The Rules
1. Follow the assignment subject.
If the subject is “red”, posting a generally bluish image and explaining that you, in fact, were thinking of red while pressing the shutter may not necessarily cut the cake…
2. There are no winners, no voting, and no competition.
Hence, there is no need to be afraid to post a not-centerfold quality image, as long as it complies with Rule #1. Friendly and competition of the humorous type is an exception because it keeps us all motivated and inspired. So the friendly jab here and there is definitely ok.
3. Fresh images only, please.
Please don’t use your archives, even if they match the subject perfectly. The idea is to “Go and shoot.” And just a side note, this isn’t exactly something you can cover up (The date the picture was taken is stored in the file info)
4. No hard deadlines
While there are no entry deadlines, new assignments normally come out around Friday, so you have the full weekend and the rest of the next week to shoot it – that is, before the next one comes out and becomes the hot shot of the week.
5. Past assignments.
You are welcome to participate in the “past” assignments in case you’ve missed them, but your pictures still need to be freshly taken. Meaning: you should only submit a picture that you took AFTER you became aware of the particular assignment. And since we are getting a new subject each week, it may be a good idea to start fresh and catch up later.
6. Post processing (Photoshop) is OK (in moderation, unless otherwise specified)
We all want to see and produce a good looking image regardless of the assignment subject. Dust removal, distracting objects, cloning, curves, layers… All in all, process as your heart desires, but try not to cheat: if a subject is “red”, creating a red overlay in photoshop over a noon-time sea shot is not considered “rule #1 compliance”
7. MOST IMPORTANT: Get out and SHOOT!!!
These rules are just simple guidelines that help us to stay on track and continue to help us focus on the task at hand. There are no penalties or no rights or wrongs, just simple art and the capturing of life, through the lenses of our cameras.
Steven