The Bartram Gallery is looking to add a very special landscape image to the collection. We feature a very good group of nine landscape photographer including such names as David Fokos, Charles Cramer and Brian Kosoff. The contest details are posted on the site at http://www.bartramgallery.com/contest

The contest is very special as the winning photograph will be shown in the Bartram Gallery for 6 months minimum. The Bartram Gallery is one of the top Landscape galleries in the Country so if you have some good shots don't pass this up. We want to see your best landscape shots. All submissions are done through the website in Jpeg form.

Any other details you need just go to site it has our contact details should you have any questions. http://www.bartramgallery.com

Thank you,

Bartram Donovan

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Wow, what a deal, only $50 to enter a $500 prize contest for a 'gallery' LOL

Thanks for the offer, but I already had breakfast, I don't need any more SPAM

Am I missing something...? Who enters these contests that, to me, just seem like marketing schemes to enrich the gallery or organization? 500 applications @$50 a pop means $25,000 income for a gallery (sorry, Bartram, I'm glad you're marketing photography; I'd love to know your take on entry fees...maybe I'm naive).

Anybody know about contests that will enrich a photographer's resume and don't have a hefty application fee attached? What's the feeling out there about photo contests in general?

DC

I always distrust photo contests.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Bertram Gallery in December 2006, in La Jolla, CA. It was an extraordinary (positive) experience! The selection of landscape photography, large printouts and high-end framing (e.g. face mounting) left me breathless. Prices on average were $2K-3K for larger prints. So, anyone selected to show their work in the gallery could certainly consider it a privilege.

Now... is it worth $50? Sadly, more and more competitions these days are requiring fees (or surrender of rights, or both), and this fee is on the higher end. Even Popular Photography resorted to fees last year, after decades of free entry. Who is going to make more money, Pop Photo that claims to be the worlds largest imaging magazine, with tens of thousands competition entries at $10 each or a small gallery in a small town charging $50? Do not get me wrong, I do think $50 is a steep fee nevertheless. My only guess is the gallery is trying to prevent a flood of totally amateurish entries so prevalent in free online galleries these days.

Or take National Geographic magazine: they run numerous contest throughout the year, themselves or in partnership with others (e.g. Best Buy), which attract hundreds of thousands of entries, and each of them has the same rule: by simply submitting your entry, you are granting them all usage rights forever!

I visited the site several times thinking about entering this contest. Their photographers all had excellent presentations and the pricing is double my current asking number.


They have a number of sample entries posted so you can see what the competition is before you enter. They were all outstanding, as well.

The entry fee is $50.00 for the first image and then $10.00 for each succeeding entry. Certainly high enough to weed out most wannabes. I would consider entering as an investment rather than an entry charge. But it still looks like free money for them.


This is a different plane. Anyone who enters would have to feel their work is not only exceptional but that they are ready to be on that plane of photography. A person with a superior level of confidence and able to interact with a discriminating clientele. One with experience making large prints and selling them.

I'm neither promoting nor against entering, just thinking on paper.

cheers,

I agree that the Bartram Gallery looks great and the photography is beautiful. If they are really looking to add photographers to their roster, why aren't they seeking portfolio submissions like other galleries do?

If you think you have a body of work they might be interested in, contact them, and ask if they would review your portfolio.

DC

[quote=kaelaria,Jan 19 2008, 11:38 PM]
Wow, what a deal, only $50 to enter a $500 prize contest for a 'gallery' LOL

Thanks for the offer, but I already had breakfast, I don't need any more SPAM

[/quote]

I understand the contest fee is a bit higher then some of the other contests but being represented is a far greater prize then most cash prizes. The Bartram Gallery is located in a very good location and we take representation very seriously... this is why we only have 9 photographers in the gallery. This way we can put a lot of effort forth to representing the photographer with professionalism and respect.

We also have plans of creating a book for the Bartram Gallery photographers including this year and next years winners but this is all pending on the success of the photography contest. If anyone has any questions about the contest please don't hesitate to send me an email at jesse@bartramgallery.com. If there is one thing I have learned from doing this contest is that there is an amazing amount of great photographers out there.

Thank you,

Bartram

Kaelaria and DotSee - I think a bit of tolerance and flexibility is in order here. There are different business models for accomplishing similar objectives and what is so objectionable about what they are doing? It's a free market out there and the market will determine whether they've struck the correct risk/reward balance. There's no free lunch in any of this kind of business. You solicit clients - it takes time which has a value; you hold a contest - it takes organization and administrative time which is worth money. The contest idea is quite useful actually - should reveal much talent that is out there. Maybe the entrance fee helps recover their costs, maybe as another poster said, it is meant primarily to separate serious from frivolous applications. A gallery promoting a high standard of artistic achievement deserves the right to try a perfectly legal business model without being bashed for it.