basic composition pointers.
(a) Fill the frame: Filling the frame helps establish the center of interest, and, simultaneously, it helps exclude competing background details.
(b) Organize elements: In composition, the Rule of Thirds is often used to organize elements in a composition. This rule involves dividing a space, such as a photographic frame, into equal segments to create pleasing proportions (See diagram). Then, when you place the subject of the photo at one of the intersection points, the result is a pleasing sense of order.
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(d) Keep it simple: The fewer the elements in a photo, the stronger the statement the image makes. Simplicity also helps prevent the viewer's eye from being distracted.
3. Is the focus crisp? With the exception of photos that either intentionally show motion or are taken as soft-focus images (such as a portrait), tack-sharp focus is one of the first things that everyone notices first about an image. Going a step further, the center of focus should be on the center of interest of the subject. The sharpest point of the picture should pinpoint what the photographer sees as the most important aspect of the image.
4. Does the photo tell a story? Most often, the difference between a photo you remember and one that you quickly forget depends on whether the photo tells a story.
In strong photos, the story is revealed at first glance, and it is self-contained. In the best images, the story evokes an emotional response from the viewer. I believe it's that emotional response that ultimately makes the image memorable.
5. Does the lighting enhance the subject and message? When taking photos, light should be used to its maximum potential to reveal what's important in the image and to set the overall tone of the photo.
In masterful hands, lighting is used selectively to focus attention on specific areas of the subject while simultaneously demphasizing less important areas; to guide by leading the eye through the composition, and to establish the overall mood and tone of the image by taking advantage of the different temperatures (colors) of light.
Light is another "design tool" that can be used to enhance the overall mood and intent of the image and subject. And, of course, there are few photographers who fail to take advantage of the superb colors of light during sunrises and sunsets.
6. Is the approach creative? In broad terms, we define "creative" as an image that goes beyond predictable techniques and treatments. In more specific terms, the best creative images show subjects through the photographers' eyes and perspective. In other words, the photographer reveals the subject in extraordinary ways: ways that the viewer otherwise would not have seen.
