Creatin' Contest Fiasco--Enter At Your Own Risk!!!

It's the grand unveiling--my Creatin' Contest entry, the one that'll never get judged!  After hours of work and much excitement, I submitted my project.  If you're familiar with the contest, it requires four photos.  I sent one photo of each room, and two of the outside.  Based on my perusal of the photos available on their website, this seemed to be the norm.  Moreover, I felt especially confident in my photography skills, as these photos were also distinctly amateur.  And, in any case, this was, first, an amateur contest, and, second, a miniatures contest.

Imagine my surprise when, this morning, I got a call from a woman named Denise who started out with that most glorious of sentences, "Well, I really like your project, but I can tell you no one else will".  She went on to inform me both that I needed to take pictures from further away, and that my pictures didn't show enough close-up detail.  How was I supposed to do both at the same time, I asked?  Her answer included the words "suck", and the recommendation to hire a professional photographer.  She went on to complain about the background, etc, and how terrible everything was.  Having been told that my project wasn't judgeable because it was so bad, I politely ended the call.

Shame on you, Hobby Builder's Supply, for treating your customers this way and for turning what should be a fun, lighthearted opportunity for miniaturists to show off their work in to a shaming, negative, "nobody's good enough for us"-type contest.  This is no way to treat people who've worked so hard on their projects, and it's certainly no way to treat customers.  I can tell you, this company has most certainly lost my custom.

I hate to say this but, after reviewing my own work, and the pictures of it, and comparing it with other Creatin' Contest pictures, one explanation for Denise's condescending, angry attitude leaps to mind more than any other.  I could certainly be mistaken, but I got the distinct impression that she didn't believe I was, in fact, an amateur.  To be perfectly blunt, I don't think she believed I made this myself.  Her very negative characterization of my project seemed neither professional nor appropriate.  No, I'm certainly not claiming to be the best miniaturist in the world, but do I really deserve being told that none of the other judges will like my project, and that she's never seen pictures so bad?

So, since apparently I won't be getting considered in this year's Creatin' Contest, I decided to share my pictures--all of them, not just the four I submitted--with you.  

I thought it would be fun to make an historically accurate medieval blacksmith's forge out of what began as a 1950's era American roadside stand.  The name I gave it was The Forge at Yalding on Wye, 1194.  The (working) double chambered bellows, tool bench, etc are all based on period woodcuts.  Creating this forge--and everything that went in it--took extensive research.  If anyone's interested in learning more about specific components, or about the historical basis behind the project as a whole, let me know!

This specialized type of anvil is called a nailor's bench.

The design for this platform bed comes 100% from my imagination, although platform beds were common during the middle ages.

Any thoughts?  I'd love some feedback--positive or negative!  Although, to be honest, I could use some encouragement.