Ken,

I think this is the substance of a very good debate.

I believe one of the primary intents of this contest is to have fun and be completely inclusive to all members regardless of their photographic skills, knowledge, investment in equipment and commitment to excellence in photography. I see nothing wrong whatsoever with proposing a more professional photo contest and if that is the case maybe a more laid-back, casual, non-technical photo contest should run in parallel in the lounge.


Ken, Think about that statement. I am sure that some of the photos posted in the contest are from folks that have never posted a photo anywhere before and likely have minimal experience in photography, digital or otherwise and may not have a long term interest in photography to begin with but have a desire to participate and show off their prize Randall Knives in the most creative way possible and these same photos may seem mediocre to some but may very well be an achievement to the one who created it and to label such a photo as being mediocre could be construed as an insult and rather demeaning and to hold a contest which would almost certainly eliminate the possibility of winning for an entire subset of participants is rather narrow-minded in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I do not have any problems with the idea of a more professional contest and I have been an advocate of the same to a small degree in the past but I have learned to accept and appreciate the current contest format for what it is and that is all inclusive and anyone and everyone has a chance to win. Sure there may have been a few odd ball winners in the past but for the most part every winning photograph I have see has been pretty darn good.


This tends to insinuate that you that you respect something that I don't which is reckless and inappropriate in my opinion.



I too take photography seriously although obviously not as seriously as you and that's why dedicated photography forums and their contests exist but with the current format I think it is great that everyone that enters has a chance to win and they don't need a $1000+ camera, professional lighting and a direct computer interface to have a chance.

I think you are overstating the popularity thing and I think that some photos have won because of some inherent or symbolic meaning that I guess don't fit in with the current judging criteria. Let me reemphasize, I am not against a more professional photography contest or a more precise application of the current judging criteria but it will be a rather abrupt departure from the current process and the announced changes will most likely prevent the casual knife photographer from ever having a chance to win.