LondonDragon
Member
Steven Chong used mirrors on the substrate to create the puddle effects 😉
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Aquascaping Contest Scandal
- Thread starter glasscanvasart
- Start date
zozo
Member
G
Guest
Guest
Of course...
I should imagine the images of all other top rated entries will be scrutinised now. It'll be interesting to see if this is a one off or there are others. I suspect there are but perhaps they're a little more seamless 🙄
LondonDragon
Member
Problem is the past entries for this person might now be undermined, and he will be forever be known as the Photoshop Aquascaper 😉 not something we want to see in the hobby! :/
This is very sad, not just on the points raised previously; but for the expectations of new aquascapers entering the hobby.
Reminds me of people trying to look like their Instagram fitness heroes, who also abuse photoshop to comedic levels
Reminds me of people trying to look like their Instagram fitness heroes, who also abuse photoshop to comedic levels
glasscanvasart
Member
I was referring to Steven Chong’s use of mirrors to create pools of water reflecting the swamps in his background. Sorry for not being specific, as the mirrors where mentioned in a post above.
I find this kind of cheating more heinous, because rather than an enhancement, it is a fabrication.
I personally believe the scoring structure is lenient, because it’s the most impactful entries that win and not the layouts that tick the most boxes. Personally I don’t believe there should be a scoring structure as this is an art and not a baking contest with everyone baking the same type of cake. However, the way the score allocation is presented isn’t really consistent with the results.
I would disagree on your point that only nature aquariums should be represented in the highest results, because of the natural habitat points allocation. The way you look down (at least in the sense of natural recreation) on diorama layouts, Heiko Bleher and other biotope aquarists look down on your nature aquariums.
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glasscanvasart
Member
Not to mention fake weights, lighting, edits, exaggerated timespans, measurements, lifts and of course anabolics.
I wouldn’t worry too much about about new comers. Many people have humble aspirations and aspire to results like George Farmer’s, rather than Takayuki Fukada. A greater threat to newcomers is algae!
On the topic of ’he who shall not be named’, I hope he comes out and makes an apology, surrenders his prize money and shares the real final photo (I have a feeling that the photoshop might be less disingenuous than we suspect). If he can do this I’d say we should try to forgive, but he’ll always carry the weight of his mistake.
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NiteshAquascaper
New Member
Thanks for sharing the details.. I was in utter shock after reading this whole stuff.. I still had that layout one of my favourite from IAPLC this year but after this i am very much sad. Already there are few works which were disqualified from IAPLC 2020 IN FINAL ranking and this one got unnoticed.. Hope this will be not followed by anyone else.
BanditCoaxx
Seedling
Rumour has it the original aquarium was actually a bare bottom nano cube...
ben.
ben.
I suspect you misread my post, so you may want to reread it. I cast no opinion on diorama scapes at all, I certainly don’t ‘look down’ on them.
Literally the only point I was making was:
sparkyweasel
Member
- Joined
- 30 Jun 2011
- Messages
- 3,003
We had similar in the UK, except it didn't have to be Dutch style of course. 🙂
Local clubs used to do it as well, it was easier to organise the judges' visits at a local level. Regional and national competitions were a bit more complicated to arrange, but clubs and societies usually have one or two members who just love all the admin and sorting out fiddly details of rules and regulations. I don't know the current situation, I haven't been involved in clubs or shows for years now.
glasscanvasart
Member
I think you’re misinterpreting me 😜
I‘m under the impression that you cast an opinion that nature aquariums more closely represent a ‘natural environment’ and thus are more deserving of the point allocation for ‘recreation of natural habitat for fish’.
I then counter that (some) biotope aquarists scoff at the idea that nature aquariums are a natural environments for fish and I perceived that the way (you appear) to be ‘looking down on’ (i.e. viewing diorama as an unnatural environment for fish and thus not deserving of the point allocation) the diorama style much in the same way as biotope aquarists ‘look down’ on nature aquarium style.
I then separately try to go on to say that the competition doesn’t appear to me to allocate points based on much other than impact/composition. Rather than saying they don’t adhere to the stated point allocation, because diorama style do exceedingly well in the competition and they ought not to score highly on ‘recreation of natural habitat for fish’.
Sorry for the word salad just hoped to clarify, but I may still be wrong.
zozo
Member
I'm afraid that 99% of all pictures you'll find are digitally edited one way or another. The more professional the photographer the more professional the editing is done. Maybe the scaper himself didn't have any ill intentions and hired a professional photographer screwing up.
As said if they would look at the picture's metadata of all entries, then I'm pretty sure that 99% of the top entries have a photoshop or other editing software reference in it. Having a reference to editing software in the file makes them all equally suspicious... If only 1 picture is entered and judged than only the ones edited very stupidly are obvious. The rest is a matter of faith. 🙂
And I believe this issue is a wake-up call and will change the entire aquascaping contest culture forever. With a simple question for all judges to come. "How do we know we're are not looking at a fake?"
zozo
Member
That would be a hell of a statement... If so I'm sure if it's intentional trolling, rather whistleblowing.
G
Guest
Guest
Kinda reminds me of this scape below. It was submitted to the 2018 AGA Aquascaping Contest in the biotope section and is titled "Penglai Fairyland". Needless to say it was immediately disqualified.
Maybe an ironic comment on the way competitions are headed?
BanditCoaxx
Seedling
Looks legit to me mateKinda reminds me of this scape below. It was submitted to the 2018 AGA Aquascaping Contest in the biotope section and is titled "Penglai Fairyland". Needless to say it was immediately disqualified.
Maybe an ironic comment on the way competitions are headed?
he's frosted the front of his tank? ben.
NiteshAquascaper
New Member
rebel
Member
- Joined
- 4 Aug 2015
- Messages
- 2,256
This has become a norm in the modern culture now. It's completely normal to use beautify filters and bend hips/waists and bump up biceps/abs.
Music is now being adjusted note by note on the computers including microtonal adjustments.
It's natural that it will spill over to the other forms of visual arts.
What is laughable is that some people believe these to be true and don't realise that it is just a representation of the original.
glasscanvasart
Member
I mean, it is against the rules.
