August: Open Submissions

August will be a very hectic month for me: kids going back to school, and I have enrolled in college and therefore will be registering and going through orientation and starting classes on August. 20th.  A lot to do before that time to get everything in order, plus deal with all the curveballs life is throwing at me right now, so I will be absent from Gather for the month of August. 

That means our challenge this month will be nulled, however I would like to do an "Open Submissions", with just a few guidelines.

I will remove the "approval" requirement for this month and all photos will be accepted. 

THE CATCH:

For each photo you submit, you must comment on THREE photos already submitted to the group. 

When you submit a photo, in the tag/caption put "CRITIQUE PLEASE" if you want constructive criticism.  By this, people will respond with ways to improve the photo, cropping suggestions, light/filter suggestions, Depth of field, etc comments that are intended to give you an idea of how to improve your photography skills.  These are to be HELPFUL and NOT Demeaning.  We are all in the business of taking photos, so only put the "CRITIQUE PLEASE" in your tag/caption if you have THICK SKIN.  Not intended for the faint of heart. 

 If you just want a general response to your photos, such as "Nice Photo", "Like your technique", "Very nicely done", "Needs more light", "Could be better, but still nice".....etc, then please just put "COMMENT PLEASE" in your tag/caption.  This will clue our members into what sort of response you are seeking.

That's it.  That's all you have to do this month.  No winners, just participates who will hopefully learn some new skills before the end of the month.  If you need help or opinions on something pertaining to your photos, feel free to ask them in your caption area and hopefully someone will offer a helpful solution.

Let's use this month as a learning guide and as a way to get to know our fellow members in a new light. 

Please note that I will not be on Gather at all, but I will check my messages from time to time, so if it is something MAJOR, please just send me a PM with "URGENT" and I will attempt to address it.  No promises!!! I WILL BE BACK IN SEPTEMBER and we will get back on track with our monthly challenges and Guest Judges. 

Thanks you guys for the great group! I appreciate all of you who take time to visit and post.  It gives me something to look forward to, and I only wish that I could do more for the group. 

See you in September!

Hazel