Approving Artwork for Adelaide/SA

Good morning Members of Adelaide/SA

This morning I received an email from Mark German of The Fine Art of Photography that was remarkably similar to an email that has been ‘bubbling’ in my head. So I’ve taken the liberty of using components of his email to finalise my thoughts…

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Whilst it is great that so many members are submitting what they consider their best artwork to the group, here are a few additional points to remember:

1. The moderators are not on Redbubble every hour of the day. Many of us have day-jobs, other jobs and other websites of interest.
For instance, I can be found on Plurk , Facebook , ezCREATE , Meetup , Last.fm , LinkedIn and Flickr and Delicious , just to name a few!

2. Because of this absence, we often return to a few hundred images waiting for approval/rejection. This leads to a backlog whereby a decision may be delayed by an additional day whilst we peruse and ensure a photograph meets the group requirements.

3. To quote directly from Mark’s bubblemail, but with a slight modification:
Some few photos are accepted straight away, as stand-outs. Some are rejected fairly quickly. Either way, do not be disheartened. This group is for what we consider ‘the very finest photographic works that present Adelaide/SA in a favorable light’ . As such, having a photo accepted is an honor, much like winning a daily competition between a few hundred works.

We approve many artwork from the same few people, there’s no denying that.
This is because they always submit artwork that suit the group, that meet the guidelines, and that we love. With this in mind, we encourage you to peruse the artwork that has been previously submitted to inspire you to shoot similar shots.
Nobody is born a perfect photographer, they develop. (Oh, that would make a great shirt!) Therefore don’t be discouraged: All artwork is considered on its subject, not on who created/photographed/edited it. Nor do we compare styles between artists … You are given individual attention!

If you still feel that your photograph is worthy of inclusion, read the group-FAQ again to see how you might improve up on it (both pictorially and descriptively), then submit again.

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For those who might be interested in knowing, here’s is how I choose artwork suitable for inclusion:

1. Basic Requirements
We really would like to see your best work. Those where you’ve stepped backwards and said, This would look good framed! Heck, I’d even buy it myself to hang at home/work! Our moderators want to see a reason to hang in on the ASA ‘Feature’ wall.

2. Tweaking, Warping, Over-Sharpening, Brightness, Contrast, Cropping, Colour De/Saturation
Whilst these are all fun components of GIMP, Illustrator, Corel, Photoshop CS2/3, etc, we’d prefer only to see them used as an enhancement tool. Not as a way of comically destroying a portrait.

3. Burning, Dodging, Distorting, Vignettes, HDR Treatment, Selective Layering
Used with subtlety, each of these tools can enhance an otherwise bland image. When used excessively, I have to wonder if the artist is a photographer or a photo-editor. We have artists within the group that already use these tool wonderfully to enhance their work, so we encourage you to peruse to see how it’s done well.

4. Overlays, Textures, Montages, Compilations
Look, whilst this is cool, I have to take each submission on its merit. If the initial subject matter is related to South Australia, it’s got a good chance of being approved. Used effectively, these can look really great, but you will find there are many other groups within Redbubble that would be better suited to these forms of artwork.
^{If you are advertising a personal-product, I may send you a personal bubblemail suggesting that you find other means of promoting your place or product.}

If you have any queries about these guidelines or the content of this bubblemail, please PLEASE contact me. Apologies in advance for any grammar or spelling errors.

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accepted, addition, adelaide, approval, artwork, attention, consider, description, honour, inclusion, individual, moderate, photographer, photography, rejection, requirements, south_australia and submission