I think we do agree because we agree that the care of people is necessary to keep a form operating at optimal capacity and function.
Iām certainly disappointed to see this affected our community enough that some withdrew from the competition this month. I hope that we can all continue to share our experiences as keepers and enthusiasts alike in the future, with the mentality that we are all very small in this community as a whole, and are only as popular as our experiences and exposure can carry us, so letās not let the concept of elitism or the worry of being outshined get in the way of learning and growing and especially not let it affect otherās ability to join in on the fun. Weāre here to see things we havenāt before, to talk about things we havenāt done before, and how to try if weād like to, so my suggestion is, if anyone is feeling less than confident, or sees someone do something they think did better than they could, ask how it was done, what they used, what they like about what they did, and I donāt just mean photography. If you love someoneās enclosure or feeding schedule, supplementation or what have you, and take some notes from it to try yourself or want to ask what theyāre doing, thatās great! Reach out directly or ask the community, and remember, none of us learned this stuff overnight, we all had to start somewhereā¦ Try not to let whatever length the journey takes overcome the excitement of the voyage, or the quality of the experience gained in the process. 
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So this got a bit hard to follow.
Iām going to break this down to be sure I hit everyones pointsā¦
Letās say you support Chelsea FC and they win the Champions League this season. How would you feel being told that because of your achievements this season, you are not allowed in the Champions League next season? Winning should not lead to punishment.
I personally like the idea in theory but am completely against the idea in practice. It would be next to impossible to say who is professional or not without hurting feelings along the line.
This is the plan but at the moment putting the contest together (especially the voting thread) takes quite a bit of time. We are constantly working on ways to streamline the process without ruining the contests spirit, but at the moment it is put together by handā¦ we should take this over to another thread through.
This can actually be shown by past results that you are not the only one that votes this way.
I actually donāt think we have a issue.
BPOTM: 13 Months, 13 different winners.
ROTM: 13 Months, 11 different winners
AIOTM: 4 Months, 2 winners
I think Welshs point here is extremely fairā¦
Some of the months have had fewer than 7 entriesā¦ which heavily increases everyone involved chances of winning.
Alsoā¦
This right here 
We added the contests for light hearted fun and so far I believe that the majority of users take it that way. If someone wants to put in the extra effort, then they shouldnāt be penalise for it.
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Sorry to anyone my suggestion or comments upset. It was not my intention.
I withdrew from the competition this month because my starting this thread at the same time could have sounded like vote begging.
No one else should have, I was simply making a suggestion and it was not directed at anyone in particular.
Hey, Iām not being rude or anything butā¦
Undo your deleting of your images in the competition! Please 
They were bloody Amazing! I really enjoy seeing you post daily photos of your animals, I myself take daily pics of my lot as I also think itās fun and just makes me happy! I honestly also think you should do a thread of just your photos on here, myself and I know a lot of others would enjoy this as theyāre beautifully done and Iām just fascinated but them all.
I suffer from Anxiety and I must say the reptiles and other animals help calm me so I usually get them out for a āphoto shootā too. Itās fun and enjoyable, theyāre probably sick of it now butā¦
Time to go get the Royal out for one! 
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Keep postning your awesome photos. They are really, really inspiering. 
Do not make yourself small. Keep shining your light. 
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Please donāt! We all really love your entries, the conversation is about getting more people to share their photographs and to encourage better picture taking. It would really be a shame for you to stop sharing something that brings you so much personal satisfaction and purpose in your life.
Perhaps weāre taking it all a bit too seriously here. After all itās just internet points on an forum for an obscure hobby. Then again it can be said that the visibility gained from participating in photo contests can have a real world impact for those of us who well animals on this site, which is dedicated to marketing animals. Maybe not having a winner takes all system, like 1st 2nd 3rd place, could encourage more photography? Then again weāre getting close to handing out participation trophies at that point 
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Nobody really ends up winning most of the time. A lot of the votes arenāt even for the most skilled picture taken. A lot are just for how cute or funny the animal is and maybe a certain morph that they think is cool. Everybody has a chance. Some people win more than others but itās not enough to make it unfair or a reason to divide the community. I personally donāt even enter to win. I just pick pictures that I think people will enjoy, most months I donāt even enter just because I donāt have a picture that is something someone would enjoy. I never expect to win and if I did then I would be very happy but I never expect it. Like welsh said itās all about having fun. I donāt think anyone should not post just because they donāt think theyāre good enough or they think theyāre too good.
And @welshmorphology, please keep posting your pictures, they are amazing and have inspired me to take even better pictures. Right now Iām working on building a photo box to improve my pictures. Also keep posting your pictures to the competitions, theyāre meant to have fun and to share pictures, not about winning. Youāre not preventing the enjoyment of the competition from anyone and we all love seeing your pictures, in the categories and in the competitions.
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I have a light box but not sure how good my lighting is and only have a phone camera so I just donāt think my photos are as good as they could be
You are all very kind to me with the lovely messages.
I donāt mind admitting I am a bit battered atm. None of you were meant to know that, probably why I was a bit more sensitive than usual as I am ill. I feel like Iāve been run over by a heard of car jacking badgers?? Yes that rough.
Letās just draw a line under this and crack on.
How about we have an āAnything goesā category too. Ya know other pets, landscapes, architecture etc
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what about the winner of the pic of the month pics a topicā¦balls e.g. banana?
AIOTM āGreenā ROTM āActive when lights are outā???
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In theory that could work except I think that would limit most entries since most people are pet owners and only have 1-5 animals.
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Ok maybe not that thenā¦ urrrm I donāt know how else then?
Personally Iād rather keep the best in it. I like their photos for inspiration and goals. At the end of the day any photos I post of my family are just for fun. Iāve never won any of the contests here and Iām cool with that. Iām not a photographer and my creativity levels are mediocre at best. But if I were serious bout it Id wanna beat the best personally.
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Iām game for that if yāall will post more of your astronomy stuff cause that s*** is amazing
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My SO has said the female herpers group on FB does something like this where the winner picks a theme for the next month, might be interesting. We just got a macro lense yesterday so Iām excited to try some photography/videography myself
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THANKYOU!!
Itās been such a ballache learning how to do it. Apart from the fact I still get jitters in the darkā¦itās not something you can practice all the time. The stoopid moon and weather effects it. As do the times the stars rise. I enjoy the end results but takes HOURS to combine it all and make the shots!! I get excited but itās COLD work doin it too.
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What about a points system? Could that work?
IDK count towards photo of the year?
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