| Question |
| · How do I prepare my images? · How do I submit my images? · How are images scored? · What are the prizes? · How do I comment on advice session images? |
| Answer |
| · How do I prepare my images? |
- You must be a member of the club to participate in the judged meeting contest. To join, visit https://www.statecollegephotoclub.org/become-a-member/
- Members may enter up to a total of two images in the contest.
- Images may be distributed between:
- Theme and Open or
- Theme and Advice
- Submit your images so that they are 2000 pixels on their longest side and 300 ppi
- File size should be no more than 2 MB.
- Save your final image as a jpeg in sRGB mode.*
- Choose a quality/compression setting of at least 8 for high quality/low compression when making a final save as jpeg.
- Filename must include your full name and a title.
*Note that repeated saving in jpeg format results in excessively compressed pictures that are pixelated or lacking critical detail when viewed on the large meeting screen. It is recommended to save your full-size edited image as a tiff file, until your final save as jpeg.
The image must, of course, be your own and never awarded a SCPC ribbon. Any elements within the image must also be your own (for example, use your own skies for sky replacement)
- You may resubmit any images that have never won an SCPC ribbon.
- Images must be submitted before the email-announced deadline several days before the meeting.
- Image filename must include your full name and the title.
- For advice session submissions, always include your shoot-information, concerns and questions in the description field.
- You may submit a maximum of two images per competition/advice session.
- You may distribute your images between any category or advice session available.
- Each category or advice session has its own upload page, accessed from your wwwStateCollegePhotoClub.org login.
You will receive an email prior to a competition meeting reminding you to submit an image and giving you instructions. The deadline will usually be the Wednesday before the meeting date.
- About 24 hours after the submission deadline, look for an email asking you to score the images or provide advice.
- Score your fellow members’ photos by accessing the online polling pages from your www.StateCollegePhotoClub.org log-in, in the same way you submitted images.
- You must not score your own or your spouse’s images.
- If you participate in scoring, you must score all other images.
- You may score, even if you have not submitted images to this category.
- When scoring, view images on a big screen – desktop monitor or cast to a TV monitor. Smart phones will not show realistic image quality.
- Consider each image on its own merits, not against other images.
- When evaluating photos, consider impact, creativity, style, composition, center of interest, lighting, subject matter, color balance, technical excellence, technique, storytelling, and emotion.
Assign a maximum of 15 points per image with 15 being the best, using this 5/5/5 guideline.
- Technical – up to 5 points
- Composition – up to 5 points.
- Impact & Consistency with Theme – up to 5 points.
Exception to the 5/5/5 guideline: Journalistic photos have composing and editing challenges such as no lighting control and prohibitions from removing distractions such as exit signs in an arena. Remember that photojournalism’s primary purpose is storytelling. Give more weight to their impact and consistency with the theme and less weight to Technical/Composition.
Ribbons are given to first, second, third place and honorable mention winners for each competition. We post winners to SCPC’s Facebook & Instagram. At the September end-of-year meeting, ribbon-winning images from all internal monthly competitions are critiqued and ranked by an outside judge and winners awarded ribbons and social media posts. End-of-year cumulative points winners are also awarded ribbons.
· How do I comment on advice session images?
All members may comment. You are NOT required to have submitted a photo.
- First, view the photographer’s image and description on a big screen.
- Comment on at least five photos.
- If a photo has several comments, find ones with less and comment there, so everyone receives feedback
- Please use “I” statements such as “I feel” or “I think,” so the reader is clear it’s your opinion
- When commenting, think about the following aspects: impact, creativity, style, composition, center of interest, lighting, subject matter, color balance, technical excellence, technique, storytelling, and emotion. Make your suggestions as specific about these concepts as possible.
- In your comments, answer questions the photographer typed into the description field.