Splat and Portraiture judges...forget about photography.The word is: DERISIVE !!!

I would like judges to justify their choices:)

Very suprised at the finalists! Would love to hear why they picked some of them?? One of the portaits don't even have a person in it??

You mentioned that the judges will explain why they picked those finalists. I'd like to see the judges comments please.

Congrats to all the finalists :)

Are the judges going to share with us why they chose the final images? Would love to hear it

I thought the close-up was "all about getting your lens close to the object", i.e. using a macro set-up. Some finalists didn't...

I was equally awed and inspired by the majority of entrants,....... so its a real shame that only a very few of them seem to have made it to the finals.

Here is couple of lines from the description of Brief 4:" A portrait is all about capturing a personality and you don't necessarily need to see the whole person (or all of the glasses) to achieve that." I disappointed in decision of "professional" judges and it is a shame. One of the finalist have not even a person on it!!! This decision is ruined the reputation of this great competetion!

Some of the chosen finalists I find puzzling. Not all have executed the briefs in an artistic form nor skilfully. In previous years, finalists were of an outstanding quality. The choices do not reflect the judge’s characters. The judges need to justify their decisions. Maybe they too needed an extended period so that all images were given a fair go.  If this competition continues the entries may lessen. However if this is the standard to aspire to maybe there will be far more unworthy photos to filter through.  The comp is in its 3rd year and here it should end.

Big disappointment, is this a photography competition or a photo compositing competition? Way too much p/shop on a lot of those finalists.

Congratulations to all finalists , good luck and i'll be voting in a minute.You never know what is going to rock someones boat and mine rocked with some of the other images which were not chosen.So many mind blowing most excellent photographs and so little time to choose it would have been an extremely difficult job to be a judge. I can see you need to choose your words right too in the description..make it meaningful to compliment the shot..arghh not something i'm fond of...not being disrespectful and mean no offence but like the words that came with "The Unknown" shot finalist.Having said all that , i do think that canon needs to state that you can easily stray away from the brief description don't sweat and you are given artistic license..

I think the main problem here is the judges got to see the entries in their full high-res, full colour glory, whereas we could only see the highly compressed versions in the gallery. I think that's something people have to take into account when looking at the finalist entries.

About the portrait brief. The brief stated that "A portrait is all about capturing a personality" which the entry featuring the refrigerator did in a very creative way. You don't always have to see somebody to get to know a lot about them.

With the close up brief, in no way did it state you had to use a Macro lens, only that it was about getting the lens as close to the object as you could. Minimum focusing distances vary from lens to lens so a lot of people would have found they couldn't get their lens right next to the H&T's and still keep them in focus. These entrants should not be penalised just because they don't have a Macro lens, they are at least getting as close as they can.

This competition is about being creative, and to my mind that is what these finalists entries show, creativity and great imagination.

Where are the glasses on the fridge portrait???? I would like to know how this got through to the finals. I also would like to see justification for the finalists, given the quality of the entries these I think are some of the more ordinary ones (no offense). When I saw the level skill of some of the thousands of entries I didn't think I would make it through to the finals but when I saw what hit the final list gosh I was disappointed! I don't mind not winning but really guys lets pick some good ones eh? I just wonder where to from here....

Pretty disappointed at the judges decisions. While some are good shots, others are mediocre at best, and there were WAY better pics submitted than some of the ones in the finals.

Of course Congrats to those that got in, but I will be keenly awaiting the judges views on WHY they picked these photos, and why they let some of these finalists drift away from the briefs, if that was allowed I am sure many more of us may have submitted a very different set of photos.

Equally confused by the judges choices for the finalists. Was curious as to why so many of the finalists had top line DSLR cameras. I thought this competition was an opportunity for amateur photographers to up their skill levels and compete for a more professional camera that was out of their price range.

Have tried to vote and got the following error message as Alex which can be seen here www.flickr.com/.../4091572605

Thanks Canon for the fun of competing in your competition but I'll be giving my votes (if I can make them) to someone who looks like they earned an upgrade.

Hmmm, two positive comments and at least one of those is a finalist.

Yep, I'm with the weight of opinion here I am very puzzeled how some of these got through...some real crackers left in the shed...pity

I think it is pretty clear that the decisions of the judges were by general consensus not well received. I will not pass judgement on this as I do not know the circumstances surrounding the factors of this competition. But this has gone from a win win situation to a shame blame situation.

Short of contacting the judges directly, I don't think we'll know what has happened.

I am a junior when it comes to photography, but I have 18 years experience in design, award winning in multiple fields. This competition as I saw it was aimed at pro-sumer people who have an idea about photography. From the quality of a lot of the submissions I see that is the case. So I ask this question...

"How can five professional well respected photographers who have tutored us in technical excellence and creativity choose such a universally damned set of finalists?"

What has gone amiss with this competition? So many fantastic images that fufilled the briefs artistically and technically completely left behind in favour of borderline ones. Very strange indeed. I too have done my voting for those photographers deserving of an upgrade in camera to further develop their skills. I say well done to everyone who entered, congrats to the finalists and commiserations to all those trully awesome photos that missed out!!

Canon - perhaps a change of tack for next year, if there is a next year!

I am disappointed !!

The finalists compared to the last two years are definitely below par, however there may be one or two images that could pass as artistic.

To be honest, not offense to the finalists but after seeing the quality of many of the entries I am finding it very difficult voting for these finalists, I may well consider not voting at all.

I even showed my lecturer, a professional with over 20 years experience, the competition results and he also was shocked by the selection, which was made by professionals themselves.

We all might be having a bit of a whinge yes, but I believe Canon is causing detriment to the photographic community. This may be an amateur competition but final results should be close to a professional standard, which can only improve and encourage the community to lift their game. These results have lowered the standard of this competition and from what I have read on other forums a number of photographers will not waste their time with this again.

I certainly think Canon does a great job putting these competitions on but they have just knocked the cherry off the cake with the results.

I might just take pictures with my phone next year!!

I hope Canon does not decide to can this competition because of our response to their decision but rather learn from their mistakes and improve photography as a whole by encouraging us to lift our game and improve, not just take happy snappys like every tom, *** and harry.

I find it funny about this competition out of the 5 entrys i had one was rejected (not close enough was the explantion) the other 4 where in the top 10 of most viewed images, yes i did do some promo work to get views via facebook.  

We talk about guidlines, I will give you an example a Practically Black shot is not a shot that has an iso of 200 and an exposure of 60 or iso 200 and exposure 1003. Both of these examples in practically black are not practically black you can shot this in total daylight.  So how is this using the craft.

This is a break down on percentages of the Canon 5 competion

We will take that there is 1 in 700 chance that you will get into the finals

If we increase the odds and say that the person gets, 2 images into the finals

basically it worked out this way 1/700 * 1/700 = 1 in 490,000 chance of happening.

Lets look at the second equation

We will take that there is 1 in 6000 chance that you will get into the finals for the first year

If we increase the odds and say that the person gets, 2 images into the finals for two years

basically it worked out this way 1/6000 * 1/6000 = 1 in 36,000,000 chance of happening.

I agree with a few that the standard of finalists seems to be low.  

However, what is more concerning is;

Just spending 5 mins on google has shown that at least 2 of the finalists have been finalists previoiusly, 1 of them a even a previous category winner.  It also seems (unconfirmed) that one finalist is a professional photographer, and even shows VERY SIMILAR photo on thier own BUSINESS WEBSITE!  Link here..........blog.caspix.com.au/.../canon-photo-5-competition-2009

So whats going on.  Would it not be fairer to all to choose finalists that have not been so previously?.  Also, why not do a bit of research on finalists to make sure they're actually not pro's, posing as amateurs?

It was said in the FAQ that the judges would say why they chose the winning entries, so why did they not do this?

As far as I am concerned if a photographer has enough credibility to become a judge then they can express their taste and pick what they like, they've earned the privilege. However it would have been interesting to hear what they had to say, and it is annoying when Canon do not do what they say they will. It hardly builds trust in the company.

I used my much loved RICOH GRII for the comp.

I'll just say that at least canon are prepared to leave the criticisms regarding the competition on their own blog run by their own company. This at least says they respect individuals right to express their opinions in a positive or negative way regarding their services and/or products.

For that I will give them 2 thumbs up.

I don't remember reading anywhere that the judges would be force-fed hallucinogens before making their selections. Oh well, these things happen. Congratulations to the lucky winners :)

Suggestion to Canon: Next time, make it a purely public voting process.

I can't read the end of the sentences of the comments on this blog now(cut off in their prime !) and only since the selections have been made.Is it this site or do i need to tweek something on my computer ?

Whilst looking through the entries I saw two which I thought were so *** that they were brilliant. Both of them made it to the finals.

If the two I'm talking about win, I'm sure that will provide a lot of free advertising for Canon – good or bad it doesn't really matter to Canon, but the judges credibility have taken a hit in my opinion.

Explanations for decisions would be great!

i wonder if next year perhaps there could be an beginners comp and a professional.  i noticed alot of the winners have professional cameras often already using a 5D.  why not give us beginners a chance to get the camera of our dreams. i can only assume the ones who already own a 5d will just sell it if they win while for someone like myself it would mean a world of oppurtunity.

Lol, the quality of this competition degrades year by year. I am going to have second thoughts on participating next year. Would love to hear why the judges picked those finalists as well. However, congrats to some of the finalists, they deserve to be in there. But the rest absolutely do not belong in there.

blog.suprana.com/.../rant-of-the-day-canon-photo5-rigged-finalists

Some of the finalists pic's are fantastic (much better than mine).  But I agree with many here that a large percentage of the photos selected are a bit below par.

However I have other concerns that i feel are more critical.  

Spending 5 mins on google, I have found that at least one finalist (close-up) is a professional photographer, who has posted her entries on her own web page (sure a bit different but obviously the same photographer).  By her own admission she was a finalist two years ago, and a winner last year.  link here ...........blog.caspix.com.au/.../canon-photo-5-competition-2009

Another finalist in Practically Black was also a finalist last year.  link......forum.weatherzone.com.au/ubbthreads.php

So out of around 6000 entries (across all categories), the same people keep appearing as finalists and winners.  No, I'm not a conspiracy nut, but wouldn't it be good to let other people have a go?

I think the judging process should be as follows;

Users registered before closing date may vote for one photo in each section that they entered (but not their own photo).  The top ten in each category are then judged by the pro's to find a winner.  

just my 10 cents

I don't know whether the judges have gone all arty farty on us, but alot of people seem pretty unhappy with the finalists this year (me being one of them!). It is disappointing that so many people have put everything into this competition - minds ticking over at all hours of the night for ideas, taking so much time setting up their shots to get them just right, so many of these photos to me have been breath taking! - only to be dismissed for photos that I didn't give a second look at. Perhaps the public choosing the finalists and the judges picking the winner would be a better way to keep everyone happy? I don't even think I will be voting. I think that this may turn some amazing photographers away from the competition.

A great comp and a lot of fun ... I also think the standard was lot better this year given the immensley tougher "briefs" ...I also feel sorry for the judges imagine trying to pick 10 from 800 - 1600 images where anything from 10-20% of them were really great shots ... you will always get complaints .... would suggest next year adding an extra stage ... judges narrow down to 100 shots in each category ... voters narrow it down to 10 finalists in each category ... and then vote again for a winner from the best 10 ... this would give you a chance to be a "top 100" even if you didn't make the final or win and also eliminate the contention of bias and favouritism ... Anyway Thanks Canon for a great initiative and good luck to the finalists ... I will be voting rather then spitting the dummy like some!!!

These judges are not working for free and I bet they were not paid megabucks. By the admission of the practically black judge she was probably not going to consider or possibly even look full size at anything that did not grab her from the thumb nail. With most major art prizes there are not that many entries to consider in such a short space of time. It was bound to be a impulsive personal decision and how can you make a comparitive decision anyway. It's art for ..... sake there are no rules.

I do somewhat agree that it might be good to have a large camera category and a point and shoot category. Trying to define what defines professional based on income is hard for me to get my head around. Perhaps Canon could explain their thinking here. Still waiting for the judges valued comments but maybe the budget for this extra effort was consumed by website repairs needed as a result of entrants' enthusiasm for the competition.

Hi everyone...

All of us judges are in the middle of writing our selection reasons at the moment and this will be posted online next week I believe. Hopefully this will give us all some answers hey =)

I deliberated over my Bokeh Top-10 for AGES, as I'm sure the other judges did too, and I don't have any qualms in explaining my selection. Generally speaking I picked those that stood out from the rest in a pleasing/interesting way, showing some originality and creativity in using the bokeh effect, while importantly, sticking to the brief (there were some awesome ones I loved, but couldn't really pick because they weren't actually using the bokeh effect). And in regards to some finalists being finalists in other years too (and the subsequent conspiracy theories), I'm not even sure if this relates to any in the bokeh brief, because when making the selection, we don't actually see the names of the photographers at all... it's just a never-ending list of photos with numbers, and I submitted my top 10 numbers. I haven't even looked up the names of my selection yet...

So hopefully this will ease some concerns, and comfort you all that soon we'll have a blow-by-blow reasoning for each of the top 10 from each judge. I too am looking forward to this. I think it's the nature of photography judging hey - I'm always amazed at some the finalists in most competitions too! "If I was a judge, I'd have..."  Ha ha. Anyway, let's see.

In closing, I'd just like to say thanks for all those who battled with Bokeh long enough to squeeze out an image at all!! I know it was a challenge! There were some amazing and inspiring shots out there using the technique in all sorts of awesome ways (as I'd like to think my top 10 shows).

I think they should split the competition into actual camera sections. That way it would be easier to see the top shots made by different types of cameras by different people. You know you could have a 350D-500D section. A 100D-20D section. A 10D-1D section. The higher quality camera you have the stricter the criteria is for the competition. The lower quality camera you have the more points you earn for ability, ingenuity, creativity, and participation.

Reply to Michael 11 NOV.  You should not give up for next year If you keep practicing your amatuer and cliche work might improve.  Without true self reflection though sadly you won't progress.

I think that all the finalists should be proud of themselves.  For all you people who open your mouths and purge sour grapes, maybe there is a reason the judges decision is lost on you. I would summise that it is closely linked with your inablilty to impress them.  

Why not now concentrate on the images.  Forget the camera, forget the photographer, just look to the images and interpret the message.  Choose the image that sparks some thought.

Serioulsy Michael (msuprana)- The coloured lollipop, harsh shadow and poor balance....humph

I waited to post my images so I could listen to all the judges comments. Some of the 100s and 1000s photos were not close (as mentioed in the brief videos) and some of the nearly black were also not as the judge outlined. Some of the splat where of water (Again not allowed) and many other issues.

As the videos went up fairly late in the piece, my post was towards the end. I took on all the comments and tried to follow them as best. Then I see some of the finalists, did not follow the actual hints in the videos. Dissapointing.

I spent countless hours getting my pictures just right. I don't care that I am not a finialist. I do care that some of what has been selected does not follow closely what was in the video tutorials and breifs.

I don't think I will bother next year :(

Hi all, let me start by saying that I do agree with a lot of what has been said above. No it's not sour grapes at all - all of us enter in the hope that we have a chance of winning, but I think that this year, it wasn't so much about not being selected, more about the actual photos that were chosen - mainly because most entrants don't believe that the briefs were followed as closely as some others and that the photography was not all that good on a technical level.

Again, the judges have their job to do - not an easy one - but having seen most of the images, we all would have selected our own favourites over the course of the last few weeks.

Why the judges have selected their Top 10 is not going to influence me - I am going to vote based on what I believe is a technically good image and one that follows the brief as closely as possible.

I know within myself that I did the best that I could, followed the briefs as I understood them and did not use Photoshop to post-edit (probably why I didn't make the finals). I pride myself at using my camera as the only tool to achieve my images and if it doesn't make the cut, then I know that I have still been true to myself.

All I can say about not making the finals is that I am not as disappointed about the 5D (well, sort of) as I am about not getting to meet Chris Bray...!

Here's to next year and let's hope that it will be a good one.

Along with everyone else here, I'd love to hear the reasoning why some of the finalists made it through.

I realise that some of my entries were never going to make it, but some of the finalists... hmmm.

I'll be holding my votes until I read how the judges decided to select the finalists.  I'm sorely disappointed at the quality of the majority of finalists and it's a shame given I expected a better selection from these photographers who produce fantastic portfolios.

If the judges or Canon can't get the reasons of why they chose each finalist by November 21 then I'm happy to throw away my votes because I don't want to be voting on unjustified finalists and I'm sure there are many thinking along this line.

A shame that people put a lot of effort into their entries and aren't recognised.  I enjoyed the competition and the challenge it gave that helped me take that step further in creativity but the reward vs effort return this competition is pathetic I'm not sure if I'd try so hard next year.

Congratulations to the people that are fanalists. I am only new to photography and  have learnt alot about my camera by entering this comp. I tried to follow the judges comments as close as i could. In saying that a was a bit suprised to see the finalist for the close up section, Thats what the word close up means, close up, not many of the finalist are close up they are creative, anybody can sprinkle hundred and thousands over objects and take a photo i must have read the wrong brief. Will be interested if seeing the judges comments and reasons.

I would just like to thank judge Chris Bray for taking the time to write a comment on this blog in light of the amount of criticism directed towards this year’s finalists. I imagine that it would have been a difficult task for the judges to sift through thousands of photos that seemed to me to be of a high standard. To me, the briefs this year were very broad (maybe too broad) and allowed a lot of artistic interpretation within the entries and just looking through them I could put them into some broad categories that took very different tacks on the briefs. Looking at the finalists it seems to me that the judges have tried to cover this broad spectrum and give everyone a go at being a winner rather than just pick the really outstanding photos that may only have covered one type of interpretation. This means that not all the photos are going to be to everyone’s liking and yes some good ones miss out, but hey out of 6500+ some are not going to make it. The previous years have had much tighter briefs that would produce images that were much more comparable artiscally and therefore probably much easier to pick out the clear stand outs to everyone’s satisfaction. No doubt there were disappointments there too. I personally enjoyed the challenge, being a complete novice at this, and was proud of my submissions on a personal achievement level.  You can never please everyone especially in something as subjective as art!

Perhaps there could be set of photos included on the site that warrant special encouragement (the ones that almost made it but were pipped at the post) I know this is more work for the judges but it may just appease the masses and provide hope for those who are a little discouraged right now.

I have cast my votes – there are some great shots that did make it to the finals. I know that for me at least 6-7 of the shots that made it through to the finals stood out for me when I was browsing the entries – for one reason or another. Good luck to all that made it through and I will try again next year after some practice.

I'm dismayed that this is just a popularity contest. I've already seen so many people campaigning to have their photo voted for. It defeats the purpose. The best will not win, the most popular photographer will.

I hate to join all the negative comments, but I need to. I hope Cannon can take all this as constructive criticism, and be buoyed at least by the fact that people are passionate about it.

Personally , i think when the judges have selected the images they most fancy that should be the end of the story. No votes from hither or yonder because really it amounts to how many friends the photographers have etc. ad nauseum.The reason for the various selections from the judges should be there promptly. Excellent Chris Bray made a personal effort to step up . As is expected though a huge amount of people and conflict. For me though , loved the learning experience and stuck by the "rules" . I will enter again next year but intend to loosely interpret the briefs ..hey what ..We all love the art of photography! and i loved a lot of the images you guys shot , never mind you didn't get selected..(like mine )have voted and see you next year x

I am very disappointed that a photography competition is such a farce :(  So many of those finalist photos are absolute rubbish in terms of execution and composition and do not belong there.  It all fine and dandy being creative but it is a photography competition, not a high school art contest.  There were plenty of creative photos that were fantastic photos as well, much better than many of the finalists photos.  I should have given my camera to one of my children at the end of the day. Thanks for wasting my time

Can I make a suggestion?  Next year (if there is one) why not have a 'peoples' choice - one photo for each brief makes it into the finals through popular vote.  I know there are some problems around it (voting campaigns for example).  Maybe the names/details are withheld until the finalist stage.  Perhaps it would cure the problem of photos making it into the finals on the strength of just one persons view.

Thank you Chris Brae for commenting - It is encouraging to hear that the judges comments/reasoning ill be published.  I am really looking forward to finding out how the fridge one got into the mix for the Portrait brief when it doesn't seem to have the required spectacles in the shot (unless they're hiding in the black edges somewhere). The photographers comments/story seems to fit the Pratically Black brief...

I don't know why some of you are being so negative towards the finalist photos... is it because you envy them and the fact that they may have managed to produce a picture of greater quality than your... or is it because you have nothing better to do other than post negative comment about peoples photos... if anything we should realy be congratulating them on there achievment on reaching the finals... so congrats' to all of you who have reached the finals. Now all you bad sports out there... just cheer up you know, better luck next time and just remember don't be so negative... be positive about thing... because if you live a happy and life full of positive energies you live longer☺

Thanks Chris for posting. Hope this doesn't sound like sucking up, but I think the Bokeh was about the best judged category - I see photos I would prefer, but I can't particularly fault the selection.

For the other categories I'm really looking forward to the judges comments, because I can't understand some of the selections at all.

I still can't vote so what do you want me to say. Honestly Chris, the images you chose look like you would have taken them yourself. Like another poster said, I waited until I could see the judges videos (some of which were extremely late into the comp) before I posted my photos only to find I couldn't post what I wanted. Now I can't vote because of a microsoft server error message so what do you want me to do?

As far as "deliberating for ages" you basically admit that any of the late images were excluded and had made the majority of your choices before the actual deadline. I know this is assumption yet when you think about deliberating over 600+ images you yourself would know that this takes longer than a few days.

Don't take me the wrong way. I love canon cameras. I have been using them for more than 15 years now. I like the backwards compatability that means I can use my 13 year old 80mm-200mm lens on a DSLR with it's mold spots and ugliness. Or my 35mm-80mm supplied USM lens from my old eos1000. I just think this competition was pretty disappointing as it reached its finale.

Good luck to all the finalists, there were some outstanding entries this year and selection of the finalists must have been very difficult indeed.

While I certainly do not agree with many of the finalists selected this really does come down to personal choice and what the individual finds exceptional in a photograph as well as composition, quality and thought process behind the shot. While I can't see the level of excellence I expected in many of the shots maybe a different or trained eye would, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. It is a little dissapointing to find that many of the shots I looked through and felt certain they would make the cut did not but it is also pleasing to see that a few of them did make make the finals. I agree with Saltymum, perhaps a brief list of the top 50 photos in each catagory would do a lot to bolster the spirits of those that just missed out and perhaps give better insight into the selection process so that it does not come under such scruitiny. The true test will be the voting of the winners. This will really determine if the best photo in each catagory of finalists is selected because there are some real stand out photos amongst the briefs  where many of the rest are what I consider to be some pretty average shots.

Can't wait until next year and the experience I have gained from going through this competition will hopefully help me in my selection and composition for next years briefs.

Had an absolute ball being involved in this for the first time and nothing will stop me giving it another go next year.

Technical issue with voting! :(

I can't vote. When I go to confirm if I want to vote for a photo the text goes bold but it won't let me fill in the Yes dot.

Anyone else have this issue?

Come guys, sure I might of chosen some of the finalist differently,but art is subjective! there are some great pics in the finals that are creative and thought provoking e.g The Conjuror,Framed, Black white and red all over,Waiting etc

Dont worry about anything else(cameras,conspiracys,rigged etc) but what thoughts it triggers and the questions behind the photo:)Oh yes, one more thing - I have a top of the line camera(canon 5d), and I am not a professional!!It was mentioned up above somewhere anyone using a top of the line camera must be a pro and should not winthat is a very narrow minded statement!

congrats to all the finalist, No tall poppy Syndrome from me, just votes;)

I don't have a problem with past finalists/winners submitting - it is a competition, don't forget. One of the gripes I do have, which has been mentioned previously is that "professional photographers who earned AU$35,000" may not enter. This is part of the Canon5 terms and conditions. I don't understand why some photographers were not disqualified on this account. If you read other forums, a lot of the photographers are professional and therefore should be deemed ineligible. And yes I do have to agree with everyone else on this board, there are some great finalists and others that wouldn’t warrant a second glance – but again it’s all personal taste.

Congrats to the finalists.  

I enjoyed the competition and the briefs... I thought the briefs were better than last year and allowed a wide range of interpretations and were challenging.  

I believe it is a very difficult decision to pick 10 out of so many shots and I would also like to understand the decisions behind the choices to inform me for next year.  

However although I thought some of the photos in the top ten were great and I felt the Bokeh judge has picked a good selection, I was disappointed in some of the 'hundred and thousands' shots as I felt they did not meet the spirit of the 'hundred and thousand prop.  

I personally did not enter the portrait as I was a bit confused by the video explanation of the brief and that confusion seemed to be reflected in the massive interpretation of the photos presented and picked in the finals.  

The brief I had the most fun with was practically black.   But was a bit disappointed by the selection of top ten. As I felt some of the photos were so black it was hard to enjoy the photo.   However I think the problem here was the breadth of the brief and the clarity of what practically black really meant such as could you use a day shot and photoshop it to black could you use colour but be underexposed... how much grey was needed to juxtapose the black and show some detail.  

I agree with the concept that the judges should have picked a top 100 first allowed voting by the public of this top 100, then picked the final Ten with the public voting being considered.  Then the public pick the final winners.... with the large number of submissions this may have given more entries credit.   In addition there could have been a sub prize for the people's choice out of the top 100.  There could also be an encouragement award for all categories out of the top 100 and the final 10.   Maybe this added expense for prizes could be warranted by the number of entries.

Lastly, I think it would have been a good idea to have a clear statement written on the site of the criteria for judging each brief and photos within the brief before we started taking photos... rating for tech competence, artistic merit etc..  etc.. and then clearly stating why the final 10 were picked and how they compared to the prestated judging criteria at the same time as the final 10 were posted.

I know this is very hard as an ex teacher it was the most painstaking part of my job.   But it helped me ensure I was actually setting a brief that I could judge fairly and would produce results that reflected the judging criteria and the brief yet still allow for artistic merit and an out of the box approach.  

However I am aware that despite all efforts for transparency and fairness people are always upset by not being a winner in a society where winners are everything.... and critique in retrospect is a wonderful thing.

For myself I learned a lot from this competition... I am now researching lighting to try a different approach to my portraits which will also help my art.  I have learnt much more about raw photos and their production.   I loved the challenge of the Bokeh and will continue to experiement with it in day shots as I thought these were outstanding.  I loved practically black and have set myself a project for dark corners of sydney.  I have also realised I could put up more risky shots that I did and found the courage to try something different.  

So all is not lost !!  Thanks for the comp and I look forward to next year.

I made the finals for my image and frankly I was surprised. I really do feel like an underdog when it comes to this competition because I didn't use an DSLR.

Last year there was the whole 'professional' vs 'amateur' section. I would like to see that again but maybe a 'DSLR' vs a 'Point-an-Click'. Someway to level the playing field.

Anyway, if I can get to the finals then I really don't think that there is any question in my mind about the fairness of the competition.

Yes I'm going to make a 'defensive finalist' comment! ;o)

Yes, I'm also a finalist and yes I've seen a good deal of criticism levelled at many of the entries (not just here - here is quite tame by comparison!). There's one in my section that I've read criticism of why it was present, but to me, the reasons why Murray chose it are clear. Every entry in the splat section is from a traditional perspective except one. One entry has aimed their splat at the camera. While it may not being the most technically proficient of the pool, doesn't being the only one shot from that perspective make it the most unique in the pool, therefore deserving of final status? Yeah ok there's a few that I'd question. But there's some that others have questioned that make sense to me. One person criticised my entry as 'a disgusting symbol of gluttony' but I intended it to be decadent and comical. That opinion doesn't concern me - don't vote for it if you think it's disgusting. I'm just thrilled that I got snaps from someone as awesome and quirky as Murray! ;o)

And as for the criticism aimed at Cas above, it's unwarranted. It's not her image in the macro final. The fact Cas has made the finals before is because she's awesome and clever. The fact that she's a 'professional' and still earns under $35000 a year is so so so not uncommon. There are countless people out there making peanuts from this industry while still being as talented as Cas. And I could go on a whole nother tangent about why that's happening, but I won't...So let's not ;o)

I'd challenge anyone to sit through an AIPP print judging. Some prints leave me scratching my head and why people even bother entering them, yet they walk away with silver awards. Some I'm chanting 'gold, gold, gold' in my head but they barely crack it for a 70. It's because this is a subjective game!

the finalists chosen are a dissapointment, i do not feel the standard lives up to  the quality produced last year. many better  shots were overlooked, and there must be a way where the public has more input??????????

Good grief!

Could I suggest a segment next year for a photographic depiction of "Sour Grapes?"

With so many entries an element of luck will always be present. I just loved the inspiration I derived from the extraordinary creativity displayed. The whole event was a lot of fun and if the winners aren't my choice then I will not allow this to spoil it for me. Go Canon Photo 5

This has been very interesting reading. Interesting especially because of the display of a number of facets of human behaviour, although albeit expected.

Those who didn't get into the finalists whine and criticise the ones that did, pointing fingers at the judges for their bad decisions. In turn some of the finalists are getting defensive and accusing the 'non-finalists' of sour grapes.

Folks, perhaps it's time to save our breath for next year, when the same is likely to happen again.

Let's see Photo5 2010! I can hardly wait!

Hi there - I am a finalist, I have a great camera  and have had it for about 5 months....I am not a professional and I am still learning, I decided I want to look back in my life and see photos of things and people in my life I love so, instead of getting a new car, I decided to buy a fantasic camera....I drive a 91 barina, and I  am a normal hard working person-a mum, and I work a full time job:) I am telling you this because in the above threads it says by some  people, not to vote for anyone with a good camera- they must be professional or are not worthy of winning as they dont deserve the upgrade?? I really dont understand this shallow way of thinking as this is a contest about photography, and looking and voting for  images that are thought provoking- not about what camera someone used( whos to say they didnt borrow a camera for the comp?),not if the finalist has been a finalist before( they must be talented and very lucky!) or whether the finalist deserves to win as they already own a great camera ( have you ever stopped to think they might be in debt up to their eye balls to have these great cameras and winning would be a way out - they can sell their existing camera and keep the winning 5d)......I was shocked I made the finals - so many excellent photographs with some excellent ideas, but I am over the moon that I am in the finals and for some reason or another- the judge liked my photograph :):)

In the Fridge photo the Glasses are hanging in the door of the fridge, the judges wouldn't have put it in the finals if it didn't meet the criteria.

And on a final note to Sarah.Glasses were portraiture...use as a prop but focus more on a great portrait. blah blah  great portraiture captures the character or personality of your subject. So this is a mighty deep thinking fridge and we can only just imagine the character of the owner of said fridge who loaded it up with the various , which i can only presume was the pull....a tad abstract but there we are.

Sarah - Those glasses are not the one's supplied with the brief.  The brief was clear: "This is a portraiture brief where you must feature the supplied black spectacles"  Plain and simple, that shot doesn't qualify and should not be in the final selections.

Thank you Canon I have learnt heaps by entering this comp and yes I will be back next year.

Thank you judges it would have been a very difficult job to pick only 10.

Well done to everyone who entered there was some awesome photos entered.

To all the negative nellies out there I have just started earning a living from photography so I am considered a professional do I earn less then $35 000 yes are there better amateur photographers out there hell yes. I believe a creative eye counts for more then the camera you use, yes the camera can help but I have to admit that I have some fantastic photos taken on a point and shoot camera. The idea of public votes can be a dangerous one as some times it is the most popular photographer not necessarily the best photo that gets picked.

Do I agree or disagree with finalists well that doesn’t matter its important to remember art is subjective and if you can't accept that maybe you shouldn't enter competitions. Might I also point out that by having a go at the judges you are insulting the finalists who have probably worked just as hard as you have. To those finalists don’t take to heart congratulations.

If you have an abundance of amazing ideas, have a great eye for composition etc, it won’t make any difference what camera you use. Whether the canera is a point and shoot or a whiz bang DSLR, everyone should remember that the camera is just a TOOL only.

There were an amazing array of gorgeous images submitted and everyone should be happy with their efforts. I don’t think voting would have been easier if the judges picked a top 100. To choose a favourite would been harder from a wide selection of images. I also don’t agree on the public voting – it seems too much like a popularity contest than for talent alone.

WOW, all these comments have made me feel very sad that so many people hate my photo and don't think it is worthy of being a finalist. I'm just glad that Simon thought differently.  When I received my box, I realised that I wouldn't be able to do anything for the Bokeh brief as I only had a point and shoot.  I had been thinking about getting the Canon 450D for a few months and this was the push I needed to go and get a good camera.  Only problem was that there was now a 500D so I sold one of my kidneys (tic) and bought a 500D.  I had a great time learning how to work with it.  Infact I only just learnt how to use the video last night 17 Nov. (wrote it in my FB).  This competition has been allot of fun.  Many sleepless nights trying to get the right Bokeh and Practically black briefs. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

Waggles said:

"This is a portraiture brief where you must feature the supplied black spectacles"  Plain and simple, that shot doesn't qualify and should not be in the final selections.

Hey Waggles,  have a closer look.  There are two pairs one white and infront the supplied glasses.

Wow, finalists have been announced for 2010... some great shots, although some with a lot of 'shopping', and one for 'confetti' that didn't even use confetti... will rethink things next year, including entering...