Re: Computers in competition

[P3D Gabriel Jacob <jacob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

All kiddding aside, what I was wondering when I saw the contest for the 
best digital pumpkin carving is what was discussed on P3D concerning 
photographic pictures compared to computer manipulated pics. The 
discussion was about the judging of regular photographic film manipulated
slides compared to computer manipulated pics or even made from scratch on
a computer. I think it is inevitable that computer manipulated will be
the standard because everything is becoming more and more digital.
Digital manipulations in the media, be it magazines, newspapers,
television, movies, are an ever increasing occurance. The fact is the
world is going digital. Film photography is still being used but is often
then converted to digital. We, more often look at these images than slide
or prints transferred directly from film cameras. This distinction (film)
has to be made because of digital cameras, which further blurrs the
boundarys. So in addition to computer manipulations of film based
photography and images created from scratch on a computer there is also
digital based photography to contend with. There has been some recent
discussion that digital cameras will take a very long time to reach the
resolution of film but I don't think so and advances are being made in
novel ways.

Getting back to, should the categorys be segregated, it all depends. 
There is no right or wrong way. IMHO I think one way to divide them
primarily would be as to which way they are to be presented. What I mean
by that is if it's a slide, it is a slide and that is its category, no
matter what its roots were. An analogy would be paintings. Now there
is a multitude of styles of art paintings but disregarding what style
or kind of paint was used it's still a painting plain and simple.
This same analogy would apply to computer images whatever way they
were made, from scratch on a computer, from a film or digital based 
camera, whatever. If they are presented on a monitor or digital images
projected from LCD projectors they would classify as computer images.
Another example, a painting that is transferred to film is not an
a painting anymore but a photograph of a painting. That should be
the distinction. I know this is not perfect but what other suggestions
are there.

Of course all this works both ways. All the previous discussions 
dealt with how to treat computer manipulated images with regards
to film photography but what about when film photography or even
digital photography competes with images created from scratch
on a computer. The reason I mention this is because when I entered
the pumpkin contest, they specify that The Virtual Pumpkin Contest
is a contest to see who can design the best digital pumpkin carving
or jack o'lantern, as quoted from their web site. Now when I read 
that and saw the images submitted by others I wondered about this
especially with all the discussions in P3D but with the tables 
turned. Where they referring to images created only from scratch on
a computer, or could images taken with a film or digital camera 
also be allowed. Since there was no explicit restriction specified, I
decided that anything goes, but to be on the safe side I send
them the original picture that is a digital photo and another more
computer like and SCARIER image of the pumpkin. They decided to
put up the SCARIER one, which BTW I liked better also. Now this
brings up another good point that Marvin Jones mentions in his recent
post that if someone photographs a Half Dome, he or she is not required
to have piled up the rocks themselves. Good point and that is another
aspect I pondered since I didn't actually carve the said pumpkin in
question either.

The Enddd
Gabriel




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