The October 'Pink' contest winners

Well, I'm feeling a little pink myself now! And surprised and delighted, too. Thank you Teresa, thank you Lane. Congratulations to the other winners - I especially like the pig (he got my vote) - he's irresistible.

I enjoy abstract and semiabstract photography. I took my shot in the Public Garden in the spring. There are always lots of wedding parties there on a Saturday afternoon and the bridesmaids' dresses were so striking that I had to take a shot. I've no idea whose wedding it was. Maybe someone will recognize it!

Thanks again, all.

Gillian (amythyst_lake)

What happened to the original judge who picked the Top 50 ... and if Lane were to narrow the initial submissions to fifty, would he still have picked these three? Thinking that the Top 10 may have been a bit different if he was there from the start of October's quest to find the best representation of 'Pink'.

Congratulations Jill! Another well-deserved win.

Congratulations to the winners! Thank you Lane Turner. I especially like the pink sneakers and of course the pig too! He's so cute!

Thank you Teresa, Lane, and the RAW community - I was thrilled to see my entry "Olivia at the beach" among the top 10!

The morning I took this photo I knew the light was perfect - and there I was with my exuberant, spirited niece. As an amateur, I rarely feel confident - but that day...it just all clicked! I felt the difference.

Kudos to all who submitted photos - I learned quite a lot from studying your color, composition, and balance. Here's to future photos that just "click".

Congratulations to the winners! Really fantastic photos! This was a good contest; I didn't have a submission I felt was good enough this time around personally ... Great work to choose from.

This was a relief to see a photo contest that wasn't a Photoshop contest as with previous contests here ... nice to see the winning pieces were not overcooked HDRs.

Very nice ... congrats to all the winners, and especially to Gillian for the 3x milestone!

Congrats to Gillian et al.

And thanks Lane and, as usual, Teresa.

This has turned out to be a great forum to share images, to have work reviewed each month, and to compete in a very low key fashion.

I love the pig shot ... glad it made the top 3, and congrats to the other winners as well!

If you have one judge pick the winners, why do you bother having people vote?

Hi, v ... We have people vote because they like taking part in the process. And the judge does take the voting into consideration. Lane Turner didn't this month because we were in too much of a hurry to get the Top 10 posted, but every other month, the judge always consults the voting either before or during her or his final selection process.

Teresa, did you ever find out what happened to the original judge? I'd be curious to know what happened and why?

If her explanation is short of a personal emergency, then her actions would pretty much serve as a slap in the face to both you and all of us who enjoy being part of the RAW community.

I agree. Either let the voters decide or the judge, but not both. It's like holding an election but letting a judge overrule the decision of the electorate. It comes across as counter intuitive and a farce to those participating.

I'm afraid I never heard from her, Warner. It's strange, because she was so excited about judging the contest and so prompt in choosing the Final 50 ... and seemingly eager to pick the Top 10 as well. That's why it's baffling and makes me think something must have happened to prevent her from finishing. But no worries; Lane did a terrific job.

It's worked fine every month, Jim; our users enjoy voting, and the judges are diligent about taking those votes into consideration. Having professional judges involved eliminates the potential problem of spam voting, or the advantage that a photographer who works for a large organization with enthusiastic and well-meaning colleagues may have over say, a stay-at-home Dad. At the same time, the judges understand that letting the voters have some say in the results helps build a community here.

Teresa, I have no doubts that Lane did a terrific job. I was just curious about what had happened to the original judge.

She must have realized that there existed some modicum of professional commitment, that if not followed through to its entirety, would reflect poorly on her, tarnishing her reputation as a colleague to you and as a professional.

Well, she's not a colleague, Warner; she lives and works out in Utah. And as much as I would have liked her to choose the Top 10, I also realize that life happens, as the cliche goes.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to Teresa for making it all work out in the end, despite the judging glitch.

I have to say that all the photos are terrific, but I really dig the pig -- in all his glorious sloppy pinkness!

Thanks for all the pig compliments!! This is my first top 3 finish! And I am pretty new to the photography scene (bought the G10 last April on a semi whim! Best decision ever.) and have been loving the advice and pictures on RAW.

And that pig was dying to be the center of attention that day. I got a few pretty funny ones of him. It is very cool and encouraging to read your compliments. And to be next to those sneakers and that reflection! Both awesome!

People who make RAW happen, you do a great job, I like the changing rules and themes. And debates over post processing. Feels like a free photography class. Thanks for your hard work.

Bring on the toys!

Thanks for the explanation, Teresa. Since there is no way to confirm a "one person, one vote" process, a mechanism to assist in correcting potential irregularities (a judge in this case) does make sense.

Congrats to all who won, and to those who made plan B work!

I appreciate the explanation of the voting, and had wondered how the potential for some to rally multiple votes was taken into consideration. I, for one, don't feel the voting adds much to the community because we never see the results, and because of the possibility that they are skewed... although I appreciate the concept of giving us a part. Just my opinion.