Ever feel you can't compete in the Contest because you don't have the money for a lot of flowers or landscape?
-or- you can't compete because you don't have a nice camera and can't afford one?
-or- even if you have a fairly nice camera, you don't have time to learn how to use it because of work?
-or- perhaps you don't even live near where you could get nice photos?
-or- even if you live near some nice areas, but don't have the time to go there?
-or- Ever feel like there are just so many professional photographers here who take excellent photos, "why even enter the Contest"?
The questions are only asked to those who actually would like to enter the Contest and don't, or maybe enter just for fun, but they really feel they would never win.
We could all *learn* how to use a nice camera. Probably none who visit here are handicapped in that way. There's even a very nice photography forum here I visited once, and there is some real good information I wanted to learn. I just can't seem to find the time, at the right time, to learn it.
Perhaps becoming a photographer (one who wins contests) happens mostly at retirement, or for those who have plenty of money and time.
I enjoy entering the contest, but I sometimes to feel handicapped.
T

I'm glad you're entering this year, Teresa. Photos can be taken anywhere. You don't have to have a show garden full of your own plants. You can go take photos are botanical gardens or even just the nurseries that sell plants.

There are a lot of near professional photographers and actual professional photographers here, but it's a challenge.

I'm sure people do have more time when they're retired, so that would help. You'd also have more time to learn how to operate a complicated camera. I haven't done that, so I just use a little snappy camera and my phone. It's fun to enter and give it a try, regardless of whether we win. Hey, an honorable mention is pretty exciting!

I don't feel particularly handicapped except in a couple of categories-macros & wildlife. Unless you've got a great camera with the right lens you don't really have a shot. But I feel that all the other categories give everyone a good shot. And I still submit pics in the other two. I just don't expect to win.

I mostly just use the phone on my camera. I've taken some great shots with it (mostly by accident). My motto is "if you take 100 pictures at least 10 will be great".

Maybe someday in the future they could use a handicap, like bowling, except the other way around. In bowling, the person with the least average gets points added at the very beginning. But here, perhaps, the winners in previous contests would get the handicap, like they get "so many votes" automatically taken from their tally of votes, as their handicap.

This is off topic, but do you have to be here so long (signed up) to enter? I suppose people could re-sign up under another user ID.

And are the USER IDs listed on the photos submitted? I entered a couple last year, but can't remember if user ID was listed or not.

Thanks.

I suppose too, that this post was silly because maybe not many who feel any of those above would even post their feelings here.

User IDs are never shown until after the contest is over.
My earlier entries were a simple point and shoot on auto.

I only have my phone camera. I think most of the people who enter photos in contests take pics because they love doing it. The contest is secondary. I guess I can only speak for myself though so I should say that the only reason I take pics is because I love doing it, and I love sharing with everyone at this site. Again, the contest is secondary.

Teresa, if you love taking photos, please do so! If you want to enter them in the contest, I hope you will! Personally, I'd love to see them. It would bring me great pleasure.

Perhaps sometimes one can overthink things? Choose the pictures you enjoyed taking and still like to look at, and perhaps others might enjoy them too. If not, there are always lots of great pictures of others to peruse! Sheer fun!

Yes, I really enjoy taking photos, but time factors! I always have to be in a hurry. And seldom can one take good photos if they are in a hurry (unless they have a cell phone). I too enjoy sharing photos with everyone here, but even that, time factors. I have a short window of time, November and first portion of December, in which I can "goof off", and then I really shouldn't be (there's lots of work I could be doing). I'm not complaining, I really enjoy what I do. My photos are generally taken as fast as possible for business purposes, and then get on with the pressing work. I don't even have a cell phone (expense), and I find it difficult to remember or even carry my camera around with me. It's like I have to force myself to take out time, remember my camera to try to go get some shots in November when a lot of the leaves have already fallen. This post has become a waah wahh, I'm sorry, I didn't intend for it to come to that.

Teresa, maybe you can enjoy some of the pictures submitted by others? There're bound to be a lot of them.

I do, and have . . . and I'm looking forward to it!!

It's always really great to see all of the winning photos. As far as I know, anyone can enter, Teresa. It doesn't matter if you signed up the day before you entered.
I agree about overthinking things. If you have some photos you love, just enter them.

I also love that the photos you enter are listed on your profile page, so you can see how you've done each year and remember which photos have been entered before.

AND, there are more than 100 pictures in several of the categories already, and close to that in others! With that many pictures, many, many of them won't be in first place! So none of us area alone!

I only take pictures with my old model smartphone. I'll never be a good photographer because its not one of my talents. However I love sharing my plants with everyone here through my photos and love seeing everyone else's photos. Its the closest thing to being in your gardens or homes. I can't wait to see all the pictures after the contest.!

You can also go back to the photos from other years. There are some really great photos to browse.

Teresa - Maybe I skimmed it too quickly, but I think you missed a few 'don'ts' and 'can'ts' in your list. Like, what if you can't take a fall picture because you live somewhere that only has 2 seasons (hot and hotter)? Or, what if you have bad vision? Or your hands shake? Or you can't make up your mind which picture to submit? Or someone stole your good 35mm camera? Or you can't compete because you have an older sibling that is a photographer and makes you feel inadequate?
[NOTE: Only some of these apply to me.]

So anyway, just saying.

For the record, some retired people are busier than when they were still goofing off working.

EDITED: Forget the part about the seasons. For some reason (or no reason at all) I was thinking that the pictures needed to be taken in the fall.

tx_flower_child said: Or someone stole your good 35mm camera?

. . . this is another reason I seldom carry my camera with me. It's good, but not the best, and it *looks good*, so a potential target. I tend to not always get my vehicle locked, and the farmer's market is a little scary too.

So thanks, Texas Flower Child, for posting. I was hoping someone would jump in with other potential reason-ings, whether their own or just thoughts!

And Frenchy, remember, "Never Give Up".

Karen — Last night I did go back and look at some of the pictures from 2016. Wow! Some really amazing ones. I was mostly looking at the category for miscellaneous (not its actual name) pictures.

Teresa — It's not always the camera that one uses that makes a picture good or interesting or whatever. It's having the eye to spot something. Timing always helps as well.

Previous years, I have really enjoyed looking at all the photo contest entries. Even those that I don't vote for. It is great to see what people come up with. And some that I have voted for are not even in focus, I seem to recall a few wildlife snapshots that were technically not great but really captured the scene. And see JamesAcclaims photos over in the Photography Forum for what can be done with a cell phone!