OK, we have 5 Nik software licenses to give away so I figured what better way than to do a:
Cinco de Mayo challenge!!!!

This challenge will last the month of May. There will be five prizes, one for the best in each category, and one for best overall participant. The categories are:

• Portraits
• Scapes
• Action
• Still Life
• Overall (voted best overall with 4 submissions)

Rules:

• in order to win ANY CATEGORY, you must submit a photo IN EACH CATEGORY!
• winners of each section will be chose by a poll
• to be considered for the overall you MUST submit a photo for each of the 4 categories
• the categories are intentionally vague, anything goes, but voters should vote how THEY think that category should be interpreted.
• you should try to submit one image for each of the Mondays left in May (10th 17th 24th and 31st).
• ALL photos need to be submitted no later than midnight on the 31st of May 2010 EST (my timezone, aka the forum's official timezone)
• all images must be shot between 5.5.2010 (in your timezone) and 5.31.2010 24:00:00 EST.
• Leave exif intact!
• when you submit your image, make sure you tell us which category it's for.
• all submissions will be in this thread
• let the hilarity ensue!!!!!

A big thank you to Nik software for sponsoring this contest!
nik software sponsorship!!!



IBthat'sracist

Cool, this sounds fun.

Sweet!

awesome. can't wait to participate.

honestly, critique the contest idea/categories/format NOW as I'm willing to change them up through midnight, but my goal was to get 4 things to shoot for (overall is a nice way for the first bridesmaid to actually get something), but to make it as open as possible otherwise to encourage EVERYONE participating....

you might want to add a work-safe rule, otherwise i'm submitting my own flavor of scapes.

Anybody that wants to win 'Scapes' in May will have to go through me! It's on, bitches.

(Unless someone posts a vagina, then I'm ****ed)

hrmmmm. You CAN NOT post a NWS image in this thread, but I'm not against you doing it in a nudes thread and linking it.....

What happens if it wins though, Ben? Going to post nudes on the front page?

Why not take away the overall one, and make it a Nudes/risque/boudiroeir[fop/etc. only type of deal?

Originally Posted by Stime187

What happens if it wins though, Ben? Going to post nudes on the front page?

Why not take away the overall one, and make it a Nudes/risque/boudiroeir[fop/etc. only type of deal?

I kinda like this option.

Otherwise, whoever wins the overall would be winning two licenses, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but... spread the wealth a lil more, yknow?

if it wins I'll ask Geoff to give me a WS crop to post on the front page and possibly for the polls... I have zero issues with it though, and I DO NOT want a nude section because I left the categories vague ON PURPOSE!!! This way Geoff has TWO options for women, if not 4.... The best overall is a great way to give someone credit for trying hard at ALL the options but not winning any.

There goes scapes then... sunrise can't compete with TnA, especially when it's shot in a cool way.

I'll still be entering though, for sure. This will be fun and i'll have a bit of time to focus on it.

Originally Posted by Stime187

There goes scapes then... sunrise can't compete with TnA, especially when it's shot in a cool way.

I'll still be entering though, for sure. This will be fun and i'll have a bit of time to focus on it.

You saw that you have to shoot it this month, right?

Originally Posted by thomps6s

You saw that you have to shoot it this month, right?

You saying I can't produce something? Is that a challenge?!?!?!? It's on Mr. Thompson.

(but yes, I did, I'll have nearly three weeks at home to shoot it)

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

if it wins I'll ask Geoff to give me a WS crop to post on the front page and possibly for the polls... I have zero issues with it though, and I DO NOT want a nude section because I left the categories vague ON PURPOSE!!! This way Geoff has TWO options for women, if not 4.... The best overall is a great way to give someone credit for trying hard at ALL the options but not winning any.

I see three options for shooting women... can't see myself shooting a person as a still life.

Perhaps "best overall" should be renamed "honorable mention"?

Originally Posted by Stime187

There goes scapes then... sunrise can't compete with TnA, especially when it's shot in a cool way.

I'll still be entering though, for sure. This will be fun and i'll have a bit of time to focus on it.

I'm shooting scapes this Saturday... not sure what I'm shooting yet, but now I'm going to give it a bit more thought, and I might even try to do something work-safe.

Also, I have a funny feeling a good sunrise could easily trump my scapes, so don't get discouraged.

Originally Posted by Stime187

You saying I can't produce something? Is that a challenge?!?!?!? It's on Mr. Thompson.

(but yes, I did, I'll have nearly three weeks at home to shoot it)

Huh, what?

I was trying to make it sound like you were challenging me. I forgot to add a .

Originally Posted by Stime187

I was trying to make it sound like you were challenging me. I forgot to add a .

cripple fight!!!

The competition is already heated in here!

What does "you should try to submit one image for each of the Mondays left in May (10th 17th 24th and 31st)." mean? Don't post them all at once? Take one shot each week?

Originally Posted by jjswee

The competition is already heated in here!

What does "you should try to submit one image for each of the Mondays left in May (10th 17th 24th and 31st)." mean? Don't post them all at once? Take one shot each week?

yes, try to post one a week. But submitting all 4 on the 31st IS allowed, it's just discouraged....

for some reason, this is actually making me want to go shoot a landscape, and i cant say ive ever had that feeling before.

Awesome!! I like all this sponsorship loving that's going on lately.

Just to clarify: participants have to submit one photo in each category, for a total of four photos?

This sounds fun!


-A

Originally Posted by dangerwoman

for some reason, this is actually making me want to go shoot a landscape, and i cant say ive ever had that feeling before.

AWESOME!!!!

Originally Posted by MoLS

Awesome!! I like all this sponsorship loving that's going on lately.

me too!

Originally Posted by Angelo

Just to clarify: participants have to submit one photo in each category, for a total of four photos?

This sounds fun!


-A

I just tweaked the rules a bit.... In order to win ANY of the categories, you MUST submit for ALL FOUR!!!!!
so EVERYONE (that wants to win $200 worth of software) MUST do ALL four categories. Remember, the categories are vague for a reason.

we can look at this in a week or so, if a TON of people won't participate because of these (aka they're lame) then I'll go back to not needing all 4 unless you want a shot at the overall, but for now you MUST do all 4.

This might be a bit off-color, but, is there any re-sale value to this software?

counting chickens before they hatch?

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

counting chickens before they hatch?

Just curious. More like, "this sounds like a great product that people love but I'm not sure I'd use it or need it. I could use a hundred bucks far more to keep myself a float when I move across the country soon" if you want to get technical about it.

...

Whatever. If you don't want me to enter because I might sell the prize, that's cool. I do think it's a fairly valid question though as I have no idea how this whole software download/license thing works. And, to add to that, I'm not really sure what the software even is... just sounds like it's an extension of Photoshop.

nik software sponsorship!!!

This is awesome.. I may actually shoot some water and rocks lols

Hrmm, It would be nice to prove you don't have to shoot water and rocks to win around here...

Dibs on cramming all four themes in one shot.

Originally Posted by Drew84

Hrmm, It would be nice to prove you don't have to shoot water and rocks to win around here...

This does sound like a sweet one, great idea!

Originally Posted by Drew84

Hrmm, It would be nice to prove you don't have to shoot water and rocks to win around here...

I'm going to shoot trees and grass.

Is there a max picture size? 800, 1024, ???

800px is generally accepted as the max around here...

Originally Posted by Glass Man

Is there a max picture size? 800, 1024, ???

Originally Posted by Kilonad

800px is generally accepted as the max around here...

actually it's 1024 x 768 now officially, but it's not like anyone does/says anything if you go over (unless you post a full res image).

Thanks

Originally Posted by Blazin

This is awesome.. I may actually shoot some water and rocks lols

****! There is a crazy longboard race in Golden this weekend and it's the perfect opportunity to shoot some action.


...but I have to drive to the other side of the state to shoot for two separate clients instead. Colorado people check out http://bbdownhill.com for details, I'd love to see some photos if anyone can make it.

Oh I just googled Cinco de Mayo. I thought it meant something to do with 4 way challenge. So is the theme of the challenge Mexicans beating up French or just a name for an open challenge? I have no Mexicans nearby unless I count Victorians who are south of the border.

Originally Posted by Warus

Oh I just googled Cinco de Mayo. I thought it meant something to do with 4 way challenge. So is the theme of the challenge Mexicans beating up French or just a name for an open challenge? I have no Mexicans nearby unless I count Victorians who are south of the border.

Im with the Aussie... Does this have to have anything to do with a cinco de mayo? Or is it just named this because you thought of it on this day?

the contest started on May 5th, and there are 5 prizes. If you WANT to tie your subjects in, fine, but you don't have to.

in this thread.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

• when you submit your image, make sure you tell us which category it's for.
• all submissions will be in this thread

Originally Posted by JERM

****! There is a crazy longboard race in Golden this weekend and it's the perfect opportunity to shoot some action.


...but I have to drive to the other side of the state to shoot for two separate clients instead.

Yay!!! My clients in Durango have postponed, so I can now go shoot some action tomorrow!

nice!