Vote! Fireworks Contest (Final Poll)

Good luck

ibleedblue


Monorail


DizWiz


WDWScottieBoy


allabtbrdway


wbboy29

Just wanted to say all of these are great pictures. I had a tough time deciding which one to vote for.

This is a REALLY tough one. Good job everyone!

that was a very hard choice. they were all great fireworks photos, great for a desktop.

These are all amazing photos. You guys did a great job!

I agree with everyone, these are some awesome shots of a very hard subject.

allabtbrdway: Would you mind posting the original file from your camera? I'd be interested to see the EXIF data/camera settings to improve my own photography.

WDWScottieBoy: I'd ask you for yours as well but it's all there already.

Great shots, both of you.

CS

I also loved every one of them.
Great job guys!

Monorail said:

I agree with everyone, these are some awesome shots of a very hard subject.

WDWScottieBoy: I'd ask you for yours as well but it's all there already.

Great shots, both of you.

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Thanks Monorail, loved your shot and even voted for it. I'm amazed at all pictures here, they're all amazing and definitely wall-paper quality shots.

WOW!

These pictures give me goosebumps! Great photography to each and every finalist! :sohappy:

I just can't believe allabtbrdway's picture is original. It looks too much like it was photoshopped. I hate to even say that (and debated posting), but I just don't buy it. I don't think there are that many fireworks going off at the same time in those positions from that angle. The one bottom left is awfully close to the ground, and many have halos around them, as if they came from other pictures. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my words, but I feel like I had to say it.

kevlightyear said:

I just can't believe allabtbrdway's picture is original. It looks too much like it was photoshopped. I hate to even say that (and debated posting), but I just don't buy it. I don't think there are that many fireworks going off at the same time in those positions from that angle. The one bottom left is awfully close to the ground, and many have halos around them, as if they came from other pictures. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my words, but I feel like I had to say it.

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To be honest, the thought crossed my mind. However, I haven't seen Wishes enough to say whether it is photoshopped or not. So I can't judge.

Anyway, we have had this problem in the past where people have been guilty or presumably guilty of "cheating." The rules are posted, so it is up to each person to read the rules and hopefully abide by them :lol: My final point is probably best said by nibbles in the rules themselves:

All pictures posted will be added to the poll at the end of the contest. If a picture doesn't follow the guidelines of the contest, it is up to the voters to NOT select it as their favorite.

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This may not always work, but it's the best we can work with :lol:

kevlightyear: I'm glad you broke the silence on this. I wondered the same thing the first time I saw the picture and questioned where it was taken (see the original contest thread). Allabtbrdway's reply is plausable, but when I look at other pictures I've taken from the rose garden walkway, I don't see how you can get that angle of the Castle that's in the picture from that spot. It's also odd that there are no fireworks that overlap the castle. And wouldn't some of the fireworks need to be shot off pretty low from Adventureland to make this shot true?

DDuckFan130: I'm not sure I agree with the statement "If a picture doesn't follow the guidelines of the contest, it is up to the voters to NOT select it as their favorite." If a photograph has been Photoshopped or altered, it could easily be everyone's favorite if the picture is enhanced enough to look good (which may be the case in this poll).

I believe Allabtbrdway is innocent until proven guilty. But there's an easy way to find out if the photo has been altered. Allabtbrdway can simply post the original file from the camera so we can see the EXIF information. If the file is posted and has valid EXIF information, then the photo is legit and definetly deserves to win if it has the most votes. However, if Allabtbrdway cannot post the original file with valid EXIF information, then the photo should be disqualified.

This method is much more objective than putting the "burden of proof" on the voters to simply not vote for the picture. This is the method used at other photo contest sites such as http://dpchallenge.com/

Sorry to go on so long (this is the most I've written in the four years I've been a member here). I know this is a controversial issue, but I believe that everyone should have a fair chance to win and the results should not be skewed by a false photo (if indeed it is a false photo).

By the way...thank you to the two people who voted for my photo. Honestly, I'm surprised I got that many votes. I am personally a fan of WDWScottieBoy's photo. It's different and beautiful. Horizons1 and Monorail have great photos as well--I think I like them because they're so different. These photo contests are great because I get to see WDW (and other Disney properties) through other people's eyes. It has helped my photo taking quite a bit. Keep it up everyone!

DizWiz said:

DDuckFan130: I'm not sure I agree with the statement "If a picture doesn't follow the guidelines of the contest, it is up to the voters to NOT select it as their favorite." If a photograph has been Photoshopped or altered, it could easily be everyone's favorite if the picture is enhanced enough to look good (which may be the case in this poll).

By the way...thank you to the two people who voted for my photo. Honestly, I'm surprised I got that many votes. I am personally a fan of WDWScottieBoy's photo. It's different and beautiful. Horizons1 and Monorail have great photos as well--I think I like them because they're so different. These photo contests are great because I get to see WDW (and other Disney properties) through other people's eyes. It has helped my photo taking quite a bit. Keep it up everyone!

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Totally understand where you're coming from, and like I said, it is VERY hard to track who votes for what picture and why. You can vote for anyone you want for whatever reason (hell, you can vote for yourself if you want :lol: ). What I posted was a "guideline" that was implemented for these contests because we've had many problems in the past with cheating or voting for favorites.

Again, these are mostly suggestions for everyone. Of course the seemingly altered ones are awesome and everyone will vote for it. But is it fair (assuming the photo is altered) that other people who do not know how to alter their own pictures get the shaft? This is why the other rule of no photoshopping is in place.

Excuse my rambling, but I'm just playing devil's advocate :lol: Ultimately, this is all up to how the voters well...vote. If I can think of a better way to handle these things, I would. But for the time being, we can just remember these contests are for fun and I would not be helping nibbles out if I did not enjoy it :lol: The only reason I spoke up is because kev did it first :lookaroun

BTW, I'll go out on a limb and say I voted for your picture Great job!

First, let me say that I really enjoy these contests and the great pictures our members take.


Now...

If there was a prize involved, then maybe some burden of proof should be laid out that the pictures are not altered, but since this is all for entertainment only, does it really matter in the greater scheme of things?


Maybe there should be a contest for Photoshoped and cropped and altered photos!

Thank you for the vote DDuckFan130! I really appreciate it!

And I want to let you know that you're doing a great job subbing for nibbles (who always does a great job in running these contests). I don't mean to put you in the middle of this.

I do understand where you're coming from and I know these contests are just for fun. That's why I started entering them.

And I don't mean to throw stones at Allabtbrdway. If it's a legitimate shot, then it's a great photo. It's just odd that at least three people had the same thought about the same photo.

If it's up to the voters, then they'll have the final say.

Unkadug: No, there's no prize involved, but there's time and effort involved in taking these shots. We know that WDWScottieBoy's picture is legit becuause we can see the EXIF information. In order to get that shot, he had to most likely use a tripod, get in position ahead of time, adjust the shutter speed and other camera settings, wait for the perfect moment when the firework was about to burst and take the shot. Everything has to come together perfectly to get a good shot. Why should he (and others) be punished if someone comes along and uses Photoshop to create a similar image? Yes, I agree with you--perhaps we should have another contest thread for altered photos. But for this contest the rules clearly state: "Pictures can not be altered in any way, except to adjust size, crop, or add your own personal watermark. This is a photography contest, not a photo-editing contest." The problem is how to prove this actually did or didn't happen.

I appreciate the opportunity to voice my opinion. Once again: I'm not trying to pick a fight or say anyone is right or wrong. This is just a friendly little debate about how to prove if a photo submitted to this contest is legitimate. :wave:

kevlightyear said:

I just can't believe allabtbrdway's picture is original. It looks too much like it was photoshopped. I hate to even say that (and debated posting), but I just don't buy it. I don't think there are that many fireworks going off at the same time in those positions from that angle. The one bottom left is awfully close to the ground, and many have halos around them, as if they came from other pictures. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my words, but I feel like I had to say it.

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I'm glad you posted this Kevlightyear. I was thinking the same but felt shy about posting it. If it's real, fantastic...awesome shot but if not.....it should be DQed.

I know these contests are just for fun but if we're going to set rules they have to be followed and policed. Just saying that people won't vote for shots that violate the rules isn't enough. Most people probably wouldn't know if one was or wasn't.

DizWiz said:

Unkadug: No, there's no prize involved, but there's time and effort involved in taking these shots. We know that WDWScottieBoy's picture is legit becuause we can see the EXIF information. In order to get that shot, he had to most likely use a tripod, get in position ahead of time, adjust the shutter speed and other camera settings, wait for the perfect moment when the firework was about to burst and take the shot. Everything has to come together perfectly to get a good shot. Why should he (and others) be punished if someone comes along and uses Photoshop to create a similar image?

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I wish I had time to get a tripod setup and get everything ready for that shot. I got to MGM about 30 mins before the fireworks, managed to get a good spot and then just sat and shot pics the whole time!!! I actually have almost 350 shots from the show, and didn't touch any of my settings on the camera. I had no idea how they would turn out, and that's why I took video of it as well. It was so hard to pick which picture from that night I was going to use as out of the 350+, only a few weren't great because of extreme light at times when a lot of fireworks went up.

And I want to go out and say (as much as I hate doing so) that I agree with most others in questioning allabrtbrdway's picture. I have taken pictures of the firework shows from all around Disney property and don't see how that shot could be taken. I can't even think of a show that had all those shots at the same time (or even in like 30 seconds if the lens was left open). The main thing that made me question it was the fireworks that cross paths of each other. They're all facing the camera, which means that they would go from the direction of MSUSA back towards Fantasyland to get that angle. The other main thing in question is the height of the fireworks. Some of those are way to close to the ground and there aren't any shells shot that burst that low or in the direction they are in the picture. But, I can't say anything until, as stated previously, we have proof that it is in fact an original shot.

And this is one thing I question...looking at the castle in the picture of question, one of the turrets is black in parts which is where a smoke trail is going behind it.

Been following this and figured I'd go ahead and post what I found.

First... cranked the brightness and contrast and we have some interesting blue halos around the castle. Masking gone wrong?


Zoom in some and those fireworks have some hard edges next to the castle with some really dead black areas.


Just one last one that was really telling... notice that heart up in the top left? Wow, now that is some perfect edges and some really perfect night sky.

I think the point has been made-- we should give her a chance to come back and defend herself. Voting is closed so nothing anyone says now will affect that outcome.

As someone has already stated, this is just for fun... no prizes involved... but you have obviously put a lot of effort into your entries. I would hope everyone would have the integrity not to bend the rules.

I don't know if someone cheated or not but if someone does I say just let their conscience be their guide. Is it worth having a confrontation over? If you are right and they did cheat, what are you going to do, have them banned from the boards? Harass and embarrass them? I just see it coming to a very uncomfortable ending for everyone, the original poster and everyone else who comments or questions about it. I just don’t think it is worth all that.