Message:

[

Previous   Next

]

By Topic:

[

Previous   Next

]

Subject:

Re: Atlas Contest rules

From:

Ed Boyd

Reply-To:

Ed Boyd

Date:

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:03:27 -0500

Karen,

It's obvious that you still don't understand how badly that you and the rest 
of the committee have screwed up this opportunity for both the photographers 
of the region and the Atlas Project itself. Even after the ruckus was 
originally raised when the rules came out, the organizers of this project 
failed to fix the mess that they created when they set the ridiculous 
guidelines.

Way back when this controversy started you wrote the following:

"Some of the leading photographers have said they do not want to enter the 
contest under these rules. We hope they will change their minds. But one of 
the major concerns the committee has had is that their photographs could 
dominate the contest. These rules were developed to give everyone a fair 
chance. There are a lot of excellent photographers in MD & DC and we are 
sure we will have many quality photographs submitted."

 I feel that someone needs to speak honestly about how the committee's 
stubbornness is going to somewhat lessen the quality of the output of the 
project that so many Marylanders have worked so hard to complete. Yes, we're 
only talking about a photo that's possibly going to take up a small corner 
of a page in which the meat of the project's data is going to be displayed, 
but the committee seems to be taking great pride that they have this option 
and they've screwed it up royally.

How can you still feel that you will receive many quality photographs when 
you have successfully pissed off nearly all of the "excellent photographers" 
in the state and they have already stated that they will not be submitting 
photographs? Someone should shake the person that is in charge of this 
project and tell him/her to wake up to the facts and fix this process. Well, 
too late now.

Certainly there are going to be some decent photographs submitted, 
especially for such hard to photograph species like Cardinals, Blue Jays and 
Chickadees, but how many pictures do you want to publish of birds posed on 
someone's bird feeder? Even with the easy species, you're going to 
thoroughly water down the possibilities and wind up with something 
satisfactory when you could possibly have something spectacular.  Do you 
know what your going to get for most of the more difficult species? Zip, 
nada, zilch, then what are you going to do, go to VIREO and search through 
their images just to fill to spaces?

The Atlas Committee has taken an opportunity to put out a truly outstanding 
publication that would not only feature the work of some of the best 
photographers of the region (for those keeping track, I do NOT consider 
myself to be part of this group), it would also feature the work of some of 
the volunteers that put in the most hours of field work for the whole 
project (I am CERTAINLY NOT a part of this group) and these are the people 
that really made this project happen. The committee has thoroughly botched 
this up. The frustration that you now may be feeling should help you better 
relate to the group that you have alienated.

Good Luck with the project. If your short-sightedness extends as far in the 
presentation of the data as it does in the icing your trying to put on the 
cake you're baking, than I'm sure that your publication is going to rise far 
above the rest of the dust collecting efforts that have been guided with the 
same level of idiocy.

Ed Boyd
Westminster, MD

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karen Morley" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 11:57 AM
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Atlas Contest rules


Sorry, it appears that the contest rules are not up on the MOS site.  I'm 
embedding them below.  In order to submit files on a single disk, please 
make sure that the name of the file is clearly set out on the accompanying 
entry form.  Thanks,  Karen

MD-DC Breeding
Bird Atlas Photo Contest

The Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS) announces a photo contest for 
pictures of the breeding birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia for 
the new 2002 - 2006 Atlas.  The previous Atlas, published in 1996, had line 
drawings of the birds.  The new Atlas, to be published by the Johns Hopkins 
University Press, will have a color photograph of each breeding bird.  The 
winning photographs will carry a credit line in the Atlas.

Contest Rules:
Each contestant may enter only one photograph per breeding bird.  There are 
approximately 209 breeding birds in MD/DC so there is ample opportunity to 
submit multiple photographs. You can get a list of the breeding birds in the 
Field List of the Birds of MD (Yellow Book) 1996, or by accessing the 
summary data at the USGS Patuxent web page through the MOS Breeding Bird 
Atlas Website link.   Winners will be selected on the basis of originality, 
technical execution and their potential for helping readers gain an 
appreciation of the spirit of the bird.  All birds photographed for this 
contest must be (or have been) alive and living in the wild in Maryland.

Who is eligible?
The contest is open to all Maryland and DC residents and to members of the 
Maryland Ornithological Society.  A panel of editors will choose the 
winners.  However, in the event there is a tie for any given bird, 
preference will be given to a photographer who is a member of the Maryland 
Ornithological Society.

When to submit. The deadline is January 31, 2008.

Use of Images.  By entering a photograph in the contest you grant MOS and 
Johns Hopkins University Press (JHUP) the right to use and publish your 
photos in the Atlas without compensation.  You also grant MOS and JHUP the 
right to use and publish your legal name online and in print, or any other 
media, in connection with the contest and agree that any image submitted may 
be used by the MOS and JHUP for marketing and promotional purposes, 
including any media such as exhibitions, print and digital media directly 
related to the Atlas without compensation.

How to submit.  All photographs must be submitted in high resolution digital 
format – 300 dpi JPEG format, no smaller than 5” x 7.”  Digital files must 
be submitted on compact disc, one image per CD.  The disc itself must be 
clearly marked only with the species of bird.  No signature, stamp, date, or 
any other identifying mark is allowed anywhere on the photograph.  A 
separate completed entry document (on sheet of paper or card) stating: the 
name of the photographer, email address, mailing address, phone number, 
location of image, date of photograph, description (5 – 10 words), and 
equipment used must accompany each disc.  MOS will not return CDs.  Address 
all questions and entries to: Karen Morley, 2719 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, 
MD 21218     410 235-4001


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs