Back in the day, when the printed MLS only had a simple photo of the home, photography wasn't a very big part of our business. Today, it's a huge factor in our marketing, and the simplest cameras we use, the ones in our phones, have capabilities well beyond the reach of what was accessible to amateur photographers even 10 years ago. Further, what once could only be accomplished in the darkroom, using expensive equipment and expert techniques, is now just a click or two away in a free photo editor.
As a consequence, many of us have embraced photography both for what it can do for our business and as a personal hobby. And many of us have become quite skilled and display real artistic talent in our work and play.
To celebrate that, ActiveRain will host a photography contest this month, with lots of ways to participate, lots of points, and lots of winners. Here's the deal:
Categories
There are two main categories, real estate and real life, and within each main category are a number of sub-categories, as follows:
Real Estate
Main listing photo
Interior
Exterior - grounds, outdoor feature or landscape
Branding photo
Miscellaneous
Real Life
People
Travel/Places
Animals
Best use of filter or special effect
Best selfie
Miscellaneous
Note: The Real Estate category is for photographs that were used in, or intended to be used in, a real estate business context - listings, flyers, marketing and branding, etc. It is only the photos that comply with this requirement that will receive the points bonus for this category. If you are a lender, inspector, stager, title person or anyone else associated with real estate, we'll accept photos that relate to your business in this category. We have also added a Miscellaneous category in Real Life.
Rules
Members may submit multiple entries, but may submit only one entry per sub-category, and one entry per post. Each submission must clearly state which category is being entered.
Each submission must be the members own photo, in original or edited form.
In addition to the submitted photo, each post should give the readers a bit of the story behind the photo - we don't need to know the f-stop, speed or ISO, but we would like to know why you selected this photo for the contest. No minimum word count required.
For each separate entry, please place a link to your post in the comment section of this announcement.
The contest will run from November 1, 2016 to November 30, 2016.
Points
Entry points:
Since ActiveRain is a real estate website, we are offering a point bonus for all entries in the real estate category. Entries in the real estate category will be awarded 750 points. Entries in the real life category will be awarded 500 points.
Entry points will only be awarded once, regardless of how many times a member has entered. If you submit multiple entries in both categories, you will receive the 750 point award.
Award Points:
All entries will be judged, and winners will be chosen as follows:
Overall:
1st - 2000 points
2nd - 1500 points
3rd - 1000 points
Each sub-category:
1st - 750 points
Honorable Mention - 500 points
Judging
We are extremely fortunate to have the help of three of AR's most talented photographers to serve as judges for this contest.
 |
 |
 |
||
| Kathy Streib | Paul Henderson | Gayle Rich-Boxman |
We're all looking forward to seeing your photos. Have fun!
Seriously though thank you all. 
Comments (327)Subscribe to CommentsComment