Monthly Shooting Assignment March and April 2012 : "Traffic"

[Bertus]

The Monthly Shooting Assignment for March and April 2012 is: Traffic, on the land, the water and in the air.
This give a lot of possibilities so I expect many participants and photographs!!!

For any new readers, here's the basic idea of the MSA : (copy)
1. Take note of the MSA assignment, which will be inserted into the title of this thread.
2. Take your photo(s) according to the assignment guidelines. Try to shoot something new rather than grabbing from your archives.
3. You can post your photo in the MSA Gallery or, you can host your photo elsewhere and link to it in this thread, or, you can post it as an attachment to a message here in this thread and it will show as a clickable thumbnail.
4. It's all for fun, there are no prizes, but at the end of the MSA, a previous winner will choose a new assignment and a new "victim" to lead the MSA in a couple of months time (it's not really monthly).
5. How to upload: the same as in the standard gallery, press upload, then push on the "Categorie", you find a drop-down menu and press the Monthly Shooting Asignment, it’s placed under the "Member organized functions" and enter the rest, thats it. If you aren't a subscriber, you cannot upload to the galleries so subscribe first.

Good Luck!

 

[nsouto]

Wow! A few ideas already. Thanks, Bertus!

 

[barbara ann]

Actually, I have lots of "Traffic" pics in my files, but I'll be good and take new ones for this contest!
Kudos Bertus on your detailed explanation of how MSA functions for newcomers!
Now, off I go to the streets...

 

[Bertus]

I have uploaded some examples "traffic" as a start. Here is another and I am very curious to see your results!

 

[Leigh B]

So... Where is the "MSA Gallery"?

- Leigh

 

[MattKing]

So... Where is the "MSA Gallery"?

- Leigh

Try here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Leigh B]

OK Thanks.

- Leigh

 

[Bertus]

Example: Traffic inTaipei, a litthe overloaded moped...

 

[Bertus]

One Month to go for this Traffic MSA. Let them coming!

 

[jeffreyg]

Foot traffic Rome, Italy




http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[Bertus]

Only two weeks to go for the The Monthly Shooting Assignment: Traffic, (on the land, the water and in the air.) Take your chance and upload your image!

 

[Bertus]

One week to go for the The Monthly Shooting Assignment: Traffic, (on the land, the water and in the air.) There are a lot very good pictures already, thanks!

btw: I have asked the MSA owner and Seans to un-stick the now useless sticky-note sept-okt 2011 for 3 times about 7 weeks ago, but no any reaction. Should I maybe use smoke signals ore is there another solution?​

 

[kraker]

Regarding the un-stick, I have made the same request about two weeks ago. I guess Sean is busy fixing corrupt databases and/or preventing corrupt databases in the future, but I hope the message will be read eventually.

 

[Bertus]

We've seen very good work this MSA feb/march 2012. Thanks all! For me the image with the best idea, creativity and quality came from SLY, congratulations!! You may think about the MSA juli/august 2012 and thanks again.
So Noons, your turn for May/June 2012, good luck!

 

[Bertus]

It was March/April 2012

We've seen very good work this MSA feb/march 2012. Thanks all! For me the image with the best idea, creativity and quality came from SLY, congratulations!! You may think about the MSA juli/august 2012 and thanks again.
So Noons, your turn for May/June 2012, good luck!

 

[nsouto]

Congratulations, Sly! Well deserved, great work.
Been very busy at work, hence the delay.
Will post the May-June assignment later today.

 

[sly]

Thanks Betus and Noons.
I'd like to open a discussion about getting more interest and participation in the MSA. I've always enjoyed it. It makes me consider photo opportunities I might have missed. Stretches me a bit.
We are a very small group, those of us who regularly participate. How can we get the number of participants back up?

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

I tried it twice. Once as a new contributor. Once choosing a monthly theme. I picked an abstract theme that asked people to stretch. Could have been interpreted across the spectrum from positive to negative. But I may have made a mistake in choosing to initially prime the pump with an image from the darker side in an attempt to get people to think outside of their comfort zones. And that may have actually happened, but in ways I had not anticipated.

I politely stayed away after that...

Ken

 

[mooseontheloose]

I've tried the MSA a few times now, and I really think it's a good idea, unfortunately I don't always have the time to go out and shoot something related to the theme within the time frame. I'm not sure exactly how we could get more participation in the MSA, but I know that personally, I will try to be more involved in the upcoming themes.

 

[nsouto]

Ken, don't stay away. Not a problem if once folks don't respond the way you expected. Not an issue at all.
We aren't all equal, and it's as valid to disagree as it is to agree. My $0.02, anyway.

As for increased participation:

I wish I had great ideas. But I've long ago learned that folks are what they are.
With the world being the fleeting short term thing it is nowadays, I can understand many not having the time to put in something within the MSA timeframe.
On the other hand, increasing the timeframe will not improve the variety, and that will for sure kill it.

Maybe have more than one subject for each assignment? That will make things flexible for all and easier to enter.
As well, open up for older images. It's not always possible to go out and shoot a particular subject in a timeframe.

More than one assignment theme for each MSA would perhaps make it easier to find a match?

Just an idea. What say you?

 

[MattKing]

Maybe Sean would spring for a free "banner" ad promoting the current Assignment.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

My $0.02, anyway.

Hey Noons,

I think my problem was that I was still expecting the rough-and-tumble of the Shoot-In. Remember?? But the MSA is geared more toward a pleasant afternoon out that results in far more easily digestable results. And since the MSA had been around for longer than I, that mistake in judgement was entirely mine.

Ken

 

[Bertus]

Perhaps this helps the group to expand a little:

There is sometimes confusion for newcomers. What is the MSA? is a FAQ.
On the bottom of the Gallery mainpage is written:
Click here for details and submission guidelines.
OK, You click on it and you can see the MSA thread with the subject on top and details at the start. Perfect.
But details about the MSA-idea and submission guidelines? Sometimes in the thread in the start, later hidden for newcomers. Sometimes not.
The same you see on the MSA image page: no explenation or information.
Solution: A small information button>textbox with the basic MSA-idea, details and submission guidelines in the bar or above the thread AND the MSA image page.
Is there any communication with the project owner about this items?

- Bert

 

[nsouto]

The problem I had with the Shoot-in is that too many were in there for ego trips.
(for those who don't know, it's a Usenet-based digital photo contest but with a permanent "owner", hosted on pbase)

In the MSA folks just enjoy everyone's film-based photos, with no one "owning" the place. I like that. And I like the extremelly well executed b&w images here, only wish I could make them as good. But I'm learning. And that is the whole purpose of the thing!

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Regarding the MSA, increasing participation is tied to increasing visibility. It's not unlike selling something in the APUG Classifieds. The items that sell best are those that garner the most visibility.

As it seems to work now, somebody creates a theme. Then two months of time pass without any real public discussion. Few posts. No questions. No creative insights. No technical information. Nothing. Then after two months, somebody creates a new theme.

I think what's needed is for the participants to start talking about what they're doing, as they do it.

Are you posting a new photo? How about including an accompanying post about how that photo came to be? What motivated you? And why? What did you have to do to accomplish that photo? What obstacles did you have to overcome? What worked? What didn't? What might you do differently next time? What were your thought processes?

And given the nature of APUG, adding some technical details couldn't hurt either. Camera? Film? Equipment? Techniques?

And if you are reading someone else's descriptions, comment on them. Explain how you once faced similar motivations. Or obstacles. Or used similar equipment. Or chose different equipment. Or different techniques. How did you manage to pull it off? Or how did you fail?

What this approach would do is the same thing it does in the Classifieds. Repeatedly bump the current MSA thread to the top. That's where people look when they first log on to read. Interesting threads generate the most... interest.

And beyond that, you'll all learn a little bit more about each other. And maybe rethink some of your approaches to photography. And maybe even make some new online friends in the process.

As it stand right now, the MSA thread is at the top of the queue only a couple days out of every 60. That's why nobody knows much about it.

Ken