Future of POTM

[Betty]

I'm not going to ask for entries for a December contest. I know this is a busy time of year for everyone. Instead I'll be posting a poll soon with the winners from each month since I started doing the photo contest back in February to determine a photo of the year.

The photo contest hasn't generated much interest lately and I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it. I'm happy to take the submissions and post the polls, but don't want to have to keep nagging for pics and votes.

How do you all feel about it? Would you like to see it continue?

Any suggestions to improve participation not only for photos sent in, but increasing voting as well? The polls get a lot of views, but few votes. Is there still a problem with not being able to vote if you are on a mobile device?

There was an idea to award points for top finishers each month and have a prize at the end of the year.

Please let me know what you think -- continue or not and how to improve. (It won't hurt my feelings if no one is interested in keeping the contest running.)

 

[Grimblegrumble]

I like the contest, even if i don't win. not sure how to generate interest though... i just have a bad camera.

 

[Betty]

I like the contest, even if i don't win. not sure how to generate interest though... i just have a bad camera.

Thanks for the reply! I know what you mean about the camera. I have a decent camera, but never learned how to use the settings on it, so most of my fish pics get deleted immediately. I take a lot of shots to get one in focus. It doesn't help that the fish are always on the move!

 

[pbmax]

Even with a decent camera you still need worlds of light for a good photo. I keep thinking about getting a remote flash but I never end up doing it... piling extra lights over the top of a tank can help.

 

[Grimblegrumble]

I currently only have my phone, i took a couple okay pictures with a macro lens i have for it, but not POTM worthy

 

[pbmax]

I took my POTM shrimp photo with my LG Nexus5 in HDR+ mode.

 

[Paintguy]

The reason I have not submitted a photo recently is that I do not have any new fish that I have not already sent in past months or that have matured to full color yet.

I remember someone posting how to take the best fish pictures a while back. I am above amateur photographer status, and I find the fish very hard to work with... even with treats.

 

[DMD123]

I am still working on getting fish and tanks moved over to the house so any recent submissions have been old pics.

 

[pbmax]

I remember someone posting how to take the best fish pictures a while back. I am above amateur photographer status, and I find the fish very hard to work with... even with treats.

See there's your problem - fish. They move too much... I recommend photos of shrimp. They don't move around as much.

 

[Grimblegrumble]

This is the best of the bunch. I have lenses I am playing with.

 

[pbmax]

Yeah, really small subjects like shrimp can be a pain due to size alone. More light over the tank and a smaller aperture would help with that photo, I think.

I have to manually focus most of the time with these guys, when I'm using my DLSR. Recently this is the best I could grab of one of my chocolates without flash or any supplemental light. You can appreciate my sexy thread algae too. I'm pretty sure the iso was jacked all the way up in this shot and I had to brighten it in post-processing.

HDR is pretty neat and can have fantastic results in lower light situations. My phone has this, but my Nikon D3300 does not.

 

[pbmax]

I should note that the above photo was taken free-hand. Tripods make everything better, especially with my shaky hands, but I was lazy.

So try using a tripod along with either a timed or remote shutter release to reduce shake. Optical IS can only compensate for so much.

 

[ShortyKiloGyrl]

I as well stopped submitting because I don't get new fish. So I would be submitting photos of the same fish. As well I've lost quite a few more due to more water problems and I have been discouraged with fish keeping. I may be fazing out. I'm down to 3 fish and one Turtle tank now. I used to have 8 fish tanks.

 

[Betty]

Thanks for the input everyone. I understand the same fish too. I've had the same fish for years. I still take pics of them though. I don't enter the photo contest or vote because it doesn't seem like I should since I see all of the entries ahead of time.

Shorty, I hope you don't give up keeping fish!

 

[pbmax]

I don't enter the photo contest or vote because it doesn't seem like I should since I see all of the entries ahead of time.

Well, it seems to me that since you run the thing you could just post your own photo banner one month, not solicit POTM, and no one would be the wiser?

 

[Betty]

Well, it seems to me that since you run the thing you could just post your own photo banner one month, not solicit POTM, and no one would be the wiser?

Looking through the history of the banners, I had three from the days when sandnuka or madness were doing the contest. If we don't get enough interest in doing the contest again, we might have to recycle the old ones.

 

[Grimblegrumble]

I like the notification/banner at the top of the chat box. First thing I noticed. Good call on that

 

[Betty]

Thanks, Grimblegrumble. I just wish it worked.
I don't know how to get people to vote! There are more registered members online right now than there are votes since I posted the poll.

I know there was a problem with voting and tapatalk before we switch forums and I wonder if it's still a problem?

 

[Madness]

Now you know why I stopped and now its your turn lol.

 

[Betty]

Now you know why I stopped and now its your turn lol.

Yup, I remember! MRTom too. It'll go away and one of these months someone will ask what happened to it and someone will volunteer to do it with lots of enthusiasm for a month or two and then it will slowly fade away . . . . .