Photo of the Week

Hey, so I’ve got this idea to do a weekly post here on my blog called: Photo of the Week. I’ll be including my Etsy team mates, for those that want to participate (both from POE and the new Polaroid Team) and myself, of course! ;-)

Here are my thoughts behind starting this up: first and foremost the original idea for Photo of the Week traces back to something my Uncle Kregg and I started doing a few weeks ago (he’s been an avid photographer for a number of years now). We’ve been emailing each other our photo and recently started CCing a couple of other people in on the email. I’ve decided to take it a step further and exchange a photo of the week with my fellow Etsy photographers. The idea is to encourage each of us to do at least a little shooting EACH WEEK and to keep our creativity “awake”. Many of us are doing our best to make a living at selling our art, and as we all know art has always been difficult to make a living at – pile on top of that this horrible economy and it’s easy to get discouraged! This is a way that I hope can help keep our energy up to push on through the discouraging times and possibly even push our own creative limits at the same time! Plus, we could all use a little more exposure for our shops, right? ;-)

There will be a deadline for submissions each week (details to follow shortly), and sometimes just having that deadline can help energize our creativity. We may not always have a masterpiece, but its important to find the time to think creatively each week – even if its just long enough for that one shot!

Here are the guidelines for how it will work (please read carefully if you want to join in):

[UPDATE: Please refer to the guidelines page for the most current guidelines]

1. DEADLINE: Tuesdays, 11:59 PM Pacific Time. The current deadline can be found at the top of the blog in the side bar. I’ll have the post up on my blog by the following Thursday or Friday. Not sure what time it is on the Pacific coast? Check the handy Pacific Coast Clock which can also be found at the top of my blog in the side bar. If I receive submissions after Tuesday no problem, they will be considered a submission for the following week.

2. SUBMISSIONS: One photo per person each week. No particular theme each week, however I am thinking of having a theme around Holidays/special events and so on (which will be announced in advance of deadline).

3. IT MUST BE A NEW SHOT! Try not to cheat here – the purpose of this exercise is to keep creating! I’ll have no way of proving one way or the other how old the photo is (unless I see someone wearing a sweet leisure suit or sporting some massive shoulder pads!), so it’s on your conscience if you give me something you dug out of your archives!

4. HOW TO SUBMIT: Send it via email to: JessicaRogers.PhotoOfTheWeek@gmail.com SUBJECT MUST SAY “Photo of the Week Submission” – I cannot be held responsible for submissions that get lost in the junk filter, though I’ll do my best to scan for them. Files must be in .jpeg format at 72dpi, 5″x7″ (360×504 pixels). Square is fine too, but please don’t make them too large – remember they’re only for viewing on the internet, not to print!

5. COPYRIGHT: Fear not! I will not even think of reproducing/selling or otherwise abusing your copyright of your photo. Submitting your photo for the blog only gives me permission to post your photo in my blog – that’s all! I WILL give all due credit to each photographer. If you are still worried, feel free to put a copyright watermark on your image – just make sure it doesn’t distract from the photo.

6. SO, Please remember to INCLUDE: Attach the photo (of course!), your name (first and last, even if you’ve participated before I have a bad memory for names!), your Etsy shop name, and title of photo. I will add a link to your Etsy shop. Here’s what a submission email might look like:

Feel free to post your own photo of the week on your blog/website. This is a great way to give the background story of your photo to your followers – all I ask is that you link back to my post as well. Fair enough?

That’s it for now – if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Happy shooting!