*** URGENT! Topics needed for the October Contest ***

[regnaD kciN]

Since September's contest ran until the very end of the month, we need to quickly decide on a theme for October.

Here is the preliminary schedule for the October Contest:

15th - Submissions open
19th-21st - Preliminary Round
22nd-24th - Final Round

This will give next month's winner time to select a topic for November before the beginning of the month (and, not entirely coincidentally, will give me time to prepare the Seasonal Contest that begins on November 1st).

With this tight a schedule, we need a theme by the end of Wednesday at the latest.

Therefore, I am immediately opening this topic for suggestions, with a cut-off of Monday evening, or whenever we get ten suggestions, whichever comes first. I'll put up a poll no later than early Tuesday morning, to be kept open through Wednesday evening.

Given such a short time-frame this month, I encourage you to consider themes in light of images you may already have on hand, since there will be less than two weeks to shoot new material.

For reference, the top runners-up in last month's topic poll that still remain relevant (i.e. not "Labor Day" or "CC's Kitchen Remodel" ;-) ) were:

After Dark/Night
Pathways
Animals
Still Life

If we get fewer than ten suggestions, I will fill the poll out with those topics in the order above.

(I'm omitting "Simple" because, if we chose that theme, we'd then have to choose which object to use, by which time we'd be right up against the submission period. Also, due to the upcoming Seasonal Contest, I reserve the right to reject any specifically "Autumn" themes.)

So, everybody, hurry up and get those suggestions in!

[Eurobabe]

1. What about Black and White?

No color photos this time.

[intheflow]

2. We did a similar theme some time back.

I think we called it "absence of color", check F.Gordon's smugmug galleries. But it was within the last year, so B&W is probably not viable for at least another few months according to usual photo groupie netiquette.

[intheflow]

3. How about domestic animals?

But then, maybe not. CC would just post another stunning photo of a bird and we'd all be sunk. :silly: How about Cats vs. Dogs? That would really be popular in the Lounge.

[Robb]

4. Maybe it's my mood lately

But I think it'd be interesting to have a topic like "Pain, loss and sadness." I've liked photos lately that convey a hard emotion... and they don't have to be with people in them, I've seen still lifes and scenics that do it, too. :shrug:

[qanda]

8. I like this idea

[TahitiNut]

5. "The Boys of ..."

While taken from "the boys of October" meaning baseball's World Series, I think something that captures end-of-season activities or 'boys' (whatever that means) might yield some fun interpretations.

[Placebo]

6. Surrealism

I don't know if we've ever done that before, but I think it would be so cool to see what people could come up with! It would push people's creativity to the max.

[JeffR]

7. After last month's quite specific subject matter

I'd love to see a broad conceptual or emotional theme (like Surrealism or Pain, loss & sadness proposed upthread).

Few random suggestions:

:bluebox: Joy

:bluebox: Stillness

:bluebox: Rhythm

:shrug:

[Immad2]

9. Fire (Properly contained) or fireplaces.

[Ptah]

10. I'd like to try a four panel story.

With a sentence caption for each image.

A visual poem, if you will.

:shrug:

[regnaD kciN]

11. We have nine choices -- one more needed!

So far, we have the following...

1) Cats vs. Dogs
2) Pain, Loss, and Sadness
3) "The Boys of..."
4) Surrealism
5) Joy
6) Stillness
7) Rhythm
8) Fire or Fireplaces
9) Four-Panel Story

After we get one more suggestion, I'll put up the poll.

[CC]

12. Water.

Running,flowing or moving water maybe. Would keep it out of the too close reflection category.

[regnaD kciN]

13. We did "water" last July...

...as with "black-and-white/absence of color," I think it's a bit early to do the same theme again.

[CC]

14. I have lost my mind here and any memory cells

I had. Anything beyond missing walls on the first floor and a hole in the floor is gone.:rofl:

Edited to add, Paths/Pathways. It has been suggested before but I don't remember it ever being done.Warning do not go by my memory though.

[regnaD kciN]

15. Running contests can do that to a person...

...and I've got two coming up in the next six weeks. :scared:

By the time I'm done, you better be prepared to remind me what a "camera" is...

;-)

[regnaD kciN]

16. We now have ten entries. The suggestion period is closed!

1) Cats vs. Dogs
2) Pain, Loss, and Sadness
3) "The Boys of..."
4) Surrealism
5) Joy
6) Stillness
7) Rhythm
8) Fire or Fireplaces
9) Four-Panel Story
10) Paths/Pathways

I'll have a poll up in the next few minutes.

[unhappycamper]

17. Like,

it's really, really closed. Good choices!