Me Too! Ashtons D60 Contest
cs1kahuna
Registered Users Posts: 9 Beginner grinner
I too am a finalist in the Ashtons D60 Contest. My son talked me into submitting a bunch of pics and I'll be darned if they didn't pick one!
An honor to be selected as a finalist, it seems a bit shaky now to have to pander for votes - the only folks likely to visit the site at this point would be those sent by finalists looking for votes! Those with a great shot but a small circle of family or friends...seems a bit unfair that they're not to be rewarded because they can't generate web traffic, oh well.
If I win a camera it will be shared by my two boys as their entry into the world of photography - what the heck, I would not have entered if not for one of them and the other one is in the photo!!
I would appreciate any and all votes you might send our way - you can vote daily until 7/15 if yuo have the fortitude.
http://ashtonsd60.com/gallery.aspx#/?category=sports&sort=finalist&page=1&image=4954
First pic on page two, the only surfing pic.
Looking forward to learning and exploring what looks to be a great site here!
Thanks, Chuck
An honor to be selected as a finalist, it seems a bit shaky now to have to pander for votes - the only folks likely to visit the site at this point would be those sent by finalists looking for votes! Those with a great shot but a small circle of family or friends...seems a bit unfair that they're not to be rewarded because they can't generate web traffic, oh well.
If I win a camera it will be shared by my two boys as their entry into the world of photography - what the heck, I would not have entered if not for one of them and the other one is in the photo!!
I would appreciate any and all votes you might send our way - you can vote daily until 7/15 if yuo have the fortitude.
http://ashtonsd60.com/gallery.aspx#/?category=sports&sort=finalist&page=1&image=4954
First pic on page two, the only surfing pic.
Looking forward to learning and exploring what looks to be a great site here!
Thanks, Chuck
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Comments
Cuong
Thanks! I need all the help I can get.
Ironically the thumb (here and there) hardly does it justice as it is really as much about what the water is doing - needs to be viewed large to better appreciate, the enlarged version on their site starts to show a bit better but the full file BIG looks way better - but - hey they chose it - I'll takes it!!
Thanks again!! (you can vote again, once a day if feel up to it)
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Nikon D80 {Nikor 18-200 VR}-{Nikor 50mm 1.8}-{Tokina 12-24mm} [2X Nikon SB-800 Speedlights]
I dont believe it has a place in the forum.
No problem Gus. I fully respect your decision and a can appreciate your postion - however - there are still actually FIVE days left - plenty of time to reconsider and vote a couple of times! :-) Just kidding - be true to yourself.
Help comes in many forms and from many places and I figure no harm in asking? Epecially if one truly likes the shot. Wow, a car though...did they win?
As for the community - I am sincere in that I plan to fully explore and fully "exploit" all that it has to offer, so I hope you don't mind if I continue hang out a bit, root around - and maybe share some stuff even after the contest is over?
I know, how about a "vote for me in this contest forum" where only people who need or are looking to vote for others would go - You could only post after earning a "Site Ctizenship" or something?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thank you!
I will leave it for our members to decide whether they assist or not.
I agree. I also am not keen on campaigning in photo contests. We had an unfortunate incident in one of our competitions here not long ago in which a pile of people signed up in order to vote for their favored contestants. That sort of behavior undermines the community we are trying to build, and personally, I would not be a part of such behavior in another community.
If the shot is good, it will win on its own merits. How would you feel if you lost to someone that did the same thing??
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+1
Helping a established member of the community is one thing, but having people sign up to ask for votes is another.
Glass: Sigma 70-200 f2.8 | Sigma 20 f1.8 | Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS USM
Thanks Gus,
I truly do understand your quandry and I love an open disscussion.
As for the Karma and a bit more about us:
I was upfront, honest and open about what the votes were for - also admitting that while on one hand it felt good to have a photo selected to the final 120 out "tens of thousands" - on the other a bit wierd to now have to go out in search of votes for further reward.
I too pondered what to do at this point. Also like I said, I feel bad about people in the 120 who have a great shot in the final 120 but a small circle circle of familty and friends to vote on their behalf and give them a real chance...
I wondered how some folks were getting votes so I did a google search...one link, a finalist asking for votes lead me here. Been here before but never joined - so I thought, hmmm, well as good a time as any and need to join anyway. Hope that was good karma at work.
I've never really been fond of contests to begin for a variety of reasons and never entered a single one before. I entered this one after my 11 yr old literally pleaded with me to do so. I agreed that if we won a camera the boys (11 & 16), both of whom have expressed an interest taking up photography, could share it.
I said "ok, but even the best photo in the world is a grain of sand on a very large beach - so don't get too excited."
The fact that the photo was selected despite my negativity I can only take as a sign of good karma - for us at least. The urgings and excitement of my 11 yr old taught me something and takes me back to an earlier time.
The prize is a D60 camera outfit going to the top 60 of 120 vote getters. It looks we're doing well and I am optomistic that we will in fact make it into the top 60 and they will get a camera - they are both excited beyond belief and I am excited for them. Yeah, of course I would have done something else to get them started - but why upset thew karma here, I decided to see it through. They'll have a fun story to tell some day as well.
It is no longer about me, the photo, or the contest but the adventure that lies ahead for my boys as they enter the world of photography and together we share the passion - just like all the members in this community still feel or once felt. That will happen - win a camera or not
I applaud your decision to let your reservations be known and let members decide for themselves on a case by case, they deserve the credit.
I am sure you've been burned before by certain individuals but let me reassure you that we're not all totally about winning cars or blenders or some such "thing"... in this case we are about the passion of photography and in the end, despite the few negatives, that sure seems like good karma for the world of photgraphy to me?!
I've had a chance to look around a bit, good tutorials and lots of great stuff. The three of us will be visitors here reagrdless. And I have not shared the contents of this thead with them, don't want to rain on the their parade, plenty of time for that later!
I certainly didn't want to create any problems- especially as a new member. I hardly want this thread to be my leagcy here.
If anyone likes the photo enough to vote for it - for whatever reason - it is appreciated and I thank you!
If not - hopefully no hard feelings?
Thanks, Chuck
requests for votes for a photo in any contest from a forum such as this.
I like the way one Dgrinner put it in one such request. I voted but it
wasn't for your photo!
Thanks for the spank - you are too kind - I turn the other cheek!
This became an atypical "contest" once the 120 finalist were chosen by Nikon - presumably marketing people.
In your finalist notification you are actually encouraged and directed to go out into the world to "share" with the direct link (provided in the notification) to your photo location and encourage folks to vote for you.
The only folks who now go to the site to view and vote are folks who have been sent there by the finalists. There is almost no other way to stumble upon it randomly. So 99.9 % of the folks voting are voting loyal to the one who sent them there in the first place - and the reality is they are there for that reason only.
This "contest" is in essence a tool in a marketing campaign designed to build model and brand recognition via repeated web traffic to the site - generated by the finalists.
By placing a vote for any finalsit you are NOT neccesarily saying "i think this one is the best" only a "favorite." And voters are encouraged to return and vote everyday - the more times you see the Nikon logo the better I guess. I beleive you can even vote for more than one photo per day at a time as well - again all about the marketing - nothing to do with the "merits" of the shot at this point. Remeber 60 of 120 folks "win" - the ones who have presumably generated the most traffic - for which they are rewarded.
Did I know it worked this way when I entered - nope. Do I find it a little strange and uncomfortable to have to ask for votes from relatives, friends, neighbors, etc to collect - you bet.
So when you ask "how would you feel" and talk about the "ethics" here-I can only say that the finalists out there asking for votes are indeed following the rules and just doing what they were directed to do - as untasteful as it may seem at first , second or third glance.
As I already stated here somewhere - I do feel for a finalist who has a small circle of family friends who is excited to be selected, has a really good shot, but wins nothing because they can't generate enough traffic...but... surprise... that is the way Nikon set this one up.
Would I like to have a D60 to give to my boys - you bet! Am I proud of my shot and think it worthy - you bet!
Would I post a request in this community (or any other) for votes again - or even enter a "contest" of this nature?
In retrospect, probably not. I understand the concerns here and it was a bit short sighted on my part to think that I wouldn't offend some by being seen as anything other than a "here today and gone tomrrow" type.
If I was a member in long standing would that make it more palatable for some here - not sure.
Ironically, I probably don't even need the votes - it is doing well on its own but there was also an certain naive perhaps misplaced excitement just to share my situation in my intial post as new member as well.
thanks, Chuck
has put you off so badly that you decide not to stick around to share
your work and thoughts.
Michael
Jack
(My real name is John but Jack'll do)
If you need a coupon for $5 off, use this one:
You can save a friend $5 on a SmugMug subscription It's simple: have your friend enter your personal coupon ( 13Mcs8E4r2bFs ) in the 'Referred by' field on the signup form (Important: They can't enter any other information, such as your name.
We would enjoy having you participate. Your last note was a nice way to finish the discussions.
Z
Thanks Z, Michael and everyone else above.
No worries - to a very lg extent I set myself up - a better explanation up front might well have served me a bit better - rookie mistake.
I also have semi-thick skin and a VERY LARGE sense of humor - so hopefully, over time, I'll fit right in. I'll look into the smugmug acct too.
If anyone feels REALLY REALLY bad - and you just happen to know 4,500 people you could get to vote for me - there is still another 1 1/2 days left - I could still shoot for the grand prize in addition to the camera!:D
Thanks again - we're all good!
Chuck