The Artist as Everyman

January 19, 2003 11:18 PM

Channel your inner Ansel Adams. Going off of the theory that everyone has at least one great photo in them (as opposed to professional photographers, who should have hundreds), missiouri webizen & amateur photographer Troy DeArmitt has hosted (for the past two years) an annual web based photo contest open to other amateurs only, sponsored out of his own wallet. If the results of this year's contest are any indication, he's right, there are some beautiful photos here.
posted by jonson (16 comments total)

For the lazy among you, here, here and here are three of my favorites, while this one has my favorite title.
posted by jonson at 11:28 PM on January 19, 2003

it's over already isn't it? january 10, 2003 it says. or is it a yearly thing?
posted by folktrash at 11:30 PM on January 19, 2003

Yes, it's over for this year, as of last week. This post isn't an invite for you to enter the contest, but rather for you to appreciate the entries of those that did enter. Sorry - should have been clearer in my post.
posted by jonson at 11:34 PM on January 19, 2003

And the list of winners here shows that one of the winners tied for third place is MetaFilter's own j ko, whose picture "interconnected" you might know from such fine sites as megnut.com, which used to have a leaf picture.
posted by anildash at 11:35 PM on January 19, 2003

ahhhh - it is a beautiful concept. the expired deadline just threw me, that's all.

now - where's that pile of pictures I need to get to scannin...

i'd copy and paste that line about cash for everyman, etc... but it's an image. AND it's not in the alt text.
posted by folktrash at 11:36 PM on January 19, 2003

Damn. Too bad you didn't post this before the entry deadline. I might have entered something amateur myself.
posted by stavrogin at 11:42 PM on January 19, 2003

what is that? a shot?
posted by folktrash at 11:44 PM on January 19, 2003

this is a fav so far.
posted by folktrash at 11:47 PM on January 19, 2003

I guess quonsar will have to apply next year.
posted by samuelad at 11:47 PM on January 19, 2003

did you see... i know i know...
posted by folktrash at 11:48 PM on January 19, 2003

I didn't enter but took this picture (322k) two days ago -- "Chesapeake Bay Freeze".
posted by stbalbach at 6:39 AM on January 20, 2003

Lots of chaff, but hearty wheat among the mix... If you enjoy coppin' other people's photos, PBase
and Fotki are two good photo-sharing sites to browse away an afternoon.
posted by skyboy at 9:20 AM on January 20, 2003

Some free advice to anyone who cares: a pretty picture does NOT necessarily make a good photograph. Good photos usually fall into one of two categories. The first is a picture that tells a story, where the elements in the photo add to that story (more journalistic). The second is a unique way of looking at something that emphasizes color, pattern, shape, texture, framing, etc. (more visual/artistic).
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:31 PM on January 20, 2003

Thanks for the lesson, C_D. For a while there, I was confusing those pretty pictures with good photographs. I stand corrected.
posted by jonson at 1:55 PM on January 20, 2003

Let me be more direct, Civil_Disobedient: Thanks for being such a pretentious jerk.
posted by Irontom at 4:21 PM on January 20, 2003

If you'd seen the images that were submitted to the contest, you'd understand why I offered the suggestions. Some think that the act of taking a picture of something incredible makes the photo incredible. But if you're happy with shots of Mom waving in front of the Grand Canyon, Irontom, so be it.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:57 AM on January 23, 2003