Foto3 - Competition/Website Disclaimer

[ASRafferty]

This afternoon, the latest inquiry (and far from the first) about the outcome of the "foto3 Competition" arrived in Ted's e-mail. In spite of my repeated requests (sent, as always directed in posts to this forum, to "amiles@viewcamera.com") to get Ted's e-mail address off the list of those who get mail sent from that link on the foto3 website, it's apparently still there.

This writer (like several others) threatens to notify his credit card company that the hit for the entrance fee was fraudulent. All of them that have come this way are upset that they've had no acknowledgment that their entries were received, no word on who won or didn't, except that their credit cards have been hit for the fee. I am making sure, individually and (I hope) with this announcement, that they know that Ted had nothing to do with any of this after March 21, and sending them to "amiles@viewcamera.com."

If you or anyone you know is in the position of these people who need to find out about what happened with the competition or their entries (and fees they paid), these inquiries should be sent directly to Steve Simmons.

I'm telling these writers as much, as I respond to the ones that keep coming to Ted, and I'll keep hoping that it will stop soon. Getting this residue e-mail has been hurtful and sad, particularly in light of the chain of events that ended with Ted's death. Since I have so much documentation about when Ted's involvement ended and why, I'm not especially worried about making that clear if/when these people decide to take the action they're threatening.

However, "on advice," I'm publicly announcing here and on other forums that Ted Harris' involvement in anything related to administration of foto3 ended on March 21, 2008, and that any attempt to imply otherwise by keeping his name on the foto3 website or e-mail circulation, or in any other fashion, is false.

I appreciate having the ability to get words like this out to the community... thanks.

Amy Rafferty Harris

[steve simmons]

Our staff has been unable to find Ted's name anywhere on the site

www.foto3-2008.com


With regards to the contest most of the entries have been sent back and the grand prize winner has been notified. We have sent back 90% of the entries where return packing and postage was sent as was required. We did keep a few of the prints for an exhibit and display at foto3 and these will go back this week.

steve simmons

[Don Hutton]

Our staff has been unable to find Ted's name anywhere on the site

www.foto3-2008.com


With regards to the contest most of the entries have been sent back and the grand prize winner has been notified. We have sent back 90% of the entries where return packing and postage was sent as was required. We did keep a few of the prints for an exhibit and display at foto3 and these will go back this week.

steve simmons

Then all of you are truly challenged - it took me under 30 seconds to find Ted's email as the contact point on the entry form PDF on the website:

[ Edited out by moderator, since there is no need to link to offending document while waiting for removal, and no use for a broken link after removal. Tuan]

Most decent folks would offer an apology too - your lack of one speaks volumes...

[steve simmons]

We have asked our web person to remove the contest entry form from the site. It was in the fine print at the bottom and I appreciate it being pointed out. I apologize for this oversight.

steve simmons

[Robert A. Zeichner]

...All of them that have come this way are upset that they've had no acknowledgment that their entries were received, no word on who won or didn't, except that their credit cards have been hit for the fee....Amy Rafferty Harris

It does seem odd that there has been nothing to confirm receipt of entries. I think it would be appropriate for all entrants to receive by email or letter, signed by one of the jurors, with the entire list of entrants to confirm that not only were they received, but that the juror's actually got to see and judge each entry for which a credit card charge was made. Suppose an entry arrived a day late and was disqualified? How does that entrant know this fact and was a credit issued against that entrants credit card?

[Rob Champagne]

I find it totally despicable that given the serious nature of the original post as an annoucement for help, that the owner of this site has allowed the thread to degenerate into a self appreciation love in between between a few of its members.

[steve simmons]

The cards were not charged until after the judging as the packages were not opened until the day of the judging.

We handled thus entire process in a very standard way. The entry form clearly stated that if you wanted confirmation of delivery that you send the package with delivery confirmation. The contest entry form stated that all work would be returned, if postage and packing was provided, by July 31, 2008. All photographs and cds have been sent back. Many of them went back within a week of the judging and the last set went out yesterday

To come back two weeks after the conference and complain about the process is very unfair. The rules were very clear and we all were available to answer any and all questions beforehand.

I regret that Mr. Willard feels his work is not appreciated. However, both View Camera, our previous conferences, and this past one have always made a place for traditional photography. Two of our featured speakers were John Sexton and Gordon Hutchings, both very traditional black and white landscape photographers. If one had spent time in the lounge area on Saturday and Sunday they would have seen a lot of 'traditional' photography.

Jennifer Little, in another presentation, came out and said this has nothing to do with profit and encouraged people to seek out nonprofit places to exhibit and public places to exhibit. Her point here, is that she was trying to help people find additional venues to show their work outside the gallery/museum avenue. This is actually a very good idea and can help people get started in their exhibition career by getting their work out there and seen. Often times public libraries will show work, coffee houses, etc. For someone who does not yet have an exhibition record that can be a good way to get started

With regards to Mr. Willard's work I went to his web site but was unable to get past the calibration stage. However, if Mr. Willard would like to submit work to View Camera for publication we will be very happy to accept his submission for review.

BTW, the concern by the OP was taken care of very quickly after the post.

steve simmons

[ASRafferty]

BTW, the concern by the OP was taken care of very quickly after the post.

steve simmons

The concern of the OP is that, for the past three months, these communications to Ted's e-mail about the conference have been forwarded immediately when they arrived, first by him and then by me after his death, to "amiles@viewcamera.com." Every single one included the request to remove his name from the website. Now, finally, "two weeks after the conference," it has been.

In response to these forwarded e-mails and my requests to have Ted's name taken off the site, I was urged to just ignore these messages. I thank God now that I didn't take that advice (the purpose of which I now understand), and that I notified everyone who wrote of precisely what had happened.

The concern of the OP was and is to be sure there are no misunderstandings about the fact that responsibility for any aspect of the conference had been taken away from my husband, when, how, and why... particularly when charges of fraud are mentioned by the writer of the forwarded mail. Nothing else about this interests me in the least.

Apparently I should have posted my request here first, instead of sending private e-mails. Now that I know what works, that's what I'll do going forward.... thank you.

[Rob Champagne]

I would suggest that Don Huttons earlier post in this thread is edited to remove the link to the offending pdf document since the offenders seem incapable of cleaning up after themselves.

[RSchenk]

In deference to this group, we will put the three winners up on the web site.

Was that so hard Steve?

This will take a little time...

Not a surprise considering the offending page that started this thread is STILL online.