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Competitions: The Committee Chair is Michael Sassano

(to continue to the Competition Photos click here)

Contact Competitions@Sandhillsphotoclub.org

COMPETITIONS COMMITTEE- Michael Sassano, Dee Williams and Jerry Kozel

Just a reminder of our upcoming competitions for the remainder of this year:

DECEMBER Rows of Things

You will receive a confirmation of your image acceptance usually within 24 hours of submitting.  Thank you in advance for your participation.

 

ROWS OF THINGS: Photograph a number of things arranged in a line.
The galleries will open Saturday November 9 at 4:00 pm and close Saturday November 16 at 4:00 pm.  The competition date is the December 9th meeting. One entry per member is allowed and metadata must be attached.  There is a 3 year time limit . 

 

Judge: Online voting by SPC members
 

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

     

The Club holds photography competitions for its members throughout the year on assigned topics. This provides an opportunity for members to continuously improve their photographic skills and compare their results with fellow photographers. The competitions are also designed to encourage newer photographers with less elaborate equipment to participate with an equal opportunity for winning.

Competitions are held every other month from February to October. We also hold an online competition in November, as well. Currently all competitions are digital.

See the Club Calendar for the general schedule and the 2024 Competition  and Defintion Schedule for more details, and the most recent Newsletter for current competition information.  Competition Manual



Deadlines for entering competitions are by 4:00 pm on ending  dates:

(For exact dates see the Competition and Definition Schedule above)

 

 2025 Competition Topics:

Reflections, Old Barns/Buildings, M is for ...., Churches/Graveyard, Color: RED, Open

PLEASE NOTE: The Competition Manual was last revised September 2, 2020. Please review it for details on how to participate in club competitions. 

 

To compete in the Sandhills Photography Club  Competitions you must submit your entry via airtable. Links are sent for each competition.

You must also include the metadata in the picture including the part that shows when the picture was taken. 

 

Post processing software that it used to prepare the picture for the competition does not always include all of the original metadata when the photo is converted to a jpg, exported, etc. In most software it is configurable as to how much is included in the exported photo (for example in commercial work you probably don't want to include everything in the photos you sell). 

I

2024 Submission Dates

The Second Saturday of the month before the competition. I.E. January, March, May, July, September, November

2024 Competition Topics

February - Shapes and Patterns

April - Worm's Eye View (get low)

June - Go With The Flow (moving water)

August - Closeup

October- Abstract

December - Rows of Things

2023 Submission Dates

The Second Saturday of the month before the competition. I.E. January, March, May, July, September, November

2023 Competition Topics

February - Open

April - Solitude

June - Leading Lines

August - Animals on the Move

October- Something Involving Water

December - Sports

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