I am changing the way this group runs it's submissions. There was a huge back up in entries, and so many submissions expired. I never want that to happen again, so I changed how this group would run. I will not take any contributors for a while. I want to build this group up again before I give anyone any position of power in this group. The second thing I changed is what we are accepting. If your photos is denied without an explanation, then it was because I did not think that the artistic quality and technical aspects were up to par with this group. Here is a list of things I am looking for in a photo:
1) Good Lighting- Is the photo well lit, is the lighting appropriate for the mood you want, is the photo too bright or too dark
2) Is the Focus Right- Is the object you want to be in focus really in focus
3) No Blur- The only blur I want to see in a photo is from a bokeh, or from and action shot. I will not take any blur from a shaky camera. I have taken photos that were really good, except for that fact that my hand shook too much, and I toss those photos out.
4) Composition- Does the way you compose your photo help or hurt it, does the composition accent what your focus is on, or does it hide it
5) Subject- I try and avoid doing over done photos, or themes. I occasionally will do them, but I always try and add some twist or something unique to them. If you submit a photo of a sunset and it's ok, I'll probably deny it only because I get 20 sunset photos in a single day. The more common the subject, the more harsh I'll be on the judging.
6) Editing- Did you over do it, are there things you can do to improv your photo? There are a lot of things one can do to improv their photos. Editing can fix composition problems, lighting problems, it can fix even some blur problems, but it can also hurt your photo. HDR is WAY overdone, and if it is tacky, I won't accept it. HDR is really hard to do well, and 90 percent of it isn't done well. Also, NO TEXT ALLOWED OTHER THAN COPYRIGHT OR WATERMARKS!!!!!
7) NO MANIPULATIONS ALLOWED!!!

If you wish for an exact explanation of why your photo was rejected, then just ask, but I do not have time to comment on every rejection there is. I will comment if I reject it because you submitted to the wrong folder and I will tell you what folder the photo should be in. Also, I will tell you if what you have submitted is what we consider a photo manipulation. I'll try my best to start submitting blogs with tips on how to improv photos, and how to take good photos. I will interview photographers for advice and if you have any subjects that you wish to have a entry about, or want a certain photographer interviewed, or you have a blog entry you want to submit, please comment and let me know!! If I know what you want, I'll do it, but if you don't, then I won't be able to post about things you want to learn about.

Deanna Molnar- ~Gilraen-Taralom ~music-lover-stock ~seledrian