Reply #13: Contests... [View All]

[HappyCynic]

I'm with those who really enjoy the contests. They definitely help me in a couple ways. The first is giving me a theme to shoot so I don't end up shooting the same things all the time. It helps push my limits. The other thing I find helpful is seeing how others approach the theme. It tends to give me ideas on ways to expand my horizons.

One thing that's been missing in the last few contests is the delay between the announcement of the theme and the actual submissions. The lack of a delay gives it more of a rushed feeling, as you don't know when the submissions will fill up. It's also a bit more intimidating when you haven't had a chance to shoot anything yet and the submissions start filling up with fantastic photos. Maybe reintroducing a delay would would help. Of course, that means choosing the theme has to be done more quickly.

Just my $0.02.