What Do You Think Of Photography Challenges?

TheArticulate Level 1

March 21, 2018, 3:09 pm

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What Do You Think Of Photography Challenges?

Have you ever submitted your photography into a competition? These could be local competitions where your work was physically displayed for judging, or an online competition where you competed against people from all over the world! If you have, how well did your work do?

Last year, when I was getting serious about my photography, I started submitting my work into different competitions at Gurushots, which is an online photo competition website. Basically, professional photographers will host challenges that last for two weeks and revolve around a particular subject like "isolated subjects" or "contrasting colors". You upload 4 photos that adhere to the criteria of the challenge, and then you vote on other people's photos that you like. Likewise, people will vote for your photos if they like them, too. This makes the competition process completely user-driven. The photos with the most likes win.

This was a great way for me to start stepping out of my comfort zone with my photography, as the challenges gave me a reason to take pictures of things I normally wouldn't. Plus it's really fun to see how well your photos do!

Feel free to post some of your photos that you've submitted to competitions, or even share your Gurushots profile if you decide to take part! I haven't entered any challenges recently, but my profile is still full of my work.

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

It's nice getting to know that you have found a way to step out from your comfort zone and get engaged in something that gives your life a happy and fun moment. This Gurushots competition, what does it hold for the contestants? Is there any kind of winner prize for the one person with the highest vote on his or her picture?

7 years ago

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MomoStarr16

MomoStarr16

It will be fun if it is for amateur photographer. Joining in a high class competition will be so intimidating. It will never help an amateur in that way. So having a competition for amateur only will be a big help for all the photographer that is starting to learn.

7 years ago

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kammy143

kammy143

Well entering a competition is really like winning the lottery. All are in equal grounds and everybody has the chance to win. Amateur or not, one can enter and show what he or she has to offer. One just has to believe in his skills and take a chance.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

@MomoStarr16 I think that the competition would actually help amateur photographer because it would show the individual where he or she needs to improve their work. I might get into such competition if I have the chance to participate in it.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

Hopefully, they have various different competitors that allow amateurs, semi-experienced and even professionals to enter. This way, amateurs could still enter the competitions but have a chance of winning as they would not be against professionals who have years of experience and knowledge of how to take good photos. Of course, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to go up against professionals as it may help them learn some new things.

7 years ago

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bienn05

bienn05

It is exciting joining amateur competitions. Someone like me who does not know how to take shots or what are the basis of having a good photo will know if I can take photos for real. Competition like this helps aspiring photographers to know if they have future in this career.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

TheArticulate

Each competition gives out prizes for three different categories: Professional's top pick, top photographer, and top photograph. The prizes for each competition vary, but I've seen people win gift cards of upwards of $200 to sites like Adoramma or B&H Photo, as well as professional critiques of their portfolios and free gear for their cameras.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

"..... The prizes for each competition vary, but I've seen people win gift cards of upwards of $200 to sites like Adoramma or B&H Photo....."

Now this is something interesting, with such prize up for grabs, I do believe that it would entice people to engage in the competition hosted on Gurushots. I think I would have to see the possibility of participating in the competition.

7 years ago

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kammy143

kammy143

I rarely encounter photography contests. It wouldn't be bad though and I will surely join specially when the prize money is with a good amount.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

I've never been a huge photography person and I'm not that great with a camera either (when you compare me to those that use cameras and equipment a lot) so I could never even enter a photography challenge or contest really. They are great though, I mean anything that allows you to potentially earn some money from doing something that you love is great

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Apart from few snaps and mostly taking selfie, that just sums up what I do with a camera either with phones or digital cameras as well. I do understand that pictures are memories stored, so it's very important to keep so many pictures as possible because one day you will wake up and see the value it adds to your life.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

This is really a great way that some of us that enjoys taking pictures will get to earn some money, if we win, by participating in the contest. The other objective of taking part is that even at a situation where we didn't get to win the prize, we would have gotten some good information that will help us improve at the ways we take pictures with our camera. I'm looking forward to submitting the pictures that I've taken on the site and hope that I will be part of the winners.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

"…we would have gotten some good information that will help us improve at the ways we take pictures with our camera."

I think that this is the best part. Even if you don't win the grand prize, you're still getting something out of it in the end, and that something is knowledge and experience. I'll be completely honest, as an amateur/hobbyist photographer, sometimes I find it difficult to actually get my butt up and take photos. Needless to say that is no way to improve one's skills. I think I might start entering in more competitions just to get ideas and inspiration for taking photos, and maybe learn something. Without a challenge, one's skill will never grow.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

TheArticulate

The things you've outlined in your comment is the exact reason I started taking part in challenges with Gurushots. I know that there's an incredibly slim chance that I'll actually win a competition, but that's never been my goal. Each challenge has a specific theme, like "isolated subjects", "Unique camera angles", "Something that starts with 'G'", etc.

These challenges force me to go out and look for photos in these categories, pushing me out of my comfort zone and forcing me to adopt subjects or photography styles that I don't do very often.

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I completely agree with you in that challenges makes a person excell in things and right now it would be fun because even cheap mini drones with HD cameras can be used in open competitions so someone with a drone camera can level the playing field with overhead shots which can't be done with normal cameras.

7 years ago

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MomoStarr16

MomoStarr16

Never tried it but I think it should be what a photographer do. Their effort will never be waste if they will have a competition to be join. And in that way they will try to gain more experience and talent that will make them a good photographer.

7 years ago

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Barida

Barida

I always see the world of photography as a way that I get to enjoy myself and the good thing is that I enjoy taking pictures especially when I visit some government places that has got some historical events. So, doing this for the competition is a source of motivation to get better at the end of the day.

7 years ago

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NesMarcos

NesMarcos

That is a good point to remember. I also enjoy taking pictures however, I do not have a special lens for it. I always take pictures using my smartphone. Competition is a good thing and a great motivator indeed!

6 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

I haven't really thought of joining any photography competition; I used to just take photographs for research and for our papers but right now I'm no longer doing that job and I've been less into photography. however, if given the chance, I would've loved to join one. I think any serious photographer should take the challenge as it will help you improve and see how you stack up against other photographers.

7 years ago

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aeon

aeon

For me, online competition is really good experience for some amateur photographer like me. You will learn a lot of things from other artist about how to get a great shot, or using light to make your photo become a piece of art. It's alright to lose as long as you know that some photographer really did a great job. This is an exciting event.

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Yeah I did entered a lot of competitions before, a lot of camera brands such as Canon and some camera stores like Camerahaus do offer such photo contests which everyone is allowed to join.

Usually there are different categories for camera equipment to be used and there's also an amateur and professional main categories.

7 years ago

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kammy143

kammy143

To tell you the truth, I really love how technology makes competitions more reachable now a days. Back when I was young, I find it hard to look for competitions or contests involving drawing or photography. It will only come to our knowledge if someone tells us or gives us an invitation to join. That can take a toll on how the end results come out because of the limited time due to late infos. Anyway, back to the main topic. I love photography challenges, because it lets you explore more on your talents as a photographer. It doesn't really matter if you are an amateur or a professional, weather you are using low end or high end gadgets, everybody is playing in an even ground.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

Well I suppose that my answer would sort of depend on how liberal one is with the term "competition."

In terms of actual contests with prizes and such, I haven't really participated in many serious competitions. I think I tried a few back in college but nothing really noteworthy.

However, I regularly participate in Missions on the Foap application, which are sort of like contests. For those who don't know, Foap is a program that allows you to upload your photography and potentially earn money by selling your photos, kind of like stock photography. Missions are basically assignments/competitions that are given by major companies for users to complete, and then once the photos are submitted the company chooses the winning photo and the winner gets paid.

Though being an amateur with amateur equipment, I've never actually won any…yet.

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Joining Photography contests is a good way of promoting photography and it also gives me the opportunity to win prizes and to brush up my photography skills. This is also a good way of testing new equipment.

The organizers would also benefit through sponsorships and media coverage.

7 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I think that's the biggest drawcard to me about photography challenges - I get to try new things, embrace different techniques, or even photograph subject matter that I'd never really considered before. I guess to me, these kinds of challenges/competitions help me broaden my skill set!

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Someone should start a photography challenge site, that would be great news for amateur photographers. A site with a list of challenges in which the photos must be up voted by likes.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

TheArticulate

Well, that's the exact premise of Gurushots, which is the photography competition website that I mentioned in my original post for this conversation.

Every month the site runs a "Newbie of the Month" challenge which are specifically for new users, so amateurs. All voting in competition is done by other users. So you vote for other people's photos out of a lineup and other people vote for yours out of a lineup, and so on.

If that's what you're looking for, it sound like Gurushots has you covered.

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Thanks for sharing this information, I'll take a look at Guru shots later.

There was a time here when the different malls conducted photography contests and I use to join for the fun of it. But I haven't one a single one yet. I hope they would bring back these mall photography contests soon, it's really a lot of fun.

7 years ago

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Gina145

Gina145

It sounds like an interesting site. I'll have to look around when I've got a bit of free time. One question: in one of your earlier comments you mention prizes. Those have to be paid for, so I was wondering if there's an entry fee for entering the competitions? I'm not to keen to pay to enter competitions that I'm never likely to win because the currency in my country is very weak.

I belong to a site which works along similar lines - DPChallenge. The one big difference is that they don't offer prizes, only a virtual ribbon. I hate to admit that I've been a member for nearly 16 years and the best result I've ever achieved is fourth place.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

TheArticulate

Different organizations sponsor the various challenges. Adorama, B&H, GoPro, Smugmug, Zazzle, and various other companies will act as sponsors for specific challenges and also provide the prizes.

Otherwise, Gurushots also has "powerups" that you can purchase to help you out in challenges such as additional "swaps" (these allow you to swap out photos after you've submitted them, if your photo isn't performing as well as another one might). Those cost money, but I don't personally purchase any.

I'll have to check out the website you recommended. I'm always game to post my photos in other competitions!

7 years ago

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Gina145

Gina145

Thanks. Gurushots definitely sounds worth a try then.

DPChallenge is a great site with a very helpful community. I've learnt a lot there, not just in terms of photography but also in terms of making buying decisions when I want to upgrade my equipment. And on occasion some of the members have helped me with computer issues too.

On one occasion a relatively new memory card failed half way through a download and I thought that I'd lost all the photos on it, but a kind member of DPChallenge recommended a recovery program which enabled me to get them all back. Without his help I wouldn't have known which software was safe to download.

7 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I'll have to look up that site - never knew there was a whole site dedicated to photography challenges! Very cool that they also are so welcoming to newbies!

6 years ago

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ballyhara

ballyhara

Agree, a site for photography challenge sounds great! It can have categories like for rookies, amateurs, professionals. I don't consider myself good enough when it comes to photography, but I would love to enter a competition for newbies. Also, I really enjoy watching photography challenges on YouTube, who can take more shots, who can accept a challenge another one is nominating to, and also you can find some fails too haha.

7 years ago

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mitan143

mitan143

Yes, I am watching some photography challenges on YouTube too. What really catches my attention when it comes to taking some photos is the subject itself, is it good for your shot, something like that. I also want to take photos for something that worth remembering, touches people's heart and some kind of a beautiful sight to be seen.

7 years ago

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ChristineOh

ChristineOh

I agree with you. That was a great idea it can help the amateur photographer to be motivated by joining to the contest. They can also practice their skills because of keep on trying to capture their best shots.

7 years ago

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allyn2017

allyn2017

I agree with you. It is a good idea. It will help the amateurs to promote their photos online and explore their expertise.

6 years ago

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