***I've got two problems*** about the current contest - submissions are soaring in

[Mira]

The fact we got 18 submissions in the first day is NOT a problem.

The fact that some of the photos are too large is against the rules, and I wish the folks who submitted them would go to postimages.org and size them down.
It's how I would do it, but I'm busy with re-visiting America the beautiful in my archives which brings me to my second problem

So far I have 7 entry possibilities, and I can not, at this point, decide.

A long time ago - in the photo group - folks who were indecisive posted a questionnaire poll in the photo group and asked the others which they liked best.
It actually was fun, and the person who asked did not really have to follow the advice of the poll's results, and sometimes did and other times did not.

I might do that tomorrow. Just announcing it, in case I do, so folks who have not been around that long realize it's an old photography habit coming to the fore again.

[elleng]

1. Looking forward to seeing yours (and others.')

I have none, TOO LONG ago to dig out any of mine, and old cameras aren't around.

[mike_c]

2. Please let me know if my submission was too large or otherwise outside the rules. n/t

[Mira]

3. Your submission is perfect in every way

not only that it is one of 18 reasons I am actually loathe to even submit any of my seven favorites.
I'm of course serious, and smiling at the same time.

[Callalily]

4. I sympathize with you about choosing a photo.

My decision was difficult I too because have so many that I really like. But I bit the bullet, posted one and am not going to look anymore.

But...looking through past photos was a nice trip down memory lane.

I'm looking forward to viewing you photos.

[Pobeka]

5. A couple of thoughts.

1. The three most important rules, which are lost or not even in the "fine print" at the bottom of the start of a new contest original post -- I think should be cut&pasted to the submission thread original post, immediately after the theme.
-maximum dimension of photo
-maximum size (kb) of photo
-by submitting the photo, you give rights to DU to put it in a calendar, blah, blah.

I say that because it has got me a few times, and I realized after the fact and went back and resized.

2. When I get stuck on choosing photos in a contest, I ask myself "which one would I like to have printed, hanging on my wall for 20 years and still like 20 years later?". It allows me to remove myself from the immediate emotional impact of a photo, and think about is there really something special about the photo that makes it stand out visually.
---

(I personally would like to see the maximum dimensions for photos raised 50%, and the maximum size in kb tripled. I understand even 7 or 8 years ago size could be a problem for various viewing devices, but there's a lot of nice work here that I'd love to see at a larger dimension and higher jpeq quality.)

[William Seger]

6. I second the motion for larger sizes

There should be a limit so that download times are reasonable, but 1024 crushes a lot of detail.

[Mira]

7. Valid comments

Next time I do a contest I will take this into consideration. I - and others - cut and paste the rules and comments with maybe not enough thought.
Doing a contest is already a lot of work
We actually, I barely remember it though, used to have calendars....

I like your thoughts about how to chose a photo.
With the onslaught of incredibly gorgeous photos, possibly the best array ever, I just randomly picked one out of my contenders and decided not to do a fun runoff int he photo group. It is filling up so fast!

[Talitha]

8. Regarding photo size...

IMO the present size limits are perfect.

However, if someone wants to share a better version of the image with us, there's an easy solution.

Below your submitted image, simply add a link - to a larger or higher resolution version.

My online astronomy group does that, and it works out very well.

[Pobeka]

9. That's a good idea. Best of both! n/t

[Talitha]

10. Yes, it's a win-win for everyone!

[HAB911]

11. I lowered my file size

from 763K to 511K and PS says the photo is 693x1024

if this is incorrect, let me know!

[Mira]

12. Perfect

Thank you!