Customer Reviews

The World's Biggest Book of Photography Competitions, Awards, Grants and Places To Sell Your Photos Online

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I agreed to read this book and review it for the publisher if I could be totally honest in my review. He agreed to this stipulation.

I have taught beginning and advanced photography for over 30 years. I had always thought it would be good for my students to have a source where they could go to find photography contests. When students have to enter a contest or exhibit their work it always makes their assignments more interesting, and provides an added reason to do well. If they could learn a few "tricks of the trade" as far as increasing their chances of winning a contest, while making better photographs, all the better. Unfortunately, this was at best a sophomoric attempt to inform readers about how to make good photographs. It was repetitious and very elementary in scope. The writing seemed to lack direction, organization and purpose. It was as if I was reading someone's disjointed thoughts as they jotted them down. It also seemed a bit odd that a book presumably about how to make award-winning photographs had no photographs.

The 2nd half of the book goes into listing photographic contests. There are 93 contests listed and 46 of those are in foreign countries. Some of the contests require you to be a citizen of the country where the contest is held. There are other contests where you have to be a photography student or live in a certain state or a certain part of the country to enter. Many contests have an award of a government grant or fellowship.

It took me about 5 minutes on the Internet to find more contests than I could enter in a month.

I would have given the book a lower rating, but I did find a couple of quotes about photography in the chapter of quotes that I had not heard before. Therefore, I did not find that reading the book was a total waste of my time.

I came across this book recently and was immediately intrigued by its potential value. For many years I have been building and maintaining a convoluted spreadsheet of grants and competitions related to photography. As the level of detail has increased, it has become more of a challenge to keep everything up to date. So this book might be a way for me to spend that time in a better way (like taking photographs).

OK, here's the first thing. I book about photography, with no photographs in it, just seems a little odd. There are many tips about how to increase your chances of winning a competition, none of which are actually illustrated. Photography is a visual medium - that was a disappointment.

I was also surprised by the bias towards film photography. Almost every competition I enter, these days, prefers digital entries, in some cases making it the only option. Yet the preponderance of detail that focused on film photography immediately seemed out-dated.

The format and layout of the book also feels out-dated.

Another disappointment came in how long it took to get to the actual material about grants and competitions. The preceding chapters focused on common mistakes made, what judges are looking for, stuff like that. Some of that content was pretty good; a lot of it was superfluous. If a photographer is unaware of some of the tips being given, then it is unlikely that they are in a position to be successful in a competition.

Many of the comments are vague and simply point the reader away, to other sources of information, the sort of thing you could do a Google search on and come up with more useful, more immediate information. Here's an example:

One of these (technical or aesthetic implications) concerns exposure.

If you are weak in your knowledge of this area, it will
be reflected in the limited nature of your work.

Any good photography blog, forum, bookstore or
local college class can help you plug those knowledge
gaps.
___

Hmmm. This is not exactly blinding insight. And the rest of the book is about the same.

The listing of Competitions and Awards, when the reader eventually gets there, is quite good, although the format is similar to that of the PhotoMarket books which I have always found to be awkward to read. The information is good and the content that is included is relevant. However, once again, these are really just a series of pointers to other web sites where more information can be found.

All in all, not an example of photography publishing at its greatest. The content may offer some valuable content for the amateur, but keep in mind that all this information can be found for free via Google or some similar search engine. Is it useful enough for me to buy for myself?

No. I will maintain my spreadsheet which actually contains more, and better information on each competition and grant giver. And no, it's not for sale.

I got to read this book for free, after following up a comment asking for reviewers to read this, presumably in exchange for being able to take a look so to take them up on their kind offer here is my review.

A book on photographic competitions? Not on how to take a great photo per se, but on competitions and entering them? Hmm, a new genre created by this book alone. So? How is it? The book is awful. It is something like 200 pages long but the print is quite large so you should think of it as about half that size. The last part of it consists of large lists of photographic competitions, grant bodies and such - something anyone could find for themselves if they wanted to take a few minutes.

As for the help and advice content, let's just say there is only one picture in the book. Yes, 1. Its of the famous 'this is not a pipe' painting much discussed in philosophy. No photos at all (not even on the cover!) so one starts to think 'Just who is this guy giving all this advice? what has HE done that is so noteworthy?'

They say everyone has one good book in them but lots of people it seems to me barely have a decent pamphlet and this is what you'll feel reading this shallow, puerile drivel.

"The World's Biggest Book of Photography Competitions, Awards, Grants & Places To Sell Your Photos Online" is a user-friendly and humorous guide with international scope for any amateur photographer. It provides the reader with a clear overview, and a multitude of online resources. The selected quotes by famous photographers, painters, writers and art critics such as Anne Leibovitz, Pablo Picasso, William Blake, and Susan Sontag - just to name a few - add a literary touch to the book as well as present various perspectives on the art of photography and what it means to see through the lens.

Categorizing the list of competitions and awards according to their monthly deadlines is extremely useful and may help procrastinators stay on track. Similarly, since most competitions and awards are either ongoing or recurrent, it can be easily used as a quick resource to look up a particular organization or competition.

The chapters - "Government Grants, Fellowships and Funding Bodies" and "Non-Government Grants, Fellowships and Funding Bodies" - are slightly disappointing. Anything funded by the government is limited to the following countries and its residents: United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada. The following chapter has a more international scope, but it is in many ways limited to particular themes, techniques, genres, residents/age groups etc. Yet, one should never forget that many grants and fellowships are subject to such limitations and criteria - anyone having worked as grant writer, for instance, would agree that it is the nature of the non-profit sector.

While the chapters give useful and tangible advice, they nonetheless lack, at times, a definite structure or focal point. Perhaps it is due to the slightly too colloquial tone of the book that might suggest as much. Photography students would clearly be too advanced in their studies in order to take any benefit from the book. At the same time, one needs to bear in mind that the book is not written for professional photographers or photography students. As such, it represents a sound resource for people who are looking for a way to get started.

If you are a photo enthusiast vacillating on taking the first step towards selling your pictures, or entering them into a contest, this book can be the catalyst to get you decided and moving. The writing style however is prosaic, with lots of clichés.

The section advising on how to take better pictures does not add much value - you can most definitely find richer advice online.

The references list included in the book is comprehensive. As other reviewers have noted, you can find this information yourself with the right searches, but it's good to have it all in one place.

Being the owner of this book and also the 2009 Photographer's Market, my review is in some ways going to compare & contrast both books as they in some places cover the same territory.

Cons: There are areas of repeating themes in the front of the book, themes that should be put together.

This is not really an issue but more of an FYI, this book minus the competition information is geared more toward those who are serious about their photography (i.e. the aspiring pro and/or the semi-pro)

There is some jumping around in context in the book which I alluded to in the beginning that others have also have mentioned.

There is an unusual emphasis of film photography, considering the popularity and advancement of digital. Yes the book is new...

Not all photography sites are listed just the top ones, though in reality any book that tries to list them all would probably be outdated before the author finishes writing.

Be forewarned, there are a number of $.50 words in the book, more than I have seen in awhile so keep a dictionary handy.

What I didn't see included in this book that is in the "Photographers Market" are Art Fairs, both local & nationwide. But then, not even all of them are listed.

No examples of winning and non-winning art and the reasons why.

Pros: Unlike the Photographers Market, which deals with the US market, this one also has collected information on international competitions. A gold mine, for those looking to compete outside the US.

The information presented is useful for those wishing to enter the competitions not just on how and where to enter, but also includes good tips on improving your images to improve your chances of winning. Tips that answer a number of questions people have as to why something they thought was a winner didn't even place.

If you are serious about your photography (and the craft), then my suggestion, would be to get this book as well as the "Photographers Market" to cover all your bases. There is some overlap in information, but there is enough difference I think between them to warrant having them both.

The World's Biggest Book of Photography Competitions, Awards, Grants & Places To Sell Your Photos Online Edited by Steve Donovan is a huge collection of hints, tips and how to's for amateur photographers wanting to strike it big in those all important photography venues.

Photography awards may be a thing of dreams for many; problem is many people who pick up a camera don't even have a clue how to really take a good picture. Many that do get the picture right may or may not know what they are doing to get that picture that really has friends and family saying it is good.

With the advent of digital photography and the price of really good digital SLR cameras now in the reach of the average photographer many do aspire to enter and win contests. I have seen the contestants at local 4-H county fairs hoping for that ribbon that shows to everyone they can actually do good with that little digital marvel and create something that someone else actually likes.

I have also seen others who think they know what they are doing and have no clue about photography and talking pictures, they simply snap away and hope for the best. While everyone can eventually take a good picture if they simply shoot at everything around them getting a good picture and actually using it to win a contest takes work.

It also takes some knowledge and you do need to know something about not only your camera but about lighting, rules of photography and what interests others. While entering a contest may seem like the furthest thing from many people's minds you can actually have fun and learn a lot by entering.

You can also learn a lot and get a lot of help not only in entering contests but in your photography by reading this book, it has a lot of information on photography, taking good pictures and how to enter contests. The World's Biggest Book of Photography Competitions, Awards, Grants & Places To Sell Your Photos Online is a great way to get into photography as well as just learning more about photography and what makes a great picture compared to just taking pictures.

For anyone interested in winning contests, submitting photographs for contests and competitions as well as getting grants for photography this is a great book. While the Biggest Book of Photography et al. does not have pictures of what makes a good photo it does cover all you need to know by ones who have been there about entering contests and selling their photography. Get the right information about contests, judging and events in photography from the judges, people who have been at plenty of photo contests and more.

Not only is it explained about why you should enter contests it gives in clearly listed form by approximate if not exact dates of competitions, the various information about the competition, country, organization and address as well as website for the contests. This list is a yearly calendar of events for photography contests that can have you busy for years to come entering contests to get the recognition as a photographer.

This is a comprehensive list for many countries as well as organizations, magazines and companies holding competitions and grants for photography. You also get the grants, fellowships and funding bodies section that gives places to submit for other methods to get money as well as recognition for your work in photography.

The book is great and all the information is here including the huge Top 100 Tips from Professionals and Judges for entering and winning contests that really tells you the facts of these contests and what judges look for. The entire compilation helps you not only find the contests but lists clearly things the judges are looking for and has many tips and hints for getting the attention of those judges.

That is what a photography contest boils down to, you have to grab the attention of those judges and show them in a split second that your photo is unique, different and above all a winner. Having the same people that have judged competitions in the past give tips and in their own words reasons behind their choices will help you with specific tips to getting that recognition and winning.

Photography can be a hard process and entering contests can be difficult and time consuming, having hints and tips from people in the field and that have worked at those contests makes for a great guide. Getting actual information from judges makes the most sense so you can work toward your own goals in photography and make the most out of your entries or just take better pictures.

The World's Biggest Book of Photography Competitions, Awards, Grants & Places To Sell Your Photos Online is well worth the cost of only $7 and makes for a great and helpful guide to photographers. The book helps in entering contests, gives hints and tips for taking better photos as well as getting specific places to enter those photos for the recognition and rewards.

I highly recommend The World's Biggest Book of Photography Competitions, Awards, Grants & Places To Sell Your Photos Online as a comprehensive list of hints, tips and photography contests for photographers of any caliber.

This book was extremely helpful to me. I had no idea how to even enter a photography competition until reading this book. What fun it will be to take photos and not only dream of winning one of these competitions, but actually know how to enter!

I've been shooting seriously for about 6 months now. Some people may discount my experience, I would offer that for 5 of those months I worked night and day on studying, shooting, and editing. I used a digital SLR and now have almost 11000 frames as a record of my work. I grew up using an all manual 35mm SLR (Canon TX) and shot black and white film with that for a few years before moving to a digital point and shoot.

Of course that turned me off from photography as an activity or hobby on its own regard, so I was basically starting from the beginning again when I picked up my 40D and 50mm f/1.8 II.

This book was great for me to read at this point in my "career", but I could see how it would be repetitive and boring for someone even a bit further advanced than I am now. I'll read it again, and then store it for future reference. There is a large list of quotes in the mid-section from various famous photogs and some are quite good, but some of them are quite out-dated and miss their mark in a 2008 release of a digi-book.

As noted below in other reviews, this book is not a 5/5 bang-up job, but it can be quite helpful to it's target market, fairly new photogs that need to decide if they are going to really pursue photography as more than a passing fad, or if they will be content taking snapshots with their package deal DSLR from CostCo and wondering why their photos don't turn out the way they want.

Need to refocus your goals? Never entered a contest? This book can help!

It's more than a 'how-to' of entering & having a shot at winning contests - unless you see the contests as what it takes to be a professional shooter in any given area of photography. He calls your attention to the why of your involvement in photography in the first place - something that we can lose sight of as the years pass, amid mounting pressures of life.

He calls attention to the one greatest challenge to most - the ability to meet the deadline. Got the best image of your life? Worthless if your late... the press rolls with or without you. I can - and have - seemingly effortlessly, intuitively, made great images, but the post production effort nearly killed me! Overcoming that organizational deficit has been a hallmark of my varied careers, but it is surely one of the keys to success!

And an amazing lack of pictures - how welcome!!! Photography can (and should be) be intuitive, but you've got to think! I'm thankful that I didn't have to waste time with examples of selective focus, rules of composition, etc. That can be found elsewhere!

Use of film stocks is important to the feel and quality of the final image, esp. if it's characteristics lend weight to the message (i.e. extreme graininess, etc). What's left unsaid is the application of these effects in/on digital media. For better or worse, film is way out of vogue at the moment... and that brings up the question of digital manipulation.

There's not a lot of mention made regarding the use of digital media; he seems to think film only, and thus dates the material .Though most contests (but considerably fewer commercial buyers) require hard copy prints, some will accept digital submissions; little is said about that, and preparation thereof. He does stop to point out the folly of substantially altering (Photoshopping) a digital image, but what are the limits? At what point should the photographer / artist include a notice / disclaimer? He touches on the moral implications, but more could be said.