Submission Guidelines
Here are the specs for your submission to Pixels At An Exhibition™ (and a whole lot of blathering. I’m sorry, I can’t help it.):
- You must be the creator and owner of the image copyrights. If you want to watermark your submission, fine, but if you are selected for the gallery show, we will ask (but not required—it is entirely your call) for one without a watermark.
- Format: Any standard format, size-wise, jpeg off the iPhone is fine: rectangle or square. We have been getting some .png submissions: these are not acceptable. If you have pulled the pictures off the iPhone into iPhoto, fine, just do not modify them on the computer.
- Images must have been taken with iOS devices ONLY. No exporting to Photoshop on the computer for levels adjusting, for example. To clarify: using any application on the iOS device itself to modify, enhance, manipulate the image IS permitted; exporting the image to a computer for the same is not permitted. Please specify if you are using an iPad in the title of the piece.
- If we discover you have submitted a photo that does not adhere to our guidelines, ALL of your photos will be rejected. Sorry, a visitor just alerted us to the fact that one person submitted two pictures taken with a Nikon. So bye-bye!
- Submit as many pictures as you want. Please use the PixelEx app, if possible. Please do not send in five versions of the same image: we have to go through every picture. Edit yourself, send us your best!
- For submissions, please use the PixelEx app to upload images directly to the site. I know it has some bad reviews, but that is because the site was broken due to attacks, not the app itself – let’s face it: it must be working okay if we’ve had twenty-thousand+ images come in. You may also send images in one batch of five (or less) from your iPhone directly to submissions@pixelsatanexhibition.com. Not a good way to do it, they can get lost in the shuffle, but if you must, you must.
- We will be streamlining submissions for registered and approved artists with the next iteration of the site and PixelEx.
(Please note: we at PixelsAtAnExhibition.com get no money from PixelEx: it all goes to the developer!) - We strongly suggest that, if you must use Hipstamatic, use it sparingly. We want the pictures that reflect YOU, not Hipstamatic. I highly recommend further apping Hipstamatic shots to reduce the cookie-cutter imprint/filtering Hipstamatic imposes on images. I’ve written a couple articles about this, you can search for Hipstamatic on the site to read the rants.
Also, please do not send four versions of the same shot, with slightly different filtering! Send your favorite.
Self-portraits in the mirror are usually rejected, unless there is something remarkable about them, like you are a naked beautiful woman. Pictures of your shadow on the ground or a wall, ditto. I also cannot stand “negative” images: only once in a rare while does it work. That said, I DO use negative images for layering in DXP (using “Difference”) to great effect.
And here are the contractual issues surrounding your submissions:
- You will retain copyright of all images, but you are permitting us to display images on this website, print out and display images in the gallery and, if selected, to be included in a book or magazine of images produced by PixelsAtAnExhibition.com for no extra fees or royalties. We may also use images for promotional purposes.
- If we sell prints of your image at a gallery, which we have printed out, we will split the purchase price with you, fifty-fifty after print/frame cost and commissions.
- We will be selling prints off the site at some point. We will be asking you to enter into a mutually beneficial contractual agreement at some point. Stay tuned.
- If we are able to license an image of yours to a third party, we will split the fee and/or royalties with you. We will collect and disburse the funds. Obviously, this will not happen without consultation with you and a written agreement.
- Any disputes over images will result in your image(s) being removed immediately from the website and the gallery. You may, at any time, ask us to remove, for any reason, images from website or the gallery. If your image has been chosen for the gallery show and inclusion in a book, you have up until the time we create the book to ask it be removed. If we have created and submitted the book, too late! Frankly, we can’t see why anyone would want to do this, but artists can get funny sometimes.
Upon registering and submitting your photos you, using the same email address, are declaring that your submissions meet our guidelines and you are agreeing to out terms.
Hi Knox. What does it mean it one of my submissions isn’t showing the picture but it’s out on your blog as being there with my name.
Nancy – it means the database is so creaky that the picture isn’t appearing for reasons unknown- it showed up fine in the admin screen when I posted it. This site is broken. It’s way too big for the ISP. I will fix it – I know how, but this unfortunately happens fairly often these days. I’m sorry! Thank you for letting me know.
fixed
Thank you Knox. Thought maybe Tude Girl gooped up everything with her muddy water.
I just signed up on here and sent a few of my pics. I would be the first to admit that I am not really a true photographer. I take random shots and borrow images from the internet and process the elements with apps until I have something I like. I suppose I should get the hint if none of my images are accepted but I was just wondering if you are looking for purer photography.
Images borrowed from elsewhere are not permitted. The idea is that all images are shot on iOS devices and processed on iOS devices, so an image downloaded from the internet and apped on the phone would not be allowed. You are free to shoot a picture on your computer screen with your iphone and manipulate it. As far as “purer” photography, every image is considered on its own merits, nothing else.
Ok. How does one, meaning me, change my avatar?
There is a website you can put your avatar for other websites to grab it. I forget its name. Also, if you have an account at wordpress.org or .com … i forget which, this site will find it. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Maybe someone else can.
iPhoto is now available, and presumably used, on iPhones/iPads. How does this affect submissions? I have at least one photo which was given a final tweak in iPhoto on the iPad!
Well, anything done on an iOS device is fine. Please identify it as an (iPad) image. Thanks.
The first fellow spica user I’ve come across…, one of my very first app investments and still used all the time!!
I LOVE this! I’ve been working very hard on honing my iphoneography photo/art techniques and I’m always fascinated with any apps used, techniques, or just friendly advise that more advanced artists such as you guys, (or so it appears!) would be willing to provide. I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds since I just got here, but do you or is there a possibility that you can encourage a brief technique overview (or at least the apps used)? any resource suggestions are happily welcome too! I’m trying to expand my abilities, and do far it has worked… But I feel some frustration/stagnation creeping in… Any fresh ideas or techniques are eagerly looked into. This sounds right up my alley.., I’m definitely checking this out!
Thank you!!
DeeAshley
You can always ask artists in comments how they did something. Also, Lifeinlofi.com is a great source of app reviews. And iphoneographycentral has all kinds of tutorials (they have a banner ad in the right column on this site). Welcome.
Thank you! I am familiar with the former, but have not seen that last one you mentioned- ill take a look. Thanks again!
Deeashley
I’ve 5 images on this great site sent from the iPhone app.
Due to a bug in the application (apostrophe handling) my first post “time travel” got a wrong surname. In the other submissions I’ve changed my surname in “DAndrea” to avoid wrong char insertion from the app. Could you please change them?
Is it all right to submit here if I’ve submitted the same photo to other exhibitions?
Thanks.
Absolutely okay to submit pictures that you have placed elsewhere, so long as the other guidelines are adhered to, i.e., iOS device only, etc. Many contributors have their work on other sites. Thanks for checking! -Knox
Thank you so much, Know. Appreciate your getting back to me so quickly.
“this is Hipstamatic speaking.” Not the artist who took the picture.
Sorry Knox, but I disagree. No matter what tool was used in creating said picture, the picture still comes from the photographer. The camera, in this case the iPhone, is just there to help get the point across.
Chris – I just think Hipstamatic usually overpowers the image (and the artist) with its heavy-handed, never-changing imprints. I publish some Hipstamatic. And I publish some Hipstamatic that has been further apped by the artists. I just think people tend to get lazy with Hipstamatic, since it makes everything look so cool. And lazy/cool is not what this site is about. But Hipsta is fine for some images.
Once again, I agree with you. Which is why I have tucked Hipstamatic away into one of my 8, yes 8, photo folders on my iPhone. I started to use it WAY too much and crept further and further away from using my other apps. I just think that there are so many awesome shots taken with Hipstamatic only that don’t need to be apped any further simply because the composition and lighting lend a helping hand to Hipsta’s effects.
On the contrary! I use Hipstamatic as a sort of template- or starting point- as it seems to open up a lot of possibilities in conjunction with other apps, (I love hipstamatic with percolator, and then blending the results, using layers to chop out the sky and replace it with dramatic cloud cover or nighttime scenes to give it an almost surreal feel). If I want to go totally artsy, I sometimes play with the Dali lens and use that as a layer in another photo….! Those are only a few of an infinite amount of uses!
Well, Dee, that is great. I heartily approve!
You know the Hipstamatic hate it when people re-app hipsta pics, don’t you?
What I’ve seen over time, or used to anyway, was that people got lazy with Hipstamatic. It made everything look pretty cool, even bad pictures. But that isn’t happening so much anymore … people are more like you … doing more to and with the pictures.
I’m going to be rewriting submission guidelines very shortly and will probably edit this part substantially.
Thank you for your input!
I ve aploded 2 pics by iphone, when and where can i see them, i dont understand this, im new on this site and app.
Thanks
This is a heavily curated site. Most pictures that come in do not get published. A lot of people do not like this aspect of the site. Please read the curation article (upper right corner of site is the link). I forwarded one picture to the People category curator for her to decide on. The other, Patty, I passed on. Thanks for checking. Welcome to P1xels and thank you for your submissions. -Knox
I am so amazed at the iPhone capabilities and the apps just keep getting better! I’m a designer and use Photoshop and Lightroom on my Mac, so having some elements of PS on my iPhone is so exciting. It helps that I’m familiar with layers and other properties of photo editing as I know what to look for in an app that I may not have with my existing apps. I love the infinite ways of creativity one has when one can not only photograph but edit in the field on the same tool. I never thought about the possibility of actually selling any of these photos, but I am curious if any will. Uploaded 2 so far. I am grateful for solid apps like Nik Snapseed PhotoForge2 and Retouch. There are some less worthwhile apps out there so it pays to check them out before purchasing.
Latest customer reviews of the app aren’t exactly very enticing….
Very sorry. It’s broken, that’s why. It will be fixed shortly. When I can pay the developer to fix it. We had to make changes to the site to stop bot attacks that were bringing down the site several times a day, thanks to MediaTemple. In the fixing, we had to turn off a plug-in that works with PixelEx. So actually, it’s the site that is broken. Will fix asap.
Thanks Knox. Will keep an eye out for news on the app. And in the meantime will submit work within the limits.
Great site guys looking forward to sharing and watching, cheers LJ from Oz
I just signed up and submitted some images through my iphone. Is there a place I can see and keep track of what I have submitted? Also, can I upload them from the computer! You’d think I’d know this…
I’m sorry, but we are not that sophisticated. It is okay to upload from computer. But no editing ON computer of course.
I’m new to this site too. Where do I upload on this site from the computer?
You can upload pictures directly to the site using the PixelEx app … it’s the best way. Ignore the bad reviews – they were written when the site itself was broken, not the app.
You can also email images to me at submissions@pixelsatanexhibition.com … but they can get lost in the shuffle that way.
Either way, the site is curated and not every picture gets published!
Ok, Thank you. Just uploaded one. My first!
I cannot believe it took me this long to discover you. I’ve been a huge proponent of iphoneography since day one of owning an iPhone. I even teach workshops on how to better use your iPhone for journalism, etc. SO glad I am here now!
Knox
I know you've probably got alot on your plate at the moment with galleries and whatnot but…
A while ago I submitted a HDR'd photo of 3 logs and cheekily called it 'Knox Bronson and Atombee are really Cool'…
And I just saw it on the random images section but when I search either my name or the name of the shot nothing comes up…
Any ideas?
Can I just resubmit the shot?
Ah.
Just read what Linda Schenck asked.
Never mind,I just assumed only accepted shots would be on that random images thingy.
I wish that were the case. Hopefully in the new site.
I remember that. I just thought the title was so weird. Still do. atombee comes from an old piece of music I wrote, Flight of the Atom Bee. Resubmit, please. I thought it to be an interesting picture.
Dear Mr. Bronson,
I am confused.
You state: We strongly suggest that, if you must use Hipstamatic, use it sparingly. We want the pictures that reflect YOU, not Hipstamatic. I highly recommend further apping Hipstamatic shots to reduce the cookie-cutter imprint/filtering Hipstamatic imposes on images.
But then you come up with this quote that says: "Aim well, shoot fast, and app that bitch until it sings." — Knox Bronson.
Kind of a contradiction, wouldn't you say?
Why do you hide behind your apps? Is it because you know that without them, your iPhone photographs are truly works of amateur and below-average shit?
Delete this comment if you like, but if you're all that you say you are, you will leave it in tact and respond with a true answer.
Your thoughts?
Delete this comment? I don't delete any comments. I welcome comments such as yours.
First off, Hipstamatic does not allow people to app pictures in the same way that, say, EffectTouch, or PhotoFX, or even Lo-Mob, do. Hipstamatic generates such an over-powering imprint on most (note I say most) images that the artist's personality is lost: all that is left is "this is Hipstamatic speaking." Not the artist who took the picture. I have written to many artists in whom I detected a good eye for composition, but whom were lost in the Hipsta matrix, to ditch the app and explore other apps. Almost without exception, I have received thank you notes, and have subsequently witnessed amazing growth with said artists. Hipstamatic seems to me to be sort of iphonographic karaoke, kind of a hipster affectation, not a true tool for individual expression, but rather an app used for tribal identification. Hipstamatic is a limited set of tools lazy people use to create the iphonographic equivalent of trip-hop for retards.
Also note that I say "App that bitch 'til it SINGS!"
Hipstamatic doesn't sing: hipstamatic dribbles.
Are you beginning to understand the difference between Hipstamatic and real apps now?
And on to your other remarks/questions:
Oh yes, the amateur and below average shit without the apps question/statement. Well, I love the art on Pixels. It has come a long way in a short time and I firmly believe the existence of the site has had something to do with that. I love the artists. There are a number about whom I get excited when I see their names in the submissions emails. And I love my own work, too. I'm down to maybe two pictures a month, though, now.
Someone else just accused me of having a strong bias towards post-production when I declined to print four of his daily walk-on-the-beach photo-blogging project. This was part of my reply, but it will serve to answer your question, I'm sure.
Here we go:
******************
Ansel Adams said if you get twelve good images a year, that's "a good crop."
Pixels is not about blogging, or daily shots or any kind of process. I don't even like "concepts!" It's one image at a time. In fact I am encouraging all the artists to slow down, shoot more, app more if needed (or app less, if not needed), and post less. I want quality over quantity.
Cartier-Bresson did not do his own printing, but he would make his assistants work for a week figuring out how to get the perfect print from a negative, using an enlarger, dodging, burning, and chemical solution timing. That is also "apping." Old school apping, but absolutely apping. So Cartier, too, had a strong bias towards post-production, after the decisive moment, of course.
I am looking for magic, as in magical realism, for lack of a better term, not snapshots. I have looked at probably eight or nine thousand pictures this year. I have published 4,500, one at a time. If I had time, I would depublish a 500-1000 of them, easily, including at least a third of my own.
*********************end of my reply to him
So "apping," post-production, is endemic to image making. I've made my thoughts very clear about taking an image off the iphone elsewhere, so no need to go into them now. I love a crisp black and white shot, there are many on the site. Check out Ramona Gillentine. On the other end, look at what Maia Panos, and Jon Betts, and Andrea Mdos are doing … very heavily apped, amazing stuff that should be in museums … this is great art, vibrant and alive. Or Jaime Ferreyros or Joan Bada or Elena Herrero … lots of apping … look at the Sarah Remix project … a lot of apping of already beautiful nudes.
And I have learned how to print these pictures quite well. And I have presented them to the public several times for extended periods. And I have seen first hand, more than any single person on the planet, how people react to this vibrant art form of ours when printed well and displayed with the respect due to both art and artist.
It excites me to be a part of this global movement. The goal of Pixels is and has always been to take the art off the internet and get it into galleries, museums, and people's homes as framed art. I want Pixels artists to take themselves and their work seriously. This is an emergent art form and I believe that I have the shining core of the true pioneers posting on my site. That's what keeps me going.
So … did I answer your questions? Do you have any others? Have you ever submitted to Pixels? Let's see what you've got, big boy.
Mr. Bronson,
I don't see how you even take yourself seriously. Although you say "I want Pixels artists to take themselves and their work seriously".
You take pictures of your cats, man. Come on. All you need now is a lovely Christmas sweater to got with it.
There are so many other iPhone photographers run circles around your work.
In your eyes, you're part of "the movement"? To most other people, you're a "set back" in that same very "movement".
As for the other artists you mentioned. I've got nothing but love for each one you mentioned. But the problem is…THEY TOO run circles around your work.
Maybe YOU should submit YOUR work to a contest or exhibit or two and see where it goes. Show them what you got, big boy.
i.F.
PS. Gonna leave THIS one up for public view?
Oh … you are insulting my work! It's not all Pixels artists you are dissing, just me. Are you looking at my cat blog that I haven't posted on in months?
You don't like my art? Jeez, I think I will cry.
But I think I will depublish a bunch of my work. I was just looking through it last night with Maia and saying I should get rid of a bunch of this. She agreed. I went through a period, like many people where I was just trying to produce too much work and it all suffered as a result. It's part of the growth curve, I believe, based on observation.
Well, if you don't like my iphonography, maybe you will like my music. You can find me on iTunes. Under Knox Bronson.
Jesus, I thought you were attacking all the artists and the art form, not just me. I wouldn't have wasted so much time answering you if I had known that.
I don't know who you are and … surprisingly … I don't give a fuck! Feel free to send in more questions any time you want. I am here to serve.
You know, I just had a thought, iProngPhotog, you could be the Mr. Blackwell of the iphonographic world. You know, start a blog and do the "Ten Worst" lists every day or week or month or year. You know who Mr. Blackwell is, don't you? http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/gallery/blackw…
On another note, I just depublished about 50 pictures, almost half of mine. Glad I did. I knew they were weak. Thanks for the nudge, iProng!
Dear i.F.,
Hi, I do not know you personally but you did pique my curiosity. I don't know if you are aware of the incredibly interesting history of art, but I am.
Artists such as Monet and Van Gogh were shunned by established salons and not considered real artists. The art elite considered everything from their subject matter to their play of light in their work, which deviated from the accepted norm, as simplistic, ridiculous, and basically not good…clearly those elite were mistaken.
I do not begrudge you your dislike of Mr. Bronson's work, after all art is subjective, but you devalue your own point and appear as nothing more than a silly elitist when you take the time to come onto his site and crassly insult him in a manner that is really better saved for those at the bar…or any other place where those who aren't actually a part of anything of value for that matter…congregate, yelling loudly in the din, though no one is listening because the other patrons are too busy yelling about how they can't cut a break, are better than, or simply sit and cry because in their heart of hearts they know they have nothing to contribute and no one to listen.
I do admit a bit of hesitation in calling you an elitist, perhaps that is unfair, to be an elitist you must actually have some kind of qualifications. What is your knowledge of art history or art? Do you hold a doctoral degree from a reputable university, are you educated in the long and illustrious history of which Mr. Bronson is a part? Or are you simply an angry person with nothing more to contribute than some ugly slurs and attempts at baiting a person who is clearly doing something interesting and evocative? perhaps I should not refer to you as an elitist, but simply a bully.
Either way, Mr. Bronson is contributing to the greater good, he is contributing something that will live long after he is gone, however, someday you will cease to exist, leaving nothing of value, and you will be forgotten. How sad for you.
Sincerely,
Art Historian
“Either way, Mr. Bronson is contributing to the greater good, he is contributing something that will live long after he is gone.”
I agree with you, sir. Knox has done a lot to help the iPhoneography community. What I don’t like is how you make it sound like he’s the only one contributing just because he has a site dedicated to this art form. I’m sure you’ve heard of Flickr? Have you seen the work that’s being produced on there? Amazing. Just like this site. Every single person that posts an image taken and processed entirely on the iPhone is contributing to this form of photography.
“someday you will cease to exist, leaving nothing of value, and you will be forgotten.”
Now that’s just rude.
“when you take the time to come onto his site and crassly insult him”
I tried to find some of your images in this site, but came up empty handed. Do you go by another name or are you just trolling the ‘net looking to put in your 2 cents?
hey now, cats are awesome creatures and worthy of photographing… IF you KNOW HOW! I have cats and I do know how!
Hello,
I just wanted to ask again about the limit of submissions on your site. At the time of your last response, it sounds like you placed a limit of 5 total pictures per artist. However, I've seen a few artists who have many more than 5 pictures on your site.
Has this limit now changed?
Thanks
There never was a limit. I made the rule, never stuck to it! But if you want to submit a lot of pictures, please use PixelEx app … pictures submitted by email must be uploaded one at a time by hand.
i notice an image i subbmitted on this page of your web site, under random images. if this image isn't appearing when i do a search with my name does that mean it hasn't been accepted?
thank you
That is correct. This site is heavily moderated.
I was wondering howphotos get picked for apple store galleries and as a feature artist on the pixels blog?
Well, are you a regular Pixels' contributor? That helps. A lot.
Hello,
My Flickr Photostream (website above) has all of my iPhonetography work. Can I just e-mail those to you from Flickr, or do I have to download them to my Mac, import them back into my iPhone using iPhoto, and then send them?
Also, is there a reason why the app for submissions to this site isn't free?
Thanks in advance
Hi Kevin- You can send them in however you want. Soon, registered users will probably just use the WordPress iphone app to upload pictures and manage their photots, or login as contributors.
The reason PixelEx costs money is I didn't have any money for the developer and I was hoping he could make a few dollars for all his work on the app. I don't get any of the purchase price.
you can email pictures, but i have a huge backlog right now.
I didn't have any money to pay the developer, so we put a $2 price tag on PixelEx. He gets all the money. He's a really nice guy in Bosnia.
Hi there
I just submitted two photos tonight.
After playing around with film lab I decided I had to send in the new and improved version of the shot….
I know in your guidelines this is frowned upon but I feel the second shot is much better and would really like it on your site…
I do fingerpainting on my iPhone sometimes using an iphone photo as a start. How about submitting iPainting (completely done on iPhone)?
Well, if you start with a photo and do all the editing on the iPhone, that is well within the guidelines!
Hey there…couple quick questions:
1. Is there a particular subject line we should use?
2. Do we put a title with each pic or can we send it without a name/title?
3. Do I have to put my name at the bottom or any other identifying credentials? Or will my email addy connect to my account here and we're good to go?
Thanks…Jeb
If you can name the pictures with the title, great. If you want to send a sep email with titles, fine. If no titles, I just make them up.
No subject line necessary. If it comes into the submissions@iphontography email box, we figure it is pictures for the show.
Thanks for asking.
Great initiative. Just submitted. Cheers!
so happy to knew this ,
I just email my images to you
thanks a lot
Dickwcf
what are the chances of increasing the number of submissions? say to 10?
Slim. We are barely keeping up as it is. Maybe if we automate the process we will raise the number.
Your submission guide lines are confusing…
4: Submit UP TO 5 IMAGES. Please do not submit more
5: Submit in batches of 5….
So is it five max at a time or 5 max in total?
Thanks!
It is five max, although we are somewhat lax about that at this time.
Originally, we were charging to submit, $5 for five pictures. Five more pics, five more dollars.
When we went to free submissions, I guess the language got confusing as a result.
We just don't want people sending 209 pictures. We want their best five or ten. Each image must be individually posted by hand.
We are looking into automating the submission process.
Thanks for writing. And the great pictures. -knox
Send me a link please!