Site Feedback

Site Feedback is where we will print the letters and comments we receive from our readers. We will also attempt to answer any questions posed or find people who can. You are always welcome to send us a comment or suggestion for the site via the Contact Us page. Be sure to send your email address if you want a direct reply.

Joy writes:

BTW, [a friend] and I were both saying how we really enjoy the presentation of your site, and the ease of use for commenting. Very well done, Kevin. I like how you use a variety of photographers, as well. All my favorite people and new names, too!

Thank you.
Enjoy your day.

Wow... with feedback like that, I certainly will. Thanks Joy (and friend) for your kind words. I hope all of you know that you can comment on any photo that wins POTD honors. Just click the "COMMENT ON THIS PHOTO" link next to each picture, type your name and comments and let your fellow shutterbugs know what you think!

Anonymous writes:

Hi
Just found the Archives spot to enter your name etc THANKS it is a WONDERFUL feature so Family and Friends can look at our winning pictures all on the same page much easier. THANKS AGAIN for giving us a place to submit our pictures.

Sure. If you missed it, the POTD Archives page lets you search by photographer, camera, and category to see all the winners in a single spot. As Anon said, it allows family and friends a chance to come by and see all your winning entries. And you ARE telling your family and friends about us, right? Right?

David writes:

Hi, Having been fortunate enough to win 2 POTD's recently, I was wondering how many entries are submitted daily for you to choose from. ie What's the competition?!!

First, congratulations on your wins. We've had some phenomenal photos sent in and we really have a lot of cream (of the crop) to choose from. That said, it's hard to nail down how many entries come in daily per category. Some are sent to the wrong category and we have to move them. Also, as we add categories, some get moved from their original submission category to a more appropriate one.

In addition, each submission is kept for two weeks, so it's not just the current days entries you're competiting against, but a full two weeks worth.

Joy is back again with a great question:

Um...just wondering...your rules suggest that photos be no more than 60 days old, and today's General photo was POTD at [another site] way back on 1-31-06. I thought it looked really familiar?

Are we allowed to submit old photos from our files?

Just wondering. Thank you.

The 60-day rule is an honor system which unfortunately, some have not been observing. However, we will not revoke a winner after it's been named. Because some people forget to save their EXIF information after post-processing and our current system does not allow us to see the hidden details of a photo until after it's been selected as a winner. So catching older photos isn't as easy as those with borders or size problems.

Good eye catching that photo and remembering from way back. Our memory isn't that good. Of course that photo in question IS a memorable one.

The full rules are on the POTD Entry Page.

The Unknown Comic writes:

Just wanted to let you know what a great site this is!!!

Thank you very much whomever you are! I appreciate hearing feedback like this, so anytime, feel free!

I'm glad the site is meeting with the approval of most of you. My background is in web design and development, so it was only natural to combine this with photography and voila! photographyoice.com was born. As the site grows, I hope you'll continue to let me know what works and what doesn't.

Couple of interesting comments have come in on our age requirement for the POTD competition. Thank you everyone for writing! Here are some of them -- I'll leave the names out, however.

First there was this:

Your "Keep it Fresh" rule is one of the best things about this site, because it keeps us clicking on a daily basis. I also enjoy reading your blog. Cute pup!

I agree our puppy is cute, thanks. I also wanted to make sure the photos we feature are recent so the site is "fresh" and interesting to all. But this seems to have angered a few.

Ok so I just read the 60 days rule. No offense to your site but I think that rule is kinda out there. You have to realize that most of us are amatuers that have a daytime job as well, and this is not the only site we submitt[sic] to. In my case, I go on a trip, take a lot of pictures and sit on them until I have time to do some post processing. This website is great, that rule is not. I would really appreciate it if you would consider waiving that rule.

I do appreciate that most of us are amatuers. As I stated in my blog, I get busy too and cannot get around to processing stuff as fast as I'd like. So I can relate to this very well.

However, the counter to this is that we're getting a lot of submissions from well-known photographers (at least in POTD circles) who take some EXCELLENT photos. The downside is these photos have won on other sites, some of them many months in the past. So a few are submitting older photos from their collection and the rule was to prevent that. We've already picked several that turned out to be "old news" in the DP community and that doesn't do anyone good.

Another benefit of this rule is that newer photographers stand a chance against some of the better known folks. I know it's very frustrating on other sites to see the same names over and over each day.

So what to do?

What about changing to photos up to 90 days old....this winter the guys in Canada may not get out for px, but will be editing their collection and may be more likely to post given an extra 30 days.

An excellent suggestion and one I think will address the main goals of this rule without being overly hindering to those with limited time.

So effective immediately, the POTD age rule is extended to 90 days old -- so the photo should have been TAKEN within the past 90 days from the date submitted.

I hope this works for everyone out there!

What do you think? Take a minute to let us know via the Contact Us page.