Competitions

Kingston Photographic Club - 2009-2010 Honours

Kingston Photographic Club Trophy - Photographer of the Year

• 1st - Geoff Chalcraft
• 2nd - Rose-Marie Burke
• 3rd - Elizabeth MacDonald-Pratt

Vern Napiers Cameras Award - Colour Slide Photographer of the Year

• 1st - Elizabeth MacDonald-Pratt
• 2nd= Rose-Marie Burke
• 2nd= Liz McNaughton
• 2nd= James Sherk

Dorothy Benson Trophy - Nature Photographer of the Year

• 1st - Rose-Marie Burke
• 2nd - Janis Grant
• 3rd - Sarah Larz

Camera Kingston Award - Print Maker of the Year

• 1st - Geoff Chalcraft
• 2nd - Bonita Lalonde
• 3rd - Wilf Kordts

Limestone City Award - Top First Year Photographer

• Elizabeth MacDonald-Pratt

CAPA Medal - Print of the Year

• Nicole Couture-Lord - "Grain Silos"

CAPA Medal - Slide of the Year

• Rose-Marie Burke - "Hepaticas"

(The CAPA award is available to CAPA clubs, like the KPC, to award to their members. Our CAPA representative, Bruce Gunion, requested the award for the top print and slide of the year. The print award was chosen from the three top scoring prints in the B&W and Colour division in each of the two competitions. The top slide was chosen from the three top scoring images from the Pictorial and Nature division in each of the two competitions. The judges were from Kingston and had not judged a competition this year.)

Competitions 2009-2010

November 2009

March 2010

There will be three Main Club Competitions this year, with a maximum entry of four images per member for each competition. This should enable more time for the judges to speak and is part of the plan to introduce more critique and guidance this year.

See the program for dates. These competitions are chances for members to show their own work, and to see the work of others. The commentary/critique by the judges should be taken as good advice. Deciding whether and why you agree with the judge is almost the most important part. Reducing to four submissions per person should give more opportunity for judges to give sensible and useful feedback to you. We know the importance of constructive criticism - we're trying to find ways to give everybody what they need.

Judges usually try to give advice that members will find worthwhile. Club members are given free-rein to photograph whatever they want, and judges usually look for the photographer's personal contribution: spotting the opportunity; controlling the situation using appropriate equipment; and then delivering the product. There should be both art and craft involved in creating and presenting a photograph.

Competition Entries

Use the 2010-2011 Entry Form (a 'fillable' PDF) (link at bottom of page)

Note also the Revised Competition Rules for 2010 (Doc and PDF)(link at bottom of this page)

Some hints for more success

1. Edit ruthlessly for best results

It’s all too easy to become emotionally attached to certain images, and this is when people tend to enter ‘almost’ shots. Resist this temptation. Just because a picture shows an endangered species that was taken on your once-in-a-lifetime holiday to the other side of the world, in the first light at 4am, while you were waist-deep in mud and being bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes, or up to your bottom in crocodiles, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any good. The fact is that mediocre shots won’t win. Be hard on yourself. Is the image pin-sharp or is it slightly soft? Is the light subtle and beautiful or harsh and contrasty? Have you captured a perfect moment or have you just missed it? Is the background clean and simple or is it spoilt by unwanted branches and other distractions? Is there an interesting symmetry to the picture or does it feel uncomfortable? These are some of the probing questions you must ask yourself.

Use of digital editing software.... so many mixed messages abound on whether you should manipulate your image or not. Where do we draw the line? I think it's fair to say that, unless the competition calls for it, digital manipulation should never be immediately noticeable to a non-photographer..... Yes, as we get more experience ourselves we begin to spot a picture that has had some strong editing done, but sometimes it's necessary. So we draw the (still fairly blurred) line on digital editing by asking ourselves how obvious the editing has been. One thing for sure.... the less manipulation or editing you can do, the better the result.

Sometimes people enter two similar pictures shot a frame apart, but you shouldn't – it's not for the judges to choose which is the better shot. Don't be afraid to throw out second best – be decisive in your selection.

Carefully consider the categories in the competition, and try to fit that particular theme closely. Shoot images specifically for a particular theme or category, if there is one, because it will likely make them of stronger relevance, which is often an important criterion. When submitting multiple entries, cover more ground with diverse images – send in completely different images, so that if one image is rejected, the other images won't so easily be rejected too.

When submitting a photo to a photography competition, it’s tempting to select a photo you’re particularly proud of, or one that shows off a vast amount of different things at once. But remember that you’re trying to a) stand out from the masses of other photos and b) tell a story, catch a 'moment'. Photography is very much about telling stories, and while you are using a visual medium to do so, you still need to be a good storyteller, and have an eye for what appeals to people.

2. Be original – avoid clichés

Successful photographers work hard at their craft. They get down low, climb high, move backwards, crawl forwards, creep from side to side, think laterally, get up early and stay out late. If they're professional (or an amateur with time), they wait patiently for hours, days or even weeks for exactly the right light or the magic moment when the animal they are photographing yawns, stretches, sneezes, runs or jumps, or when the landscape shows that drama or majesty.

Think hard about what will make your work stand out from thousands of others both conceptually and aesthetically. Choose your subject wisely. Ensure it is fresh, think about what it is you are trying to say and how you can best convey this through your work.

If there is a theme, try to think a little laterally. Judges will usually like a clever interpretation.

Look at how others photograph the famous sights and see if you can do something out of the ordinary. That’s one way to surprise judges. A slant on the subject that’s unusual, a funny angle, or a touch of humour can work wonders to a scene. We have so many wonderful pictures of well-known subjects, we are at the point that the less-obvious is preferable. We know what elephants look like now and what they do. So now quite an abstract shot of an elephant makes it to the top. Indeed, that may now be the only kind of elephant shot that will not be passed over by judges. Same with a mountain, flower, river, Loon etc.

There are a lot of fantastic photos out there, and a myriad of tutorials for how you can recreate them, but that’s only half the story: you have to take something and make it your own. Think of it as cooking a new dish: do you follow the recipe perfectly, or are you confident enough in the kitchen to use it as a base, and remove some things, and add others? If you’re doing the latter, then you’re probably doing the right thing.

3. Get organised

Reading the rules – and following them – is an obvious first step. Reading the category descriptions, if any, is just as important. Also, and this may seem like stating the obvious, but you’ve got to be in it to win it. Many people never get round to entering, or panic the night before the deadline and spend the early hours rummaging through their images. Plan enough time to select your entries.

4. Try to consider your process

Think carefully about how to approach your subject, the type of camera you use, be it digital or film, your choice of lighting – natural or artificial, your composition, use of colour or if shooting black and white, your use of texture – all these choices and considerations are the things that make the difference between a good snapshot and a truly captivating photograph. Think about composition but don't get tied down by it.... look for lines, shapes, points of interest.... think how the viewer's eye may travel around the image.

5. Ask for opinions

To make a Strong edit try to show your pictures to as many people as possible (and non-photographers are great – they see things with a completely 'innocent' eye) and take their (non-technical) opinions into account when making your crop. Remember all those hints and tips given at our Image Cliniques (maybe that should be Cliniques d'Image). Photographers are often their worst critics so it is important to get outside advice. Technical points, though, can easily be discussed with other members - I'm sure the 'old-hands' will be able to give advice at any time, so don't just wait for those Image Cliniques or try to keep your images secret unnecessarily. This is a club - I would expect all members to give their advice when asked.... that's part of our 'mission', as stated on the home page.

6. Don’t imitate other photographers

Don't be too influenced by what won last time, often there is a totally different panel of judges for each competition.

It’s useful to learn from previous years what wins, but that’s not the same as sending in a very similar shot for next year’s competition. For our Club Competition, that's been running a few years, it’s worth looking at the past winners so you can work out what quality is expected – but not what subject.

A photographer should be encouraged and inspired by other people's work, but should not copy directly. If you've been inspired by something you've seen, go out and try to take it further down the evolutionary path of photography. Competition judges can be put off by pictures which directly copy the style of a well known photographer, because more often than not it is a poor imitation. Explore new ideas, and try to be innovative. Set yourself the task of capturing your own experience. If you are photographing cold weather, for example, think about ways of making the photograph induce a feeling of coldness in the viewer. Judges are always looking for fresh ideas well executed. If you go on holiday to the same location year after year and come back with the same pictures – perhaps technically better each time – most judges will automatically check their visual memory bank and think, “Oh, I've seen that before”.

7. Get the details right

It also goes without saying that the technical quality of what you send in should be tops. You don't necessarily need an expensive DSLR to make the shot. I don’t mean they have to be perfectly sharp. But they have to look as if you’re in complete control of the image: if it’s meant to be blurred, it should be blurred by just the right amount. If the horizon is on a slant, it should be convincingly so, enough to make it look deliberate. If anything is not focused perfectly, it should be for a reason that enhances the visual message. And finally, do not over-sharpen or over-saturate your images. With modern cameras it should not be necessary to add much, if any, sharpening. And it should not be necessary to pump up colours by much, if any. Worse problems can arise from burnt-out highlights and totally black shadows. Your pictures could lose out when the judges scrutinise it up-close. JPEG artifacts, banding, noise, poor resolution, and careless post-production could all affect the chances of your images going far in the judging process.

8. Evoke emotion

Winning pictures generally evoke some kind of emotion. A picture that sends a tingle down the spine is a successful one. If the shot is about people, their eyes are important as eye contact often helps the viewer connect. If we can somehow relate to the experience of the human (or animal) in the shot, then the picture will have a lasting effect. Humour is tremendously popular in photography, but with wildlife photography it should be done sensitively and not in a way that demeans the animals.

9. Always try again

The world is awash with 'failures' who have gone on to reach spectacular heights of achievement (look at me – I left skool at 15 and now I'm the KPC President!). If you don't win, let that inspire you and remind yourself that nobody, bar his brother, recognised the talent of Van Gogh during his lifetime. Go out and try again, and seek new photographic opportunities and set yourself high goals. Don't let the personal taste of judges discourage you, but do be ruthlessly self critical and be prepared to learn from your own mistakes.

10. Make it powerful

If an image has a human element people can identify with, the story is far stronger. That’s why newspapers after a disaster will tell the story of Mr and Mrs Smith and their individual tragedy, rather than the much drier fact that 300 people died. We need to be able to feel that the people involved are related (or at least relevant) to us in one way or another. The best photographs, in my opinion, do the same thing. It doesn’t have to be a tabloid story of murder, deceit, or deception, but if you manage to get an emotion in there somehow, you’re onto something.

If there's no human element involved, try to find the shot with some drama – typical postcard shots will hardly interest the judges.

Photographic Challenges for the 2010-2011 Season

Monthly Themed Competition

See the NEW page for the 2010-2011 Online Competition - in the menu above.

Photojournalism Challenge

The idea for this is to provide a photo-essay - as if you were giving a pictorial back-up to a journalist covering a story, an event, a particular item of interest. What we hope to see is roughly 12 to 20 images that 'tell a story' or give a background to an event. The story could cover one day or many days, an area of personal or local interest.

Strictly speaking this is not a competition but there will be a chance to submit the whole story to the Club. Just so long as the journal can be brought along easily (USB stick, CD/DVD or as prints).

Submissions can be prints, slides (digital or film), or even an AV Show. They can have accompanying words, commentary or music. Any extra instructions for how to view the images and text should be provided with the submission. It's hoped that even those who do not take part can be encouraged and inspired to try their hand at this in the future.

This has become a continuous challenge.... no start or finish times... just let an Exec member know when you'd like to show your work when you've got a presentation ready, just contact an Exec member, like Bruce M, Bruce G, Elizabeth or Geoff, and you'll get your 'booking' to become a star! In the meantime, if you'd rather just send me your work/journal/slideshow, I'll try to put it online on the Galleries page.

To quote directly from Wikipedia...
"Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, and in some cases to video used in broadcast journalism or for personal use".

For the purposes of our 'challenge', there is no need to wander into 'hard news' territory.... you may like to think of it as a travelogue, or a related set of pictures on a particular subject. e.g. perhaps a collection of 'behind the scenes' pictures from Fort Henry, the ongoing battle to repair Kingston's roads, or a set of pictures depicting the workings of City Hall, or Bellevue House, or the Wolfe Islander.... there are no real borders.

Photojournalism can also mean a news report illustrated with photographs - for our purposes, while words can be helpful (like informative captions or even a commentary on an AV show), we'd like to concentrate on the pictorial aspects. We're a Photo Club, so that's our main focus...... so it's a photographic journal, with descriptions, rather than a college thesis with pictures.

Try this one.... "A Photographer takes pictures of Nouns. A Photojournalist takes pictures of Verbs!"

To be a photojournalist, we must understand the relationship between the image and these basic elements of language (all languages - worldwide).....
The girl hits (or misses) the ball. There are no other options.
The girl is easy to photograph. The ball is easy to photograph. The verb is the hard part.

Although photojournalists can take properly exposed and well composed photographs all day long, they hunt verbs. They hunt them, shoot them and show them to their readers. Then, they hunt more.

I came across this interview with photojournalist David Trattles - interesting.

You may also be interested in this lecture in Ottawa by the same photographer.

One place where lots of photojournals can be found easily is at the New York Times 'Lens' Section. Excellent work - and a good format (pictures and descriptive text) to copy.

Submissions for Competitions

Some observations from the Online Competition

Why do we have the competitions? Well, it's not for some huge trophy or even much glory, but there is a point..... it's to try to engage members in trying their hand at themes, genres, styles that they might not normally try unless pushed, to "step out of their comfort zones". So you could say that, if you want to learn about your photography, you should be trying your hand at different things. It's all good learning.

There have been some common and regular faults in some particular areas in nearly all pictures..... most of which can easily be straightened out with minimal software. Most improvements can be made by using the camera in a better way - better exposure, better focus, better composition. Don't forget there are lots of links to guides, presentations, videos etc on the Workshop page. Digital cameras are clever at many things but very dumb with others -

• A Digital camera will Focus well (but you need to make sure it's focused on the right object - try focusing on your main subject, then half-depressing the shutter and recomposing, then 'click').
• A Digital camera is reasonably good at Exposure, but don't forget that, whatever the scene, it will try to give you the equivalent of a perfect exposure - for Grey! So the extremes of shadows and highlights need to be considered - which do you want, or is there a way to get both? (Yes, there is... see Filters on the Workshop page).
• A Digital camera knows nothing about good Composition.

1. In the Landscapes round, several pictures had horizons that sloped. In some cases, for added dynamism, that can work well, especially when it's clearly been intended - but in most cases a slope really looks like a mistake and lets down the picture.

2. Composition - Many submissions, in all rounds, could have been better composed - mainly because the photographer hasn't got close enough! But also because little care was taken to ensure that there's not a tree growing out of the subject's head, or that there wasn't a telephone cable running across the middle, or unintentionally sloping horizons. It's really worth getting the occasional photo magazine or a good photo book to try to see what good composition is and how it will improve our shots. Remember - Composition is made of Points, Lines and Shapes.

3. Focus properly and try to hold the camera steadily. For landscape shots you can't beat a tripod and considering the shot carefully, just as you would have done if you were taking pictures with expensive Kodachrome (for those who remember). This will lead to sharper shots - software can sharpen but you can guarantee that a sharp image from the camera beats any image sharpened in software. ("Silk purse - sow's ear".)

4. Exposure - perhaps the hardest part to learn but it's technical and therefore objective and 'learnable'. Don't forget - take a picture of a black cat in a coal hole at night - the camera will still want to turn the whole thing grey... conversely, a white rabbit in the snow - grey as well! Somewhere in between, there's a scene which has a wide range of luminance - learn your camera's exposure controls thoroughly and study the 'histogram' (if digital) and keep trying until you've got the right exposure - consider filters, exposure compensation etc.

5. Digital Noise - If you're forced to use the higher ISO ratings, those above ISO400, you are going to get digital noise. A couple of solutions...

• use a tripod so you can either choose a higher (slower) shutter speed by keeping your ISO lower, or so that you can take three shots (with the same exposure values) and average them out in your editing software (a nifty technique).
• Use Noise Reduction software

One problem area with technical quality that keeps popping up.... Under and Over exposure. The Workshop page has links to several aids to learning how to get exposure, and other important factors, right in-camera, but even the best intentions can get led astray by high dynamic (light) ranges in different areas of the scene. I've just added links to two good video tutorials for software methods to rectify exposure problems. The videos use Photoshop Elements but the same, or similar, techniques can be used with Paint Shop Pro, PhotoPlus and other editing programs. Also, take a look at a new PDF on the Workshop page concerning the Histogram and Levels Adjustments - your pictures will benefit from these - guaranteed!

N.B. I use Elements myself - the tutorials and videos can usually be applied to other programs. It would be interesting to see which programs are most used by members, so there's a 'poll' on the Workshop page.

Geoff