*** JANUARY CONTEST: CALL FOR THEME SUGGESTIONS ***

[regnaD kciN]

Since the holidays offer many here some extra shooting time, while for others it means a whirlwind of activity that leaves no time for picking up a camera, it would be nice to have January's theme chosen as early as possible. Therefore, I'm opening up the floor to suggestions (only one per member, please) right now. I'll close this thread late Monday night or whenever we get ten suggested themes, whichever comes first, and put up a poll that will run through mid-day Christmas Eve.

As usual, I went back over the past few "pick the contest theme" polls, and found the following suggestions were proposed over the past few months:

Begins with 'A' - from aardvarks to aztec temples
How did that get there? - ordinary objects in unusual settings
Roads - highways and byways
All In a Row
Drips, Drops or Splashes
I'd Rather Be ... - fishing, biking - whatever makes you happy
It's a Sign - literal or figurative
Statues, Sculptures
Porches
Backlit
Uniquely local
Stairways
Metal
In motion
Into the mystic (divine/holy/feeling of communion with something)
Another roadside attraction (minor tourist or historical attractions)
Water
Like a dream
Just what is that?

and, of course, the ever-popular

Stuff on Robb's desk (or your own if he locked the door)

If you want any of those, you'll have to submit it again -- I'm not planning any automatic carry-over of past proposed themes, unless we get so few suggestions this time around that I am required to exercise "host's prerogative" and add one or more either from the list above or from my own twisted and sadistic imagination.

So, let's hear your ideas!

[Cassandra]

1. What happened to Lost and Found?

[Sheepshank]

2. I'd love to learn more

about my camera's capabilites and think the theme "motion" would do that. But after the last theme, I was struck by how many of the positive feeling the pictures envoked. So in keeping with those strong feelings, but travelling the "other" fork in that road, how about "One or more of the Seven Deadly Vices or Cardinal sins" While I understand the tendency for the bb's to go down the anti religious road....it wasn't so much the religious meme that appealed to me as much as attempting to capture gluttony, sloth or avarice etc.

ETA...some info
"The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of the most objectionable vices which has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin. The final version of the list consists of wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins

[Celebration]

6. Oh, man, that's hard!

I mean, I could probably find some obese people that are eating buttered popcorn but there are a lot of people that would not be happy with that.

I had some pretty good "wrath" pictures when we did the "strangers" contest, but it freaked me out and I deleted them.

Now, if only we could all go out and get pictures of Tiger Woods.........

There used to be a big party here every year, where people had to dress up as one of the seven deadly sins. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of that.

[Sheepshank]

10. I dodn't even think of the offense factor

I walk/talk without much forethought lol. Impetuous some may say lol.

But on a serious note, for gluttony, it hadn't occurred to me to include pics of persons. I was thinking of huge banquets of food. Heaping tables of it.

Perhaps to modify: 7 deadly sins, to exclude pictures of people as the primary focus.

Although that would make it tougher on the lust factor lol.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. A mannequin in a garter and stockings?? Or a nice shot of KY jelly? LOL

[alfredo]

3. Cabin Fever- Scenes inside your abode.

[GoneOffShore]

4. Stairways please

Anything where we're not getting flowers or birds or trees or insects or puppies.

[Celebration]

5. How about a puppy on a stairway? n/t

[GoneOffShore]

7. No please

Maybe a contest where "cuteness" is not a factor.

Composition, lighting, color balance and interesting subjects please.

[Celebration]

11. I guess the topic could be

"Nothing Alive in the Picture"

Because, obviously flowers can have composition, color balance, and be interesting.

[GoneOffShore]

28. Yes they can. But we've seen so many flower shots

And they seem to get almost unanimous support in GD.

But hey - It's xmas and I'm feeling a bit Scroogy. Despite the sapin de noel and the snow.

[Mira]

13. Hey, I had not seen this before my entry, honest N/T

[Mira]

12. A person after my own heart. Stairways, as Celebration will attest to,

is my subject of choice.
It just so happens my favorite shot of one has a kitty cat on it, but thank goodness you did not list those

ROFL

:pals:

[Celebration]

16. No problem

You could just edit out the kitty!

:rofl:

[Mira]

24. calling TrustyElf ......calling.....

I was kidding about the cat. I am a dog person, and don't understand them.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Water

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Doubletake. Things you have to give more than a once-over to giure out what they are.

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. Stupid keyboard. Should say "figure."

[JeffR]

19. I have one of those keyboards, GPV.

Drives me around the bend.
:hi:

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. This one is a dying wireless keyboard and mouse system. Some days I have to

hold the keyboard up at my shoulder like I am a waitperson delivering food to a table in a restaurant.

And the mouse? Don't even get me started. x(

[debbierlus]

14. Photojournalism:

[JeffR]

20. Glad you revived this idea, Debbie.

In order not to scare anyone away from entering, what about renaming it something like "Documentary"? People turning their cameras on real life around them, that kind of thing...
:shrug:

[Mira]

25. Remember I asked what is meant by that, exactly. Then I posted this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x65755

and it may have been done poorly because not much was said, but is that what you mean, a shot of a happening such as a photographer would go out and cover for the paper?

(like WJMS's now tombstoned shot of the horrible wreck?)

[Celebration]

17. Simply because we need more suggestions

Things that start with the letter "B"

Baskets, beavers, bologna, birthday parties, basketball, baseball, buffalo, bells, beach, etc.

[HappyCynic]

18. Transportation

I don't know if there are enough suggestions yet but how about "Transportation". It can be stationary or in motion, working or not.

[JeffR]

21. Haunting.

Pretty wide open. A scene, a gesture, a look, a sudden swell of pigeons over a rooftop, the inscription on a child's grave...

[Behind the Aegis]

26. "I have a dream."

In honor of Dr. King and his message, a theme which can show things in which we wish to see (or see) as a betterment of the world around us.

This may seem vague, so an example might be a construction in the Lower 9th Ward (I live in NOLA). Another might be a clear stream or lake with no pollution.

This could be more fleshed out to make it easier to conceptualize, just thought it might be an interesting assignment.

[regnaD kciN]

27. We've got our ten suggestions...

...poll coming up.