Competition information

Subject/Open Critique Evenings

Throughout the year we hold various non-scored critique evenings, where professional judges are invited to give feedback on members’ DPIs or prints. Although points for images are not awarded on these evenings, the judges are asked choose 1st, 2nd and 3rd position images in each category.

Participants can enter a maximum of four images images, with no more than two in each category.   (The requirement is the same for both DPI and print evenings).

Summer Trophy 2022

To give members something to work towards through the break we have our annual Summer Trophy (and yes, there is a trophy). The images for this competition have to be new – taken between 01 June 2022 and the hand in date, which this year will be Tuesday 20 September.

As we anticipate meeting again at the Beacon Centre, we are reverting to running both Print and DPI formats of the competition. Members can submit up to two images in each format. Print images should be mounted and your name and image title written on the reverse. Please check the Photographic Definitions sub-page for the size and naming format for DPIs.

At the end of the final meeting of the previous season members chose the subject, which this year is “Looking Up” or “Looking Down” – a great opportunity to take photos at a different angle!

We hope you enjoy taking part in this competition. If you have any questions or queries about it, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Panel competition

A panel consists of three print images. You may enter up to two panels. Chris Shore FRPS EFIAP MPAGB BPE5* and Helen Taylor ARPS DPAGB BPE3* provided the Club with an excellent talk on Panels back in 2016. Here are their top ten tips for creating a panel:

1. A Panel isn’t just a set of pictures of a subject; they have to hold together with a unifying theme.
2. A Panel can be made up of:
   • different viewpoints of a single item (their example was different parts of a christening gown);
   • one subject, different items (their example was door knockers);
   • images that tell a story (their suggestion was a race);
   • different images with a theme (their example was ‘love’, with a heart in every image);
   • different images of one small locale (their example was stones by the breakwater)
3. Having one good print doesn’t make a good Panel. In fact, one excellent print will show up the rest as mediocre. An evenness of standard is preferable.
4. Images need to have the same colour feel or treatment. Whilst both colour and mono are obviously acceptable, mono can be easier to match up.
5. Images should be similar or same in size.
6. If there is an odd print – content, shape, or colour – it should go in the middle.
7. The mounts need to be the same colour and size and the bottom of each image, at least, should line up.
8. The Panel needs to have stops at each outside image, either with content or colour.
9. Regarding direction, with three images, the outside images can look inwards, with the centre image either full on, or looking to the left. Obviously this may not work with a story, where images would all face the same way (normally right).
10. If you have the opportunity to enter two Panels, choose one to please the judge and one for your own pleasure.

Portfolio Competitions

There are two portfolio competitions: print and DPI, each of which is to consist of four images, these may be images previously used in league competitions, Summer Trophy or any other competition except for previous portfolio competitions.

Each portfolio must be made up of four images taken from the following categories with no more than one image in each portfolio being from the same category.

The categories are:

• • Pictorial
  • Nature
  • Landscape
  • Portrait
  • Record
  • Street or Reportage

For an explanation of these categories please visit the Photographic Definitions page.

The images will be judged individually and as a set, with a maximum of 20 points being allocated to each image and 20 points being allocated to the set giving a total possible score for the portfolio of 100 points.

The set will be judged to assess the photographer’s versatility, it will not be judged as a visually cohesive panel.

However, the way in which the set is presented is in the photographer’s control:

• • for the prints this could be just the consistency of the mount boards, cutting and the use of borders or could include dictating the order in which the images should be shown as a set (they will be displayed in a single row, side by side), in which case number them from 1 to 4, with number 1 being on the left.

• for the DPIs, again this could just be the use of borders or pin lines or could include setting up a fifth image which shows the full set. This should have a maximum size of 1920×1080 pixels and the background colour can be selected to best present the images, which can be arranged in any way within the frame. If a combined image isn’t provided then one will be set up by the Competition Secretary, which will be on a black background with the four images set out in two rows of two.

The image name should include the category in parentheses, e.g. (PICTORIAL) THE DECISIVE MOMENT by Henri Cartier-Bresson

Chairman’s Trophy

The Chairman’s Trophy is awarded by the current Chairman to a member who in their opinion has contributed most the benefits of the club in whatever capacity they feel appropriate.