Should I be annoyed?

Mattyd

Mattyd

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Hi All,

So, a few weeks back I entered a photography comp - nice price, £100 and a bit of promotion no doubt.

Out of over 100 shots I got down the the last 6 - those 6 images where put out for the public vote.

Now, I don't have a problem with the public voting, it makes a lot of sense. But unfortunately one of the other photographers and one of their friend are doing a pretty good job of posting their image around Facebook (posting it to photography groups where this photographer is well known), asking friends and group members to vote for them, and already its got around 30-50 people saying they will vote for this particular photographer (after one day).

Now there's nowt wrong with his images either, they are good enough to win easily, but now to me it seems like its now not about photography, but who has the most friends - Its nothing more than a popularity contest.

So should I be annoyed?

PS.... Before anyone asks - Im not morally happy to pander to the popular vote. I of course could do the same, but I feel if I won, or came 2nd/3rd it would not be down to my image being good, but how good a publicist I was.
 
The only person you should be annoyed with is yoruself for not knowing this would happen (lighthearted commenbt).. its not the best pic that wins a public vote.. its the most voted far.. by any means... I see it all the time.. can all my friends vote for my baby in the baby contest.. ugly baby wins because they have most friends and are most active... I even got a message of a local footballer asking me to vote for him player of the year.. if he is more active he will win.... not best looking baby, not best player and not best picture...its how it happens... if you didn't realise that before then you will know for next time because guaranteed it will happen again....
 
Sadly it happens all the time- one reason i would never enter anything - i have no friends lol:D
 
Many years ago when Crufts was cancelled on of the dog sites set up a photographic dog show, I entered a picture of my GSP
He got the BoB, I was really chuffed, he didn't go on to win the group or the show, several people asked me why I hadn't said
he was my dog so they would have voted, they didn't recognise the KC name. Simply because he got where he did on his own merits, not false votes
and that meant a lot more to me (y)
 
It's exactly the same with "wee bonnie baby" competitions on t'web. I get notifications from total strangers via mutual friends on my facebook asking me to "Like" this image of a sticky nosed anklebiter so that the parent/s in question can win the prize for the best looking baby.

Er . . . no. I can't just "like" something that looks like an extra from Lord Of The Rings just to ramp up the popularity figure.
 
I dislike these popularity contest type competitions intensely. As far as I can tell they're usually just cloaked marketing exercises, in which the competition host is trying to get as much traffic to their page by using people who will get others to vote for them. No thanks.
 
This is no different than the voting/liking system on 500px, instgram etc. Just a popularity contest, the image is irrelevant. The people who are the most active in social media, posting all over the place will always win, where as the proper photographer is busy out taking more photographs.
 
BBR said:
Even better if you have lots of friends!

It's the way of the world, it's who you know (or in this case, how many) not what you know. And that's true in virtually every walk of life.
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No ta, I'd rather win because my image was good
 
Why I hate the 'vote for my image' type posts that appear from time to time.
 
neil_g said:
i go out of my way to vote for something else and point out why it was better :D
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I to will deliberately not vote for someone who posts stuff like that too :D
 
Sometimes goes awry though, remember a footie club (think it might have been Peterborough) asking for people to vote on their next seasons kit
One was quite awful and had been submitted by a youngster, word spread and lots of other clubs supporters voted for the grim looking kit, as expected the vote was ignored

Sports personality of the year is the same, while back lots of people voted for an angler who won the world championship, believe it was Bob Nudd. As angling is the biggest participant sport in the country you can imagine he got a fair few votes. Again the vote was ignored, beeb reckoned it was rigged and their more well known choice got the nod

If the OP posts a link I will happily vote for what I think is the best photo, 1 in 6 chance he gets my vote
 
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cheers for letting me vent guys!

At the end of the day im genuinely not that bothered....Just maybe a touch disappointed.

Well.....regardless of the outcome, ive learnt a thing or two, and ill be happy knowing I didn't have to ask for votes :)
 
MWHCVT said:
I to will deliberately not vote for someone who posts stuff like that too :D
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I have a tendency to look at the competition and vote for the best image.

if it is actually theirs then they get lucky - most of the time it results in a vote for one of their opponents!
 
"Vote for Me" posts are against the roolz, so if you see one folks, hit the report button and we'll Splat it. banhammer.gif
 
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