Current Image Theme Details

Black &White Photography Forum Current Image Theme & Recurring Image Themes

General and Model of the Moment Contest Info

Future Themes

Previous Themes

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Don't have a theme-appropriate shot? No problem. Non-theme images are welcome anytime.

Recurring Themes:

Tuesday is: Companion Animal Day
Everyone is invited to post images of your best animal friends...totally informal images or posed images, it doesn't matter. Feel free to show your friends interacting with people, other animals, riding in cars, eating, sleeping...whatever. Show them at their best and at their worst.

All companion animals are welcome...the day will not be limited to just dogs and cats. If you feed wild animals or birds, and consider them as your friends, post their images. Lizards, snakes, pigs, etc., etc...all are welcome.

Feel free to express your thoughts and feelings as they relate to the images you post and/or describe the circumstances in which the image was made.

This recurring theme day will not be limited to animals in the present. If you have images of a treasured animal friend who is no longer with you, by all means, feel free to post them.

On a personal note, you may have noticed that I do not refer to them as "pets". They are sentient beings who happen to inhabit this planet with us, and I believe that they fulfill an important role in our lives, and often give us things that even human friends cannot.

We post images of ourselves, of scenery and landscapes, of models, and of various inanimate objects. It's time the animals had their day.

So remember: TUESDAYS ARE COMPANION ANIMAL DAY ON THE FORUM!

(Thank you Jim Adams for the concept of this theme)

Wednesday is: Lurker and First Timer Day*
Most of us were toddlers once; same with lurkers... well with the possible exceptions of Jim Schuster, who created this board and Stan who was here before Al Gore invented the internet. So, (DEFINITION #1): LURKER: noun (verb: to lurk), one who visits, perhaps often, enjoys visiting, but does not make his/her presence felt, preferring to LURK in the shadows, tentatively tasting the fruits, yet not plunging in headlong and participating. Sound familiar? Read on... The reasons for lurking, like those for toddling, are many:

You haven't learnt to walk/post;
You're afraid to look silly;
You're afraid you'll trip up;
You think you have nothing to contribute;
You feel you're not ready;
You don't have the equipment (but see How do I post an image?)
You prefer the low-angle view.

To all of you, a warm welcome! Wednesday is your own very special day. De-lurking with your first post here is declaring your presence, affirming your very photo-existence, a supreme exercise of your Gore-given e-democratic rights. When you exercise this right for the very first-time, it is a mystical, coming-of-age process: you are a FIRST TIMER (DEFINITION #2).

Some folks, however, are inconsiderate enough to slip back into lurk-mode after having come out of the closet. Some stray away, lured by the false gods of color (no reference to the ethnicity of gods implied here); some just die, but this is simply not a good enough excuse; yet others mean to visit, but become too busy and find themselves caught up in the materialistic world of jobs, contracts and lucre. But the seeds of monochrome, once sown, are never truly lost. There is a perpetual yearning, a gnawing hunger for the long-lost home, a longing to return to the dimly-remembered paradise of true friends, fixer fumes and desaturation. These are our LONG LOST Members (DEFINITION #3). To all of you, a warm welcome back! Wednesday is your own very special day.
(Thank you N. Sukumar for this description)

*This includes those members who have not posted for over a year.

Thursday is: Models Post Yourself Day
Models are very valuable members of our community. We ask the models who visit our forum to post their photographs on Thursdays. Photographers, please let the models know about Models Post Yourself Day.

Friday is: Photographers Post Yourself Day
This is our special day when we post photos of ourselves. It can have other people in it, it can be a self portrait, or a shot by someone else. If there is a story that goes with the picture we want to hear it.

Saturday is: Film Day

What more needs to be said about this stuff. Where would we be today if it wasn't for this invention? In appreciation and to continue our knowledge of film this is a day that we can show others what we can do with it. From the point & shoot cameras, 35/120/127/220/620/4x5/ 8x10, Polaroid, glass negs, paper negs, or just about any other process (if you let me know I will add it). If you have the technical info behind how you achieved the final result(s) so much the better.

Sunday is: Family Day

Post pics of your family, post pics taken by your family, post pics of other families. Or, post a family of pictures. (Thank you Stan Goldstein for the concept & description)

Back To B&W Forum

Current Contest - Alternate Madness - Doors - Doors, entryways, passageways, tunnels, anything to do with passing from one space to another.

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

The contest starts Monday, August 11th at 00:00:01, local time and runs through Sunday, August 17th at 11:59:50, local time

General Contest Info:

Contest themes, which run every other week, Start MONDAY, at 00:00:01(your time zone). They are normally determined and judged by the previous contest winner. The judge is the sole authority on whether submitted images qualify for the selected theme, and is also the sole authority on determining the winner of the contest. Hey, Judges Rule! (and, get the glory for good decisions, or the flak for bad ones.) There is nothing to stop a judge from choosing a Non Qualified Entry (NQE) as the winner, HOWEVER should that person decline to judge the next contest it falls to the second place winner to judge the next contest. As a guess the way around this is for the judge to say: "Best picture was ABCD, by WXYZ, however, it was a NQE, so first place goes to QWERTY for EFGH." In other words, the judge can recognize a picture as being the best & not give it the prize (as might happen with a pic that did NOT meet the theme requirements).

The prize for contest winners is six-months of free website hosting, provided by Photogserver.net, and is subject to the winner's follow through for the next contest. The free-hosting prize is limited to one 6-month period per calendar year per domain name. In other words, if you have multiple domains hosted on Photogserver.net, and win multiple contests, you can claim one 6-month free hosting prize per year for each of those domains. The prize must be claimed within 30 days of judging the next current theme contest by contacting Jim S to start (or, renew) your site hosting. Prize(s) are not transferable unless under special circumstances. You would need to contact the forum owner for the details about this.

Should the previous contest winner be unable to judge the next contest, they forfeit their prize(s) and the second runner up will assume the winners circle. If the first and second place winners be unable to judge the third place winner will assume the winners circle. If the first, second and third place winners be unable to judge the next contest, the owner or one of the many administrators will judge the next contest.

Submissions to contests may be displayed in future pages of the Black & White Photography forum.

Should you win, you'll be responsible for:

determining the next theme in consultation with the Future Themes Master, Larry M.
advising submitters, by way of a follow-up post, that their entry qualifies (or doesn't). This is usually recognized by the following method -
QE....n/m
[qualified entry...no message ("n/m" just means "no message" so that you know that there is no need to click on the reply since there is no text in the body of the post)]
NQE..n/m
[Non qualified entry...no message ("n/m" just means "no message" so that you know that there is no need to click on the reply since there is no text in the body of the post]
judging the entries and announcing the winner, along with second- and third-place runners up, within 2 days of the closing of the contest.

Model of the Moment Info: ON HOLD TILL FURTHER NOTICE

Photographers will post one or more pictures of a model on the B&W Forum. The photog can post many picture of the model, but ONLY ONE MODEL per photographer. (The same model can be posted by more than one photographer.) A winning image of a model will be selected. When entering, please put "Model of the Moment-[Model Name]" on the Subject Line. Prizes for this contest consist of the following:

All models must be eighteen or older when the pictures are taken. Winners will have Thirty(30) days from the announcement of winning in which to claim their prizes.

Please note that web hosting by Photogserver.net is not included for the Model of the Moment contest.

Don't have a theme-appropriate shot? No problem. Non-theme images are welcome anytime.

Back To B&W Forum

Future Themes for 2008

Dates

Type

Theme

Judge

November 10 thru November 16, 2008

General

To be determined

November 3 thru November 9, 2008

Alternate Madness

This is for those of us not participating in the Alternate Madness with a twist

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

November 3 thru November 9, 2008

Alternative Madness Theme with a twist

Dark Side of the Moon - Title has to be - "THE DARK SIDE THEME."
2 NEW SHOTS to be posted per day. Have to be NEW shots that have never been posted here.

You can use any of these 4 ideas on what you want to post.

1. The theme photos have to be DARK photo wise. A night shot will work, in a dark room, this type of
shot.
2. The theme can be of a dark subject matter. What you shoot is all up to you but it must be of a dark
theme shot or a dark photo.

Use the dark side of the force to come up with an idea if you need to.

3. You can use the word MOON or any combination of MOON. Think about this a minute.

4. You can use a model named MOON. But you
had better have proof that her name is MOON. Unless
I know her.
OK that should cover it. If you have any questions let me know.

So the winner gets to go free on one of my trips. You still have to pay airline tickets to get to the destination city. You have food and your own hotel to pay. But the shoot itself is free. You will also receive your model release signed by the model at no cost.
Enjoy and good thinking. You are going to need it. bs

One of my visions of Dark Side of the Moon.

Dark Side of the Moon sample

Bobby Sargent

October 27 thru November 2, 2008

General

To be determined

October 20 thru October 26, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

October 13 thru October 19, 2008

General

To be determined

October 6 thru October12, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

September 29 thru October 5, 2008

General

To be determined

September 22 thru September 28, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

September 15 thru September 21, 2008

General

To be determined

September 8 thru September 14, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

September 1 thru September 7, 2008

General

To be determined

August 25 thru August 31, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

August 18 thru August 24, 2008

General

To be determined

August 11 thru August 17, 200

Alternate Madness Theme

Doors - doors, entryways, passageways, tunnels, anything to do with passing from one space to another.

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

Back To B&W Forum

Previous Themes for 2008

Dates

Type

Theme

Judge(s)

Winner(s)

August 4 thru August 10, 2008

General

Sports - Sorry for the delay in announcing the contest but I was the third string Judge for the week and I have been called in off the bench by the coach to judge this weeks contest.

With the first preseason game in the NFL going on as I type this, with the baseball pennant race in full swing, and with the Olympics getting underway this week I thought that Sports would be a good theme.

Now for the rules

1.)You entry must somehow be at least very loosely tied to sports, Any sport is fine, winter or summer. Please state the sport in your post.

2.)No more than 2 per day. Old or new work is fine, film or digital.

3.)Please include the word "sports" in your subject

4.)Regular B&W Board rules apply, your image must be B&W. Toned or sepia images are of course OK as long as they are monochrome

So grab a hot dog, a cold drink, and get to your seat in the stands. It is time to play ball

The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

Wallace Billingham

Mike Noble

July 28 thru August 3, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Out - Since the last theme was "In", this weeks theme is "Out"; outside, out of the way, out going, anything doing with out.

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

July 21 thru July 27, 2008

General

Critters - The theme will be Critters in memory of our Mandy dog that we lost to cancer last month. Show me your pets, your friends pets or any wild critter. Two post per person per day, and all Black and White Forum rules. Please put critters in subject line. Have fun.

Mandy

2000 - 2008

Ruth Rowand

Wallace Billingham

July 14 thru July 20, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

In - In is the concept of this theme; in your studio, in the great outdoors, inside your mind of your thoughts and desires- get the point, now lets see what's "In"

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

July 7 thru July 13, 2008

General

Go With The Flow - Flow can have several meanings. It could be a water theme, that would be obvious. Also there is the flow of traffic, conversion, energy, etc.

The images have to be B&W and will be judged on the interpretation of the theme as well as the impact and expertise shown in the image itself.

Good Luck!

The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

Here is a sample to get you started.

Mike Noble

Ruth Rowand

June 30 thru July 6, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Curve - The curve of a shoulder, the roundness of a golf ball, windswept edges of a sand dune, it's always nice to see a different perspective. Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply

N/A

June 23 thru June 29, 2008

General

Perspective - Old or new pictures, duotone or sepia are acceptable, and a max of two posts per day. Please put the word Perspective in the subject line. Lets see what perspectives you can capture...environmental, physical, emotional, thought provoking, political, supply chain, food chain, architectural, etc. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

Jay W. Stovall

Mike Noble

June 16 thru June 22, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Nude: Abdomen & Legs - Their has to be a nude in the picture but the chest and above cannot be shown. If the photo is a front view, the belly button must be visible. View of the back of the model is acceptable also, just have to keep to the same equivalent area as the frontal view. Shoes and other clothing, such as hats and gloves are optional, but if the model has shoes on you probably want socks too. ;-) Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

June 9 thru June 15, 2008

General

Pyromania - Where there's smoke there's fire! Show me your best monochrome shots of fire, smoke, fireworks, lava flows, volcanoes, whatever you've got in the genre.

Monochrome images only please, with a limit of two entries per day. Extra consideration if the image was shot specifically for the contest, but let's not involve your local fire department!

The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

Billy Monday

Jay W. Stovall

June 2 thru June 8

Alternate Madness Theme

Left - As in direction, politics, behind, and anything else that comes to mind. Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

May 26 thru June1, 2008

General

Nude in the Environment - the images should be of a nude in any setting other than a studio, e.g. in the landscape, townscape, garden, in a junk yard or even in an old building. Some examples are shown below. Only two entries per day please, diptychs and triptychs are welcome so long as they are shown as a single image file. Good luck to everyone.

The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

Dave Collier

Billy Monday

May 19 thru May 25, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Edge - A thin, sharpened side, as of the blade of a cutting instrument. The degree of sharpness of a cutting blade.
A penetrating, incisive quality: �His simplicity sets off the satire, and gives it a finer edge� (William Hazlitt).
A slight but noticeable sharpness or harshness: His voice had an edge to it.
Keenness, as of desire or enjoyment; zest: The brisk walk gave an edge to my appetite.
The line of intersection of two surfaces: the edge of a brick; the table's rounded edges. A rim or brink: the edge of a cliff.
The point at which something is likely to begin: on the edge of war. A dividing line; a border: a house on the edge of town.
A margin of superiority; an advantage: a slight edge over the opposition.

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

May 12 thru May 18, 2008

General

"Home Town" - Your assignment is to post images of your home town that show its character, good and bad, as if you were shooting for a story about it in a travel magazine - we'll call it B&W Highways.

Images will be considered individually, and as a group for each contributor. So, extra credit will be given to those whose images hold together as a series.

Limit of 2 posts per person per day, and the usual B&W rules apply.

Gentlemen (and, Ladies), start your cameras.

The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

Ralph Barker

Dave Collier

May 5 thru May11, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Dry - How dry is that Martini? How do we dry clothes? Classic examples of how we define dry, now let me see dry......Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

April 28 thru May 4, 2008

General

Communications - Talking is a form of communication. Listening is a way to communicate. Our hands and face can communicate. Body movements, dancing, and pantomiming (Mimes) are nonverbal communication.
Telephone, letters, and greeting cards are ways of communicating. Flashing lights, car horns, fire alarms, and sirens communicate alarm. Books are a form of communication. Our computers are also another idea ...

I felt this week's theme should be broad enough to get everyone involved and if you could please post a maximum of TWO images per day to be fair to everyone it would be greatly appreciated.

So dig out your collection of images or start shooting some new ones and have fun this week "communicating"!

Cheers!

Jason Landry

Ralph Barker

April 21 thru April 27, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Chairs, Stools, Benches - Anything you sit on (I know, I'm leaving myself open here).

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your Black & White Photography Forum compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

April 14 thru April 20, 2008

General

Connections - The usual Black and White Forum rules apply. Old or new pictures, duotone or sepia are acceptable, and a max of two posts per day. Please put the word Connections in the subject line. Lets see what connections you can capture...physical, emotional, thought provoking, data, reciprocal, political, supply chain, food chain, architectural, etc.

Jay W. Stovall, Randall Fox

Jason Landry

April 7 thru April 13, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Fallen - Our heroes to fresh snow, how about rain or something to give us the illusion of fallen. Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

March 31 thru April 6, 2008

General

Wrecks & Ruins - I am looking for images that show wrecked or abandoned autos, boats etc or buildings in ruins. No more than two entries per day please, and Triptychs and Diptychs are welcome so long as they are single image files.


This old boat is next to the port of Felixstow in Suffolk, England.	These are the ruins of the Abbey at Dunwich on the Suffolk coast, most of the village is now in the North Sea due to coastal erosion.
above images are samples for the contest

Dave Collier

Jay W. Stovall, Randall Fox

March 24 thru March 30, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Spring - since we've just entered the Spring season. And, of course, any other definition for spring works too.

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

March 17 thru March 23, 2008

General

Statuary - Regular Black and White Forum rules apply. Please limit entries to two per day and, very importantly, please put the words "Theme: Statuary" in the subject line so I don't miss any entries.

Would love to see some modern sculpture along with the more traditional figurative work.

Above is infrared image taken in a cemetery as a sample for the contest

Ron M

Dave Collier

March 10 thru March16, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Wheels - Round & round they go where they stop depends on the brakes:)

Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

March 3 thru March 9, 2008

General

Water - The usual Black and White Forum rules apply. Old or new pictures, duotone or sepia are acceptable, and a max of two posts per day. Please put the word Water in the subject line.

Jay Stovall

Ron M

February 25 thru March 2, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Vertical - Do we see how high the athlete can get, or do we mean the living room blinds. How about buildings or portraits, show your meaning of "Vertical" Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

February 18 thru February 24, 2008

General

"Around the homestead" - Hi Everyone, For this weeks contest, given that the weather isn't exactly great for going out to exotic locations, I've decided that I would like to see what going on where you live. I want to see all of the interesting things about your entire homestead, not just the house. Show me the magic of your attic and the cobwebs in the basement. Take out to round up the cattle on the north 40. BUT It has to be your homestead and not the park down the block or the corner store.

Remember, if you show me a bunch of nekkid women then I'm probably going to show up on your doorstep and want to move in!

The usual rules,
old or new, duotone or sepia acceptable
and how about a max of three per day.

Make me wish I was there!!! Special Kudos to anyone who offers pictures of their home studio.

Randall Fox

Jay Stovall

February 11, thru February 17, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Horizontal - The format of the photograph or the subject you decide - Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

February 4, thru February 10, 2008

General

Circles - The next contest will be themed "Circles" and begins on the stroke of midnight (even if you're on Australian time) on Monday, Feb. 4.

Big circles, little circles, circular logic, all are acceptable. To lessen the circle of confusion, only black and white images are allowed. No selective color or hand coloring please. Toned images are 100% OK.

Extra bragging rights to those who shoot images specifically for the contest. Have fun!

Billy Monday

Randall Fox

January 28, thru February 3, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

2007 - You remember 2007, don't you? Lets see what the past looked like.... Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

January 21, thru January 27, 2008

General

Contrasts - Contrast, say, of tones. And/or of moods. And/or of textures. And/or of themes. And/or of subjects. And/or of.... you get the idea.

The entirely arbitrary, capricious, nonlinear, and illogical style of judging will be looking for creativity and quality of the shot. And if you have a technically high-quality winning or placing shot, you oughta tell me how you did it.

Looking forward to this.

Justin

Billy Monday

January 14, thru January 20, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Strength - physical strength, how about the strength of teamwork, show us strength in the concept of the photograph, the theme can be portrayed in many diverse ways, Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

January 7, thru January 13, 2008

General

Shadows - Entries should have shadows that play a very important part in the overall image.

The criteria listed below will be used for judging the entries:

1.Shadows that add impact
2.Shadows that create mood.
3.Shadows that create mystery
4.Shadows that create desire

The points above are listed at random and not listed as importance concerning selection.

Hopefully this topic will be fun, creative and thought provoking.
I look forward to seeing your images. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

Tom Carlos

Justin

December 31, 2007, thru January 6, 2008

Alternate Madness Theme

Nude - Just a nice way to end and start the year - Remember, Alternate Madness themes are just for fun - no prizes other than the admiration of your B&W compatriots. The usual Black & White Photography Forum rules apply.

N/A

Current Image Theme Details

Gerard Buckleman, Owner

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