Separate Photo Competition for Mach Loop Pics?

[baltimore]

I will probably be shot down in flames for daring to raise the question, but does anyone else, like me, think that there should be a separate monthly photo competition specifically dedicated to Mach Loop pics?

[theplanespotter]

great idea Though I have nothing to contribute, I would love to see the best posts of the month

[baltimore]

Me too - and it would also give the rest of us mere mortals (more of) a sporting chance of winning the 'standard' comp.

[Richard B]

Nice idea and one the team as talked about in the past, do we ban low level shots from the normal monthly comps.
this would be unfare, the hills and low level areas are there for all to visit. Low level images do not allways win.

open for debate thou on this, so any idea's will always be looked at.

[baltimore]

Thanks for the heads up, Richard. It's just that the Mach Loop pics always make me feel so inadequate when compared to my own miserable efforts!

[BP2324]

+1 for that idea.
I do shoot low level as well as on airfield, so see both sides of the debate. Low level tend to produce more dynamic shots that you can't help think that should get a vote.
In recent months I have tended not to place my vote on LL shots, which is unfair on the photographer, but I try to use my votes on other shots that I would like to have taken and in my collection.

Nothing wrong with a Tornado at 250ft, wings swept with fluff coming off the wings. I know it takes plenty of practise and skill and a fair few missed shots to get the one.

I would continue to vote for all competitions including an extra one for low level.

[Zymurgy661]

I've looked at the stats for the 10 months of the 2014 competitions so far and its interesting.

Of the 10 POTM comps completed voting so far, only 4 have resulted in 1st place being a LL shot and 3 having 2nd place as a LL shot. Of the 1st place winners, the months were Feb, March, May and June. The first three months its easy to argue that, without airshows, the more dynamic LL shots may well stand out against fence line shots from a base (as an example).

Looking at the June 2014 POTM in particular, i count 43 submissions to the comp. Only 4 of those were low level (9%) so very high chance of a non-low level shot taking the honours.

So, based on the stats, i have to say there is more than a good chance of taking a shot that will get into a winning position.

On a personal note, i wouldn't be in favour of splitting LL and non-LL into seperate comps. For starters, the sponsorship of the POTM (kindly provided by Gill and team at Squadron Prints) would obviously be impacted. And, in the future, what happens if for example only shots from a certain base started winning? Would there then be calls to split that into a seperate comp as well? That could lead to very diluted comps with minimal entries.

The POTM is focused on the best picture taken by the submitter for that month in question be it fence side, Low level or at 35,000ft upside down and, in my opinion, to split into seperate categories would just dilute the concept.

Don't forget, there is still SPOTM that can be entered!

[Reptile 1]

Hi guys missed this but thought i would jump in being as i spend more time on a Hill then at an Airbase sitting in my car nice and warm having Chips anyway joking aside.

Baltimore your not going to get shot down, it's a interesting debate and interesting debates make for a great forum IMO so it's a good thing that the question was asked as much as i love Low Level not every Low Level Photographer thinks every other Low Level shots are winners, to me they have to stand out for the right reason they have to catch my eye and i think it's the same for most people.

I also found Zymurgy661's stats very interesting as the numbers are lower than i thought, i now there are a few Low Level Togs on here and the last few months has seen a drop in movements which results in less pictures same way as when the airshow season ends etc it's a Sea Saw effect.

Spiting the 2 would be a strange one, i could see if that did happen that the Low Level one would get rather 'samey' and also i wouldn't say there are enough of us to make it fair and say if 4 entered 1 would need 3 votes to win so makes it rather pointless. I would also say we are outnumbered by a fair margin but those that go to Airbases/airshows etc so a Low Level shot that gets to no1 has to be good very good and i often see what i call the shot that smacks you in the face that's a winner not entered into the competition so sometimes i think that's a bit of a disadvantage to the competition.

Maybe having more SPOTM Low Level competitions might reduce those that go for the POTM, if you enter one say POTM you can't enter the SPOTM in the same month and vise versa?

Also i have wondered and this is in general that those that win say for example January don't enter in February but start again in March, although it's rare if you Win 2 on the bounce i don't think it's ever happened? it doesn't have to be Mandatory it can purely be Voluntary?

I have won 1 and come second once this year and i've entered quite a few so to me that tells me there is stiff competition out there and that the current system is working at the end of the day any subject and shot is down to personal taste and the winner is the right one not based on what shot it is but as i think was mentioned before the shot that you would love to have

[theplanespotter]

Although I still stand by what I have already said, Zymurgy661 makes some very good points and perhaps I have been convinced that LL and non-LL shots should be together in the same competition

[baltimore]

I must confess that a 40 per cent success rate seems quite high to me...and, as for the December POTM Competition, I would be willing to put good money on the fact that Reptile 1's entry will be winner by a country mile.

[beefsteak]

Just a little word on the subject to Richard B....... Those hills aren't there for every body! Some of us struggle to get out of bed in the morning, let alone up Coris!

[Zymurgy661]

I must confess that a 40 per cent success rate seems quite high to me...and, as for the December POTM Competition, I would be willing to put good money on the fact that Reptile 1's entry will be winner by a country mile.

So, spinning this another way, shots from base visits/fence line have also resulted in a 40% 1st place winning rate. Is that then unfair on those that don't/can't visit bases and only shoot LL that base shots have such a high success rate?

As for Decembers entries so far, its a stonking shot, one of the best i have seen from LL and, if it does win, deserves to. But, it still relys on people to vote for their favourite images as that is ultimately the deciding factor, low level shot or not

[baltimore]

I wish I hadn't bothered to ask the question now! Seems like it's developing into a 'them' and 'us' scenario. Perhaps it would be better to lock the thread and move on ( aka let the status quo prevail).

[baltimore]

Reptile 1 vs Surfrdan! There I rest my case, m'lud!

[baltimore]

...and now DaveChapman and Rickingham are getting in on the act as well (see this month's Specialist Photo Competition). The way things are going, we might as well have another competition to see how many people can take an identical photograph in the same location!!

[DaveChapman]

I live on the border with Wales less than an hour from the loop ,my nearest airbase is in Lincolnshire so I never have much to post from them as my choice is spend 6 hrs travelling to and from a base or wake up an hour before I need to be in the loop,the same apathy which stops a lot of people who go to their local base on a day off than coming to Wales.
To be honest I don't mind if there is a separate Competition running but the photo I entered last month was a sky shot which could have been taken at a base but was infact taken in the loop which by what I`m seeing written here would stand no chance in a low level competition.
I have voted in last months competitions and have not voted for any low level pics as I pretty much have the same shots and I love the creativity that "Base" photographers come up with to set their pics apart from everyone elses who was at the same base that day.
If theres loads of the same shots from the mound say at Coningsby then someone walking 200metres across a field to try and get something different is always going to catch my attention,just like Wales where myself and Rob Reptile have found 3 new locations in and around LFA7 this year just to try and get something different as we are bored of all our pics looking the same as they did years ago and like everyone elses,luckily it has paid off but standing on a hill 5 miles away from the loop and listening to jets entering the loop is soul destroying up to the point you get that one shot
Anyway ive strayed a bit and I guess the upshot of my opinion is if the majority want a separate comp then I`ll be happy with that
Cheers DAve

[Reptile 1]

...and now DaveChapman and Rickingham are getting in on the act as well (see this month's Specialist Photo Competition). The way things are going, we might as well have another competition to see how many people can take an identical photograph in the same location!!

Seeing as both images are roughly 3 miles apart they don't look the same

[Reptile 1]

Anyway, again my question is in a few posts in the Aviation section and there are some nice images in there why are they not being submitted?

Do people only care about first place?

Is the system failing?

Answers on a postcard please..........

[baltimore]

Just to be clear, I am a big fan of LL shots. Some of the pics that you guys come up with almost beggar belief. As a matter of interest, has there ever been a Specialist Photo Competition dedicated to Mach Loop?

[Zymurgy661]

Not dedicated to Mach Loop pics, no. However there was a Jun-13 SPOTM comp with a subject of 'Landlocked - No Sky Visible' which is closest to a LL exclusive comp as has been ran since 2012