Suggested themes for next month's contest...

[regnaD kciN]

Since I'm sure everyone's ready, now that Spring seems to have arrived, to get out with their cameras, I think we should move ahead with choosing next month's theme A.S.A.P.

Now, a year or so ago, this would be simple. I would announce the upcoming theme, and that would be it. But, since we have developed the strange idea that, on a site named "Democratic Underground," the theme should be chosen in a democratic manner ;-) , it takes a bit more time.


"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier -- just so long as ah'm the dictator, heh-heh, heh-heh."

Be that as it may, here's my proposal: I will suggest my choice for a theme. All those with other ideas are invited to post them to this thread. On 3/29, or as soon as we have a total of ten suggestions (including my own), I will post a poll. That poll will be up for two days, after which the winning theme will be announced.

My proposed theme is:

JUXTAPOSITION - An image that combines two very different things in a way that creates a connection between them.

So, anyone else with alternate ideas, post them below. I only reserve the right to rule out themes (and I'm sure you could think of a few!) that would result in the polls being locked by DU administrators.


"You're doin' that on yer own authority? Is that kinda like that 'unitarian executor' stuff I keep hearin' about from Justice Alitalia?"

No, George, but I do admit it means that I would be "filtering themes over here so the admins wouldn't have to ban them over there."

Meanwhile, here are the tentative dates for next month's contest:

SUBMISSIONS - 4/15-4/19
PRELIMINARY ROUND - 4/20-4/22
FINAL ROUND - 4/23-4/25

Now, get those suggestions in! I want to have a theme in place so we can have everybody out shooting by April Fool's.


"You still talkin' about me?"

Go away, George...

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Juxtaposition ...

Good grief, that involves THINKING. :crazy:

[regnaD kciN]

2. You mean, like "strength"...?

;-)

[Blue_In_AK]

4. Strength was CC's topic...

and I seem to recall that you did quite well in that contest. My theme idea was "Unity" and it sank like a stone.

[regnaD kciN]

6. It may have been CC's topic...

...but you were the one with the winning photo! (Which goes to show, obviously, that thinking suits you. ;-) )

[Blue_In_AK]

7. The glacier was a no-brainer...

What could be stronger than a massive river of ice grinding mountains down into dust? But juxtaposition really has me stumped. Is that something like BP running ads about people's "carbon footprint" while they're cleaning up a massive oil spill on the North Slope? Or is that just irony?

[CC]

8. What could be stronger than a massive river of ice grinding mountains down

Ummmm a rise of a degree or two in average temperatures. After seeing Greenland glacier photos of them melting away, and some from AK too I think Global Warming will prove to be stronger, unfortunately.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. It would be a lot harder to take a picture of...

[regnaD kciN]

14. Well, you could get a photo of a bunch of conservative talk-show hosts...

...and title it "Generating Hot Air (and Global Warming)," but I don't know if it could be used as an example of juxtaposition.

On second thought, there may be a problem with my suggested theme...namely, I'm having an impossible time typing "juxtaposition." It always comes out the first time as "justaposition." I think it must be my Seattle background, having to insist "it's not expresso, it's espresso" to people from other cities for the past two decades. ;-)

[regnaD kciN]

10. Juxtaposition could involve irony...

I could imagine, say, a disabled vet panhandling outside Halliburton headquarters as involving both.

[CC]

5. LOL now you know why" I "didn't say it would

make you think. I was the evil strength person.:evilgrin: Course I am beyond tired and thinking is the last thing I want to do right now and I thought hmmm have to think this through for ideas tomorrow. It is a challenge which I like. Though I am still waiting for someone to do something old one month. I have the perfect item to go take a pic of for that.lol Churches too. But Juxtaposition is intriguing and might get a lot of is this it photos before the contest.

[intheflow]

3. Can we nominate Photo Group threads to the Greatest Page?

This is the best thread here evah! :rofl:

I like the juxtaposition theme. I'd like to suggest three others: trees, paths, and/or "abstract". You can use them all or rule only one suggestion per Photo Groupie. As beneficent ruler (as opposed to a compassionate conservative), I trust your judgment call on this matter. :hi:

[JeffR]

9. I was going to nominate "Perspective"

If it's never been done.

But I think "Juxtaposition" is a much better idea.

[Mr. McD]

11. Mundane Details

Of everyday life. The commonplace, the ordinary. Lots of room for interpretation and creativity.

[F.Gordon]

12. Locking. No Sex Threads

juxta position???
:wtf:

Nice try regnaD kciN.
:7

I won't suggest anything. If you want to do a sexual position theme I'll give it a try. In lieu of that.... I think it's time for an abstract-make ya' think-twist your brain theme. Or.... whatever.

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

15. I love it. Huckstaposition. Perfect.

:thumbsup:

[Whoa_Nelly]

16. So, regnaD kciN, will this be political juxtaposition?

Am asking because, per your Bush and hat pic in your OP, it would seem that this could be using pics that aren't mine, photohshopping to create a composite pic. If that's the case, then how is the "photo" my original without using what camera talents/skills, (albeit only a small few for me), I possess?

Or by using the theme "Juxtaposition", will actual original photos not political be allowed as contest submissions?

...forgive me if this sounds disjointed...am just on first cuppa joe...

on edit:
Caffeine kicking in...

Would either of these be eligible for juxtaposition?

[regnaD kciN]

23. The Bush photos in my OP...

...were grabbed from all over the Internet. I didn't do any work on any of them, and wasn't including them as examples of juxtaposition/"making connections."

Although there might be a case to be made for eventually having a "manipulate 'found' photos" challenge, I would think it might be on shaky legal ground (you'd have to make sure that you had permission to use the photos you manipulated, or that they were in the public domain). For this contest, I would assume that the basic requirement be that all images are your own, as usual.

As to the two images you included, the first does seem to be joining two disparate elements (although I don't much like the caption being on the image itself). I'm not quite sure what the juxtaposition on the second one is -- I would assume that was taken in Las Vegas, and the contrast is between the Eiffel Tower of the Paris hotel, and whatever classical architecture from another hotel is at the bottom? Vegas would seem to offer a lot of that -- I remember the last time I visited, and looked out my window at the Monte Carlo to see the New York skyline in front of a medieval castle in front of a pyramid.

[Immad2]

17. Would this be considered juxtaposition?

[regnaD kciN]

24. It looks so to me...

:shrug:

[Samurai_Writer]

18. I still like the rear-view mirror idea

It's simple and is something that the people in the lounge could understand. I don't think I would participate in one for juxtaposition. That would just be too hard for me, personally, and I don't think the people in the lounge would 'get it'.

[Whoa_Nelly]

19. Maybe instead of calling it Juxtaposition

have it be Making Connections.

Kind of leaves it more open-ended in photo possibilities as to how the photographer could create connections between same, similar, or dissimilar subjects.

[Samurai_Writer]

20. I think we've all seen how the contest work, though

The more abstract the theme, the more variety there is in the entries. And, the lounge audience is not real sophisticated nor are they very photography-savvy. They go for whatever is the prettiest photo, basically -- cute subject, lots of color. For example, this last contest. While Regna's photo was great, I wouldn't really call it an architecture shot. It was more reflection and pretty colors, and that is why it won, IMO. That's why I think the themes should be very specific.

[regnaD kciN]

22. "Making Connections" is a better title...

At least I can type it!

[NV Whino]

21. How about...

a three-pic per person contest that tells a story. Stories, as you know, must have a beginning, a middle and an end. Could be separate pics or a collage.

[regnaD kciN]

25. Sounds like a good idea...

...although I think I'd have to specify that the three photos be somewhat smaller than normal, so that the threads don't turn into dial-up nightmares.

[NV Whino]

30. Absolutely!

I should have noted that in my original post.

[regnaD kciN]

26. So far, we've got eight proposals...

1) Making Connections
2) Trees
3) Paths
4) Abstract
5) Perspective
6) Mundane Details of Everyday Life
7) Rear-View Mirror Images
8) Story Triptych

We need two more to open the poll.

[CC]

27. Well if it is for a poll

Something old.

[intheflow]

28. F.Gordon will like that one.

I hear he's got old things all over his house. :)


(And, no, F.Gordon, I'm not making a derogatory comment about you or your Mrs.! :spank:)

[CC]

29. Beginning to believe it is

better to have old things in your house than old house. :rofl: But then the smallest room is 12x12 and when we look at new houses they try to pass off closets as bedrooms.

[regnaD kciN]

31. One more theme left!

1) "Making Connections"
2) Trees
3) Paths
4) Abstract
5) Perspective
6) Mundane Details of Everyday Life
7) Rear-View Mirrors
8) Story Triptych
9) "Something Old"

[Mr. McD]

32. Actually Mundane Details was the thyme suggestion

of Everyday Life is just a discriptive phrase.:)

[regnaD kciN]

33. Since no one else submitted a tenth theme, I'll add another myself...

DRIVE-BY SHOOTINGS - Images taken from inside a vehicle. (The vehicle does not have to be moving at the time, and can be taken from anywhere in the vehicle, i.e. passenger seats as well as the driver's seat.)

I would only add that under no circumstances should any unsafe maneuvers be made by the vehicle's driver while taking such a photograph. Unlike real drive-by shootings, the goal here is to have fun, not to get somebody killed!

(I realize that this is a super-set of the "rear-view mirror" shots proposed by another member, but I thought it deserved its own category.)