Rules and Guidelines
I. CATEGORIES
Members can enter up to five (5) images each month in the following categories, one entry per category. For the General Subject categories, there are two classes which compete seperately, while in the Assigned Subject Categories, the classes compete together.
General Subject
1. Black & White Prints — Class A and Salon
2. Color Prints — Class A and Salon
3. Digitally Projected (color) — Class A and Salon
Assigned Subject
1. Print — Both Classes compete together — Color or Black & White prints are acceptable in this category
2. Digitally Projected – Both Classes compete together — Color or Black & White prints are acceptable in this category
II. CLASSES
In the General Subject category members compete at two levels:
Salon Class — Members in the Salon Class are advanced or professional photographers who have experience competing, have sold works, participated in juried exhibitions, or have had individual or group exhibition experience.
Class A — Members in the Class A are beginning to advanced photographers who are receiving critiques for the first time. Class A photographers do not have extensive exhibition experience.
While you are to choose a level to compete in for the year, you do not necessarily have to compete at the same level in all three categories. You may compete in a different level for black and white prints, color prints, or color slides depending on your experience and confidence level in each category. If you are unsure about which level you should compete in for a particular category, ask the Director of that category for guidance.
If you have won the cumulative score trophy for two years in Class A of a category, you will automatically be moved up to the next level. The Board also reviews the Class A membership and can elect to upgrade a member to the Salon class.
III. SUBJECTS
For each category we compete in both open and assigned subjects. The open subject is for any photograph of your choosing, while the assigned subject must be of a specific topic.
The assigned subjects for the coming season are selected at the year-end June Annual Dinner. These subjects cover the eight competition nights, September through April. It is important to note that no assigned subject photograph may be submitted for competition if taken prior to the June announcement of subjects. For the assigned subjects, all photographers, weather from Salon or Class A, compete as one group.
All assigned subject photographs must adhere to the subject. If, in the view of the Chairman of the category, your photo does not adhere to the given subject, it will not be included in the competition. In addition, if your photo is allowed to be entered and a judge feels it does not adhere to the subject, the judge may give it a low score of three or four.
IV. PRINTS
All Prints are to be large enough to be easily seen by the judges and others in attendance. This means that the minimum size requirement for an acceptable print is 8" X 10". All prints must also fit in the judges’ light box for viewing. This means that a maximum size, including mounting and matting, is 18" X 24".
All prints must be mounted, but not necessarily matted. While a simple matte often enhances a photograph, it is entirely up to the maker as to weather his pictures are matted or not. No photo is to be submitted in a frame. Also, neither glass nor plexiglass are allowed.
All prints must be properly marked with the Photography Club labels filled out completely. These are provided by the Club and should be placed in the upper left hand corner of the back of the mount as the photograph is to be shown..
V. DIGITAL IMAGES
Color images may be submitted into the digital projection category.
Digital files must be received by the Monday (3:00 pm) prior to the competition night. Email your submissions to DHFore@hotmail.com. Any images received after the cutoff date will not be included into competition.
Our digital image collector, David Henkel, will insert the submitted entries into the appropriate category and create a slide show of the images that will be run at the competition meeting.
VI. DIGITAL FILE SPECIFICATIONS
Submitted images will not be edited by the collector. The file you send should be the final edited copy, and fall within the guidelines outlined here. As a general rule of thumb, sharpening should not be done until the image is properly sized according to the specifications outlined below. Further, it should be the final step prior to saving in your workflow.
– SIZING YOUR IMAGE
Your final image should be no longer than 1024 pixels horizontal or 768 pixels vertical. The resolution of the image should be set to 100 dpi.
For most image editing programs, the user has control over setting both pixel size and resolution.
In Photoshop this is done by clicking on Image–>Image Size
In the Image Size interface, you have two main sections: Pixel Dimensions, and Document Size (Resolution)
For horizontal images, set the pixel width to 1024. For vertical images, set the pixel height to 768. The other dimension should adjust automatically to maintain correct proportions.
So you have the correct pixel dimensions now, but you still may have the resolution set at 300. To lower that you uncheck "Resample Image," then change the resolution to 100 dpi, then click ok.
Your image is sized properly and can be saved as a JPEG (Maximum Quality Setting).
–NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR SUBMISSIONS
Open Subject: Year_Month_OS_Class_Title_Name.jpg
Example: an Open Subject entry for David Henkel for October of 2009 Titled Summer Fun would be:
09_10_OS_A_Summer-Fun_DHenkel.jpg
Your class will determine weather you place an "A" (Class A) or "S" (Class Salon) in your open Subject file name.
Assigned Subject: Year_Month_AS_Title_Name.jpg
Example: an Assigned Subject entry for David Henkel for September of 2009 Titled Summer Fun would be:
09_09_AS_Summer-Fun_DHenkel.jpg
VII. NUMBER OF PHOTOGRAPHS ALLOWED
Each participant is allowed one entry per month in Black and White Prints, Color Prints, and Digital Projection in each of the open and assigned subjects. It is possible, therefore, to have as many as five photographs entered during each month’s competition night (one black & white print open subject, one color print open subject, one print assigned subject, one digital projected image open subject, one digital projected image assigned subject).
VIII. JUDGING SYSTEM
We use a three-judge scoring system, with each judge scoring a photograph from 5 to nine points. The three scores are then added together. The lowest combined score is a 15, and the highest is a 27. When possible we use outside judges (non-Club Members) with a photography background.
Besides giving a numeric score, judges are asked to critique each photograph in the open subject and the first and second place winners of the assigned subjects. The purpose of these critiques is to point out the positive features of each photograph, as well as giving tips the maker can use to improve his or her work.
IX. MAKE UP
If a competition is missed during the year, one make-up (only one) will be allowed for each category in both open and the assigned subject. These will be scored without commentary and will not be eligible for monthly ribbons. One make-up night is scheduled in the spring.
X. AWARDS
Each month the First and Second Place winners in Class A and Class B are recognized on our Club website www.pclfc.com.
At the end of the monthly competitions, which run for eight consecutive months (September through April), we award prizes to the winners in all three levels with the highest cumulative scores. In addition, we award trophies to the winners with the highest combined cumulative scores (open and assigned) in Black & White Prints, Color Prints, and Digital Images.
XI. ANNUAL COMPETITION
At the end of the regular eight month competition program, we hold an annual competition in each category to crown a "Photo of the Year" winner and to acknowledge Honorable Mention photos.
For each category, participants may enter up to three photographs that have already been submitted during the current year’s competition. These photos may be either from the open or assigned subjects and are not to be altered or changed in any way from the way they were originally submitted.
While the three levels (Salon, Class A and Class B) will compete separately in all three categories for First Place awards and several Honorable Mentions, the "Print of the Year" or "Digital Image of the Year" will be the overall winner from all three categories.
XII. SLIDE AND PRINT PHOTO ESSAY CONTEST
In the spring we hold two photo essay contests: Slide Photo Essay and Print Photo Essay. For both contests, all participants compete together in one level (Salon, Class A and Class B together) with joint entries being allowed.
The Slide Photo Essay is limited to 10 minutes in length per entry. Sound may include your own commentary, taped music, or sound effects.
In the Print Photo Essay contest the prints may be Black and White, Color, or a combination of the two. They may be any size and mounted on a display board of any shape or size not to exceed the equivalent of four 16" X 20" mounts (the overall space not to exceed 32" X 40"). All entries must be titled and signed and may include written commentary. They are to stand on their own with no oral comments by the maker.
XIII. GENERAL
Every entry must bear the maker’s name, as well as a title. All titles, including assigned subjects, will be read before the judges are asked to score. Entries taken straight from t.v. or motion picture screens are prohibited unless they have been artistically enhanced or changed to become the contestant’s own creation.
To encourage improved work, entries other than first, second place winners may be re-entered if remade to incorporate the judges’ suggestions.
XIV. TIME & DATES
All print entries will be accepted on competition night up to 7:15 p.m. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. sharp.
All digital projection images are due the Monday (3:00 pm) prior to the competition date unless otherwise directed by the slide collector.
Competition is usually held on the first Wednesday of each month beginning in October. The first month of the season, September–is reversed, so that the introductory social is held on the first meeting of the new season, the first Wednesday of the month, while the competition is held on the third Wednesday of the month.
Check the calendar for accurate competition dates for each season.
to the Webmaster:
I am happy to help update, reomve old content and replace it with new.
Leona