Revisiting the Odd Shots rules

Okay, it's the Odd Shots dictator here, come looking over the rules originally established for Odd Shots. Taking comments and circumstances that have come up along the way to heart, we will make some slight revisions.

Here are the rules, which will remain simple.

That part is essential--it must remain simple and fun.

~

1. I will post my favorite odd shot for the week no later than 12:01 Monday morning Pacific Time. Right after midnight.

This was already a revision, as originally I thought I would post before going to work on Monday morning. Sometimes that doesn't work at all, and then I discovered "Blogger in Draft" and the capability of scheduling posts. So I will continue to post my Odd Shot at about midnight on Sunday night. If you post earlier, that is fine. If you want to find the earliest Odd Shots, check at David's, as his Monday comes long before some of us.

~

2. An odd shot could be something very ordinary taken at an odd angle that makes it a really cool picture. It could be an odd combination of things that make you laugh. It could be an unusual occurrence or sight. It could be any photo that defies categories or themes for other memes. There may be other definitions, so this rule is open ended.

This continues to be the guiding principle of the odd shots we take. I think you may agree that we have seen some things that fit into each part of the definition. Your odd shots have been fun and intriguing. I go back to some of them when I need a laugh.

~

3. Post a comment on my latest Odd Shot post if you have an odd shot so that we can find it.

This continues to be the best connection to the current week's Odd Shot posts. I have added a blogroll, but the blogroll might contain links to bloggers who didn't participate in the current week or whose posts are late. Also, you might visit before I update to add new Odd Shot participants.

~

I update the blogroll each Monday, removing those who haven't participated for a few weeks, and adding those who are new participants.

~

4. Post only one odd shot each week. (That is going to be the hard part for me.)

This has been the hardest part of the rules and the most controversial. I have broken this rule myself here: tree.

~

The purpose of the rule is to make the shot a truly ODD one. For some purposes a post with a string of photos to tell a story is what works best. (I've done those kinds of posts, we all have.) But an odd shot is not a photo essay or photo story. It is something visual that is out of the ordinary.

~

Bend the one shot rule if necessary to clarify the shot. Limit additonal pictures to one or two that explain the Odd Shot. Bend the rule, but don't shatter it with a string of unrelated shots. If you have a wonderful story with a series of illustrations, mention or link it in your Odd Shot post but post it separately.

I will add this to the linked rules.

~

It must be from your collection of photos you have taken, and can be from your past files or something new.

No questions here.

~

It can be edited by cropping or correcting the brightness, but no fancy stuff, please.

Since becoming acquainted with David over at authorblog, I have become more aware of how I frame my photos and do less and less cropping. But not all of us have the skill that David has, so these limited editing procedures are still allowed. The idea of this rule is to keep it natural and avoid some of those outlandish creations formed from combining images or special effects. So remember, KISMIF--Keep it simple, make it fun.

~

5. I made this icon in Paint. You can use it if you like. If you have a better suggestion for a logo, let me know. (If you look closely, it says "odd shots" in the lens.) David gave us a better logo. You may use either.

My feeble attempt at an icon has faded from everyone's memory. David's green and black camera is the official Odd Shots emblem.