The Photographer's Club COMPETITION RULES

PRINTS/DIGITAL IMAGES (Presented 1985, Current Rev. 06-14-2017)
 

(1) The Photographer's Club CATEGORIES OF PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
Subject of the Month (SOM) - pictures taken after the schedule was set in the October meeting for 10 subjects, one per month (Jan. - Oct.) of the coming year.

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SOM Categories for 2024

  * (Jan) Snow Scenes (Digital)

  * (Feb) Candy (Print)

  * (Mar) Focus [Lack of Focus (or) a great deal of focus - Depth of Field] (Digital)

  * (Apr) New Growth (Print)

  * (May) What is it? (Digital)

  * (Jun) Complimentary Colors (Print)

  * (Jul) Shadows (Digital)

  * (Aug) Motion (Print)

  * (Sep) Waterfalls (Digital)

  * (Oct) Straight Out-of-the-Camera (Print)

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Past Year's SOM Categories for 2023

  * (Jan) Patterns and Textures (Digital)

  * (Feb) Still Life Single Subject (Print)

  * (Mar) Winter Landscape (Digital)

  * (Apr) Early Spring (Print)

  * (May) Moon / Astrophotography (Digital)

  * (Jun) Reflections (Print)

  * (Jul) Sunset or Sunrise (Digital)

  * (Aug) Fireworks (Print)

  * (Sep) Pets or Animals (Digital)

  * (Oct) Fall Landscape (Print)

OPEN Category - Any subject, taken anytime during the current calendar year or in the immediately preceding calendar year; images may have unlimited alterations.

Number of images that a member may submit per month (submission months Jan. - Oct.)
Print entries for judging are limited to six (6) images per month.

These images may be distributed among the two categories (SOM or OPEN) with no more than three (3) prints in any one category. 

Entries are limited to six (6). They may be distributed among the two categories as desired or, all six may be in one category.

All entries will be assembled or projected in two groups:  SOM and OPEN

Projected images shall not be judged but may be discussed and critiqued.

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(2) GENERAL GUIDELINES - Approved January 2009
a. These guidelines reflect changes in the specifications related to Subject of the Month (SOM) and Open Class (OC) entries submitted for TCP showings.

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b. The changes resulted from actions taken by members at the regular TCP meeting on November 9, 2005 and changes made in January 2009.

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c. The latest changes were largely made to accommodate both those members who wish to submit for judging prints whose images may have unlimited post-capture editing and alterations, and those members who wish to submit for judging prints with images that have only limited or no editing or alteration. The changes accomplished this by providing for the separate grouping and judging of entries according to various degrees of editing and alteration of images.

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d. Members are encouraged to regularly submit at the second meeting of each month, January through October, mounted and matted prints of their newly produced work, whether from film or digital sources. These prints are to be judged by the members present to select the three best prints submitted at the meeting in each of two different groups: (1) Subject of the Month (SOM), (2) and (3) Open Class (OPEN).

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e. Another aim of the foregoing action is to produce a body of work suitable for exhibition and competition.

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(3) GUIDELINES FOR SUBJECT OF THE MONTH (SOM)

DEFINITION - For our purpose, a subject may be anything; for example, an object, an action, an event, an emotion or a person - anything that may be portrayed photographically.
 

SELECTION OF SUBJECTS

a. At a regular meeting in October of each year, the members present select a list of ten subjects, one for each month, January through October, of the coming year; each subject is assigned to a specific month.

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b. Subjects are chosen to challenge the creativity and picture-taking skills of the members.

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NUMBER OF SOM ENTRIES

a. Entries for SOM showing are limited to those pictures, film or digital, taken after the SOM schedules set in October. After that time, a subject on the schedule may be photographed at any time prior to the subject's scheduled showing.

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b. SOM entries are limited to six (6) images per subject. The entries may be prints, and/or digital images in any combination within the total limit of six (6) SOM entries.

 

c. A SOM entry that does not conform with the designated SOM will be rejected.

 

PRINTS OF SOM IMAGES - Members are encouraged to submit each month up to three unframed but mounted and matted prints of that month's subject with limited or no post-capture editing or alteration. However, one of the three prints may be of any other subject not in the current SOM series and provided that the original exposure for this substitute print (SOM) was made after the SOM schedule for the year was set. In addition to these three prints, one may submit two more mounted and matted prints of images with unlimited editing and alteration, one a SOM and the other an OPEN.

 

(4) GUIDELINES FOR OPEN CLASS SUBMISSION

DEFINITION - Open Class (OC) includes any print or digital image of any subject not in the current SOM series that may have been taken at anytime in the past or present. Open Class images may have unlimited post-capture editing and alteration.

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NUMBER OF OC ENTRIES - Open Class Entries are limited to six (6) images and may be prints or digital images and in any combination within the total limit of six. One of the OC images with unlimited post-capture changes may be submitted in print form for judging.

 

(5) PREPARATION OF ENTRIES

* All entries must be prepared in accordance with the specifications established for the various types of entries, i.e., prints or digital images. Improperly prepared entries may be rejected.

* All entries must be the original work of the entrant.

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PRINTS - FORMATTING
* A print must be a minimum 8 x 10 inches, a maximum of 16 x 20 inches

* A print must be mounted on a mat board or other rigid flat backing, e.g., foam board, not to exceed 16 x 20 inches.
* The top mat, which may be of any color, must have a window at least 7 x 9 inches.
* Note: Typically, pre-cut mats for 8 x 10 inch pictures are 11 x 14 inches with a window of 7 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches. Pre-cut mats for larger prints are also available. Members, of course, may cut mats to other dimensions as long as they are within the minimum and maximum limits.
 
PRINTS - LABELING
* Because prints for as many as five (5) separate groups may be submitted for judging, it is especially important that all prints be properly mounted, matted, and labeled.
* Labels are to be in the upper-left corner on the back of the mount, and must include the following items in the order listed:
       - Title of picture
       - Maker's (member's) name
       - One of the following designations of the print's classification by group and division: SOM or OPEN.
       - Date of showing/judging: e.g., Jan. 29, 2009

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DIGITAL - FORMAT
* Entries submitted as digital images must be in the JPEG format.
 
DIGITAL - DELIVERY MEDIA
* Digital images may be submitted by the following means:
       - CD-R
       - USB Flash Drive (Thumb Drive)
       - Email is another delivery option. To reduce prep time at meetings, digital images may be sent in advance via Email to the Digital Image Coordinator. This must be done no later than the day before the scheduled meeting.
 

* Note: If you submit digital entries intermingled with other digital images, e.g., on a CD, please be prepared to identify specifically which are intended entries.

 

(6) SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES

* In keeping with the current meeting schedule, photographic images submitted by members are shown at the second regular meeting of the month (January through October), which is held on the fourth Wednesday.
 

* All entries in whatever form must be submitted by the stated meeting time, 7:00 P.M.
 

* It is important that properly prepared entries be submitted promptly to avoid delay in arranging entries for projection or other display and judging.
 

* Members, upon arrival, must give their entries to the following coordinators depending on the type of entries, i.e., prints, or digital images:
       - Print Display and Judging Coordinator
       - Digital Image Projection Coordinator
 

* Matted and mounted prints to be judged must be kept from view until they are put in the hands of the Print Coordinator. This must be done, for example, by having prints in a bag, by having prints face to face if more than one, or by having face of the print covered with paper or other removable material. This is to ensure that the identity of the print makers will not be known until after the judging is completed.
 

* An image once submitted and judged may not be submitted again for judging in the same or another category.
 

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(7) RULES CONCERNING EDITING AND ALTERING PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES FOR CLUB COMPETITION
Rule 1 - The following edits, enhancements and fixes are permissible for both film and digital images submitted for judging in the SOM category:
  * Cropping
  * Adjusting crooked images
  * Removing minor blemishes
  * Correcting skin tones, lighting, color, contrast, brightness
  * Lightening dark areas, darkening light areas
  * Eliminating red eye
  * Sharpening

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Rule 2 - Images submitted in the OPEN category may have been produced with any alterations, edits, enhancements the photographer wishes to provide the desired effect.
 
Note: For prints to be judged in a given category, there must be entries by at least two members, each submitting at least one print. If only one member submits one or more prints in a given category, they will not be judged, and the member has the option of moving the entries to OPEN for judging or withdrawing the print(s) for later submission.

 

Rule 3 - Remember rules number 1 and 2.

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(8) Document Templates and Labels (found below in the links provided)

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