Strictly Photography Talent Factor Off??

Would you like a Photography competition show?

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Raptor Mike

Raptor Mike

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I just saw on BBC Breakfast that there is going to be a pottery show in a Bake Off styley on tele soon. There has been dancing, singing, sports, baking, cooking, art etc so is it time for a photography show in a similar style? Maybe a body like the RPS could get involve. If so what would you call it? When I saw the pottery on Breakfast I said to my wife about this and she said it could be called 'Flash Off' but people might get the wrong idea lol.

My thoughts:
Pros
It promotes photography and maybe make people interested in purchasing different genres of image.
It would be interesting to watch for toggers and mere mortals as much as bake off is for non bakers.

Cons
It might get more people into professional photography increasing competition.
Another reality show on weekends instead of decent tele.

So what do you think? And what name would you give the show?
 
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I don't watch that type of program ever, a photography angle on the theme would not convince me to watch it. People discussing blown highlights,, dynamic range and pixels per inch would make for boring TV.
 
Another thing which does not need to be a competition becoming a competition? No thanks.

As an aside, have you noticed that the people who used to be the servant/working class such as cooks, gardeners, decorators, handymen, etc. are now the superstars?!


Steve.
 
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I think it would make for an excellent program, not just the technical aspects of photography but sections on places of interest and general ideas on what to shoot. It would benefit also the photographic trade and industry. Maybe not as a competition as I think this takes the fun out of photography, but as a general TV interest show then yes.
 
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There's been a few shows like that abroad that I've streamed, I'll link later if I can remember the name, one was a nat geo show in singapore or somewhere where it was a pro faced off against a different "amateur" every week. TBH they were all pretty poor. There's also the photographer face offs on the framed youtube channel.

I think shows like that are destined to stay online and niche, strictly only works cos it's celebrities and most of the others that are popular are food or similar where something is either good or bad. If you apply it to the arts it becomes a bit objective.

An apprentice style show could be cool with teams assigned to do a different photographic challenge each week but what would they compete for as the grand prize a £50 book token and there photos in a calender because no ones investing £250000 in a photographers business or offering them £100000 per year to work for them theses days from what I can see.
 
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I would like to see a 3 or 4 part series on photography, but not a competition.
I don't think a competition would encourage people to take up photography. For me it's something you're into, without the need to prompted by a competition TV show.
 
I think that it's about time that there was a program (or series) about photography. There haven't exactly been a lot shown that I know of - probably fewer over a ten year period than there are different cookery or anitiques/tat sell off programs in a single week.

I don't like competitions, but from browsing through the programs of the camera clubs around me, it seems that competitions are what motivates an awful lot of photographers. It may be that showing that "extreme photography" is a hazardous, adrenaline pumping competitive sporting activity might entice some people to take it up. Or perhaps not.
 
Raptor Mike said:
Maybe a body like the RPS could get involve.
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That would be the kiss of death for TV programme.
The John Sergeant series a few years back was good, but a competition? God (or Allah if that's your choice) forbid.
 
Pretty much as most of the replies above, we can do without another reality competition show, far too many as it is now................ bring back some decent dramas and comedies i say
 
One of my favourite programs was on Sky Arts, Portrait Artist of the Year. This year they've annoyingly changed it to Landscape Artist of the Year. But its still a good watch and quite interesting, mainly because painting is a slow process and gives the learned presenters some time to talk about things. I just couldn't see photography suiting the format at all.
 
redsnappa said:
I don't watch that type of program ever, a photography angle on the theme would not convince me to watch it. People discussing blown highlights,, dynamic range and pixels per inch would make for boring TV.
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If someone had told me 5 years ago that the most watched show on telly would be members of the public baking cakes, I'd have thought they were idiots.
Photography is no less engaging, it's all in the presentation.
 
[QUOTE="mickledore, post: 7109364, member: 26072"
The John Sergeant series a few years back was good, but a competition? God (or Allah if that's your choice) forbid.[/QUOTE]

If it was anything like the one he did on Canals recently I'm glad I missed it!
 
Well if there have to be such shows I'd prefer one with a subject of interest rather than one in which I have no interest whatsoever. Baking, singing, dancing - stuff that. I'll have a photography show please.
 
AshleyC said:
painting is a slow process and gives the learned presenters some time to talk about things. I just couldn't see photography suiting the format at all.
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You've never seen me using a large format camera. Without editing to cut to the highlight (releasing the shutter?) I could fill a half hour slot just choosing position, setting up and so on.
 
Phil V said:
If someone had told me 5 years ago that the most watched show on telly would be members of the public baking cakes, I'd have thought they were idiots
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Why? Cookery and food programs have always been popular.
 
sbowler579 said:
not just the technical aspects of photography but sections on places of interest and general ideas on what to shoot.
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There is already tons of excellent photography related stuff on Youtube.
 
redsnappa said:
There is already tons of excellent photography related stuff on Youtube.
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There is indeed and have watched many. Photography does how ever seem to be absent from regular TV programing across all channels.
 
Back in '09, the BBC did a series called 'Wildest Dreams' where nine people got to spend two months filming African wildlife, with the winner getting a job at the world famous Natural History Unit. However as I recall, the selection of candidates made it clear they weeded out anyone with prior competence.
 
World's Most Photographed and Genius of Photography are both worth a watch.
 
I remember a photography show a few years ago (within the last decade at least) which was similar to the Bake Off format. Each week the photographers were given a theme or taken to a location and were judged on their best picture(s).

I can't remember what it was called but I'm sure it was on one of the main channels, and I remember one of the contestants was keen on writing witty messages on post-it notes and including them in his pictures.

Anyone else remember it?
 
ZoneV said:
I remember a photography show a few years ago (within the last decade at least) which was similar to the Bake Off format. Each week the photographers were given a theme or taken to a location and were judged on their best picture(s).

I can't remember what it was called but I'm sure it was on one of the main channels, and I remember one of the contestants was keen on writing witty messages on post-it notes and including them in his pictures.

Anyone else remember it?
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Was it something like Picture This on Channel 4? I remember a guy posting a note on an empty car park at a polo tournament
 
Downton Mini said:
[QUOTE="mickledore, post: 7109364, member: 26072"
The John Sergeant series a few years back was good, but a competition? God (or Allah if that's your choice) forbid.
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If it was anything like the one he did on Canals recently I'm glad I missed it![/QUOTE]

OK it wasn't that good. It was just like the canals series. But it was better than the Zoe Ball cr@p that is forced down our throats night after night!
 
fabs said:
Was it something like Picture This on Channel 4? I remember a guy posting a note on an empty car park at a polo tournament
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Picture This, Channel 4, 2008. Martin Parr was one of the judges, and the chap with the postcards (if I remember correctly) was called Aaron.

Note: my memory only ran to Martin Parr as a judge along with soneone from the Photographer's Gallery. The date and title came from Google having used the items I did recall as search terms.
 
fabs said:
Was it something like Picture This on Channel 4? I remember a guy posting a note on an empty car park at a polo tournament
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Yes, that sounds like the one. Did the home-made sign say "Straight Parking" or similar?

I seem to remember them visiting an old cricket ground too.
 
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ZoneV said:
I remember a photography show a few years ago (within the last decade at least) which was similar to the Bake Off format. Each week the photographers were given a theme or taken to a location and were judged on their best picture(s).

I can't remember what it was called but I'm sure it was on one of the main channels, and I remember one of the contestants was keen on writing witty messages on post-it notes and including them in his pictures.

Anyone else remember it?
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It was hosted by Suzi Perry IIRC. It's as a different genre each week and was more about watching people being taught photography. But I think the people learning didn't have a clue. Whereas Bake off and Co the contestants do seem to have good knowledge of the subject.

I think there should be more proper tele instead of all these reality shows, but if they are going to carry on making them it would be nice if they at least did it on a subject I'm actually interested in.
 
Raptor Mike said:
It was hosted by Suzi Perry IIRC. It's as a different genre each week and was more about watching people being taught photography. But I think the people learning didn't have a clue. Whereas Bake off and Co the contestants do seem to have good knowledge of the subject.

I think there should be more proper tele instead of all these reality shows, but if they are going to carry on making them it would be nice if they at least did it on a subject I'm actually interested in.
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Raptor Mike said:
I always remember a guy using sunglasses as an Nd filter.
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I didn't watch all three episodes and I really don't remember much of it at all. I'll have to see if I can find it online somewhere.
 
ZoneV said:
Yes, that sounds like the one. Did the home-made sign say "Straight Parking" or similar?

I seem to remember them visiting an old cricket ground too.
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Yes, something like that. I only remember because I know quite a few polo players and it's testosterone city. Think he was thinking of show jumping.
 
I've enjoyed catching up on a couple of the "what do artists do all day" episodes on catch-up. From what I can see there are only two episodes on photographers, Martin Parr and Albert Watson, but I really enjoyed watching two photographers with completely different approaches go about their work, without a single mention of gear or settings.
 
ZoneV said:
I've enjoyed catching up on a couple of the "what do artists do all day" episodes on catch-up. From what I can see there are only two episodes on photographers, Martin Parr and Albert Watson, but I really enjoyed watching two photographers with completely different approaches go about their work, without a single mention of gear or settings.
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You can find the Tom Wood episode on Youtube. ;)
 
Ed Sutton said:
You can find the Tom Wood episode on Youtube. ;)
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Cheers, are there any others that you know of?

Edit: Oops, that's one of the two I've watched. When I said Martin Parr earlier, I meant Tom Wood.
 
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ZoneV said:
Cheers, are there any others that you know of?

Edit: Oops, that's one of the two I've watched. When I said Martin Parr earlier, I meant Tom Wood.
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I should have known there wasn't a Marin Parr edition. :oops: :$

There's quite a bit of Martin Parr to be found on Youtube. But you probably know that. Hot Spots was a good one until it got pulled.
 
Best thing that ever happened to me was my TV breaking in 2009. I never bothered to replace it.
 
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