Rules for Joining the Group
1. You must be a member of WorldBecomesUnreal on DeviantArt to be able to submit. Requests to join are automatically approved.
2. Each member may submit 1 OF THEIR BEST WORKS PER EACH FOLDER, PER DAY.
3. All deviations must be YOUR OWN WORK unless you suggest a favorite.
4. All deviations must be NATURE-RELATED and submitted to the appropriate folders. eg: Landscape, Animals, Astrophotography, etc
5. All deviations must be PHOTOGRAPHS, unless you are submitting to the special folder for realistic art, such as drawing and painting. It is recommended that the photographs are reasonably edited to enhance their quality.
6. Most of all, PLEASE RESPECT others in this group and on the site in general.
Which Folder Do I Submit To?
Scapes - All about the sky: Sunsets, sunrise, milky way, stars and other objects beyond Earth, aurora, storms
Scapes - Land and water: a combination of trees, mountains, lakes, meadows, seas, etc.
Scapes - Forest: The main focus is trees. Forests, woodlands, groves, and jungles.
Dew and Frost: A macro focus of anything natural covered with droplets or snowflakes.
Plants and Fungi: Flowers, mushrooms, fruit, etc
Animals - Invertebrates: Closeups of small critters go here (All invertebrates: insects, arachnids, snails, jellyfish, etc)
Animals - Feline: Lions, tigers, domesticated cats
Animals - Canine: Wolves, foxes, domesticated dogs
Animals - Birds: ...
Animals - Rodents and Lagomorphs: Squirrels, beavers, mice / Rabbits, hares, pikas
Animals - Primates: Apes, monkeys, lemurs
Animals - Aquatic: Fish, orca, seals, hippos
Animals - Marsupials: Kangaroos, koalas
Animals - Reptiles and Amphibians: Snakes, lizards, crocodiles
Animals - Horned Mammals: Unbranching horned mammals, such as bison, cattle, goats, sheep and branching horned mammals, such as elk, deer, moose
Animals - Bears: Bears, polar bears
Animals - Horse family: Horses, zebras, rhinos
Animals - Elephant family: Elephants
Animals - Other mammals: Red pandas, giraffes
Hyper-Realism in Other Media: This is a special folder reserved for incredibly realistic nature-based art in a medium (traditional or digital) other than photography: Painting, drawing, illustration, and 3D modeling. Any of the categories in nature are appropriate: Landscape, animals, flowers.
Critical Elements for Feature-Worthy Work:
Artistic value, even if the content is usually taken for granted by the average person. The artist's job is to take something seemingly ordinary and present it in a meaningful manner. This relates to having a "good eye": the ability to catch the angle sensitive to the ambient conditions, portraying the subject to its advantage and presenting a picture that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also offers thoughtful insight to both the photographer and the subject.
Excellent use of light, shadow, contrast, and color. Lighting is the most important aspect of photography. No matter how compelling the subject is, if a photographer cannot successfully record good light reflected off the objects, there really is no point.
Strong composition, perspective, and thoughtful cropping/framing. The most preferred aspect ratio is the standard 4:3 or very similar. Vertical crops will rarely be accepted, but of course there are exceptions, especially if the subject is framed in a flattering manner. The standard ratio makes it easier for the eye to see more detail.
Overall image is not too blurry or too noisy. An interesting image incorporates great use of depth of field, or selective blur/sharpness.
No distracting borders, text, or logos on the image: Exceptions are made if these are implemented very subtly.
If in doubt, it is always a good idea to review examples of acceptable work by visiting the GALLERY.
Here is an insightful quote to think about: I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle. ~Steve Jobs
On that note...
This group strives to reward great photography skills by sharing the work done by passionate, dedicated, and experienced artists. We all began our journey from somewhere at the bottom, and many of us have discovered that rejection is what actually made us opt for excellence by working on improvement. Do not give up if your work is not accepted to some gallery, instead, seek inspiration from those who have achieved success already because, for all you know, they might have been right where you are now, yet nothing stopped them from doing what they love. As the founder of this group, I hold the power to choose which pieces to include in this gallery, however, you may notice that I have not even submitted my own work yet, because I still aim for perfection. So good luck, and keep clicking! |