Sandhills Photography Club

COMPETITIONS COMMITTEE- Michael Sassano and Mary New Wheaton
 

Join us Monday April 8 at 7:00 pm for the Worm’s Eye View competition. Our judge will be Kenny McKeithan. He is an awardwinning nature photographer whose portfolio contains "a little bit of everything." Among Kenny's favorites are aviation, fashion, glamour, and portraiture, but he has always been drawn to the outdoors. Kenny’s images have appeared in Charleston Magazine, Art Mag, Camera in the Wild, Where Magazine, and on greeting cards and calendars. Kenny is a member of the Carolinas’  Nature Photoghers Association and is the owner of The Charleston Center for Photography. We look forward to his critiques and choices. You can see some of his work: https://kennymphoto.com 

If you are a new member and you need help with entering a competition, there are two resources: the Competition Manual is on our website and offers many tips for sizing and other technical specifics; and, you are welcome to email us with any questions at the contact link above. We're happy to help!

We are currently collecting suggestions for competition topics for 2026. Please email us with your suggested topics and a brief description, if needed. We will compile a list of topics and ask the membership to vote on topics next summer.

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Thank you for your involvement in the competition contests at SPC! Happy shooting... Mike

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TIER 1: Members with little or no experience in photography and/or who are new to competitions. Tier 1 members will be moved into tier 2 when they have accumulated 15 award points in competitions.

TIER 2: Members who have advanced through tier 1 or for new members who have already had prior photography experience and elect to be in tier 2. Tier 2 members will advance to Tier 3 when they have accumulated 40 award points in competitions.

TIER 3: Members who have accumulated 40 points in competitions.

Editing to all photographs is unrestricted. However, the original image must be an image taken by the member and meet the time and topic criteria for each competition. Members can use specialized cameras. (Infrared, ultraviolet, microscope, telescope, x-ray, electron beam, or any electro-optical device.) To enhance the original image the use of the following are allowed but not required: textures, frames, and borders created by the member, part of editing software, purchased, or acquired with permission. All images used in a composite must belong to the club member. The committee has the authority to request additional information if they feel it to be necessary.

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POINTS GUIDELINE IMPACT: 1 to 4 points Does the image illicit a strong emotional response as a first impression with a feeling of mood and does it hold your eye and interest? Does the title add to the image?

COMPOSITION: 1 to 3 points Is there design and balance in the image, bringing all of the visual elements together? Does it draw the viewer to look where the creator intended? Is the subject emphasized by the placement, contrast and framing with no distracting elements? Does the image have a strong point of interest?

TECHNICAL: 1 to 3 points Proper exposure, color balance, image focus, and good tonality should exist in the image as appropriate to the subject.

Keep this in mind when thinking about a title for your images. There are some who argue that a good or clever title should not be necessary, that the image should stand on its own and not necessarily need a title to “explain” the story or the picture. We, as the Competition Committee, feel that a title is important and can add to the overall impact of the photo. Any short title will work, but a creative, humorous, or inspired title is an addition to the photo. If the title is used to explain the image, we feel the judge will recognize that and perhaps lower the impact score realizing the image alone doesn’t tell the complete story. Some judges place importance on titles, others do not.

There is a discrepancy between the judging guidelines and the Competition Manual (which does not mention titles). We will update the manual, but in the meantime, we wanted you to be aware that the judge may consider your title as part of the judging.

Also, if you have not paid your 2024 dues, you will not be allowed to participate in the February competition. The galleries will open on January 14, so make sure your dues are paid before that date

As always, if you have questions or any difficulties entering, feel free to contact us at: Competitions@sandhillsphotoclub.org.

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Creating signatures in LR and PS and creating export presets in LR

(Click here for word document) (Click here for PDF)