Photoshow 2023 – Member’s Instructions
Introduction
Photoshow is the club’s main exhibition of the season and this year will be held between the 5th and 19th August at the Methodist Hall in St Annes. In addition to an exhibition it is also a competition, with 5 categories in both Print and PDI media. All members compete on an equal footing with no split into groups. Members can submit up to 10 Prints and/or up to 10 PDI in any combination across the five categories, however depending on the total number of entries some images may have to be dropped, so members will be asked for a priority order, and the lowest priorities will be dropped if necessary. However all images will go to the judges, and in the event that a low priority image is awarded it will be retained and the next lowest priority image will be dropped instead. An image cannot be entered into more than one category.
Any images entered into the in-season competitions (both open and set subject) can be entered into Photoshow – the only restriction on Photoshow entries is that any image displayed in a previous Photoshow (including the on-line Photoshows during Covid lockdowns) may not be re-entered.
Hand-In for Photoshow is 1st June.
This years judges are:-
Prints – Diana Magor APSA MPSA EFIAP/b LRPS BPE3* CPAGB
Past President of Hoylake Photographic Society.
PDIs – David Gibbins ARPS APAGB EFIAP/b BPE5* CPAGB/AV
Beeston Camera Club, Nottingham.
Judges will be asked to select 1st, 2nd, 3rd and a number of Commended images at their discretion.
Photoshow Categories
The 5 categories are:-
- Open Colour
- Open Mono
- Nature
- People and Portraits
- Scapes
More details on each category is provided below:-
Open Colour – There is no restriction on image content, except that it must contain colour. If an image would clearly fit into a different category, it is preferable to enter it into that category to avoid an overly large Open Colour entry.
Open Mono – Any image reproduced with a single tone, such as Black & White or Sepia. Colour popped images (where a small part of the image is in colour) are not eligible and should be entered into a different category.
Nature – To ensure Nature images can be used in external L&CPU competitions, the PAGB Nature definition applies:-
“Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement.
Processing of the captured image, by cropping, exposure adjustment, colour correction, noise minimisation, dodging/burning, HDR, focus stacking and sharpening, is allowed. Coning of image defects and minor distractions, including overlapping elements, are permitted when these do not distort the truth of the photographic statement. Images entered as Nature can have landscape, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and extant organisms as the primary subject matter. This includes images taken with the subjects in controlled conditions, such as zoos, game farms, botanical gardens, aquariums and any enclosure where the subjects are totally dependent on man for food.”
People And Portraits – Images of people or a single person. Animal portraits are not permitted in this category. Images can be colour or monochrome.
Scapes – Any image depicting our physical environment – land, sea, urban, rural – is acceptable. People and animals may be included in the scene as long as they are not the main subject. Images can be colour or monochrome.
In all categories, members are reminded of the LSAPS rules on display of images including children, which in summary states that images of children will not be displayed without the consent of a parent or guardian. This applies to the display of Prints and PDI in Photoshow.
Preparation of Images
The original image must have been captured using the photographic process and may not incorporate elements produced by anyone else. Subject to category restrictions, artwork or computer graphics generated by the entrant may be incorporated, provided that the original photographic content predominates and images are not constructed entirely within a computer.
Prints
- Prints must be mounted (but not framed) in a standard 500x400mm mount. The print itself may be of any size and orientation within that standard mount.
- Prints must be flush mounted on the back with no exposed adhesive tape. Print plus mount must be no more than 4mm deep.
- You must identify your print on the back, in the top left hand corner, showing the category, memberID and title, in the form x_y_title, where x = category (C for Colour, M for Mono, N for Nature, P for People, S for Scapes), y = memberID. There should be no mention of the author’s name on the front or back of the print.
- It is essential that a PDI copy of all prints is also submitted to provide a record for the club’s image database and for display on the club website. The digital filenames are also used to prepare the print labels and judge’s comments, so the title of the digital copy must match the title on the print. The PDI copy should be prepared as described below.
Projected Digital Images (PDIs)
- All entries must be in jpg/jpeg format, using sRGB colour space. The image size should be a maximum of either 1600 pixels wide and/or 1200 pixels high. Please do not pad out the smaller dimension with black or any other colour.
- There is a dedicated Photoshow Uploader which should be used where possible. Images submitted using the uploader should be titled only with the image title – codes will be added automatically by the software. Images submitted by other means should have a code added, in the form xx_y_z_title, where xx = category/medium (CD or CP for Colour Digital or Print, MD or MP for Mono, ND or NP for Nature, PD or PP for People, SD or SP for Scapes), y = memberID (3 digits), z = priority (1 to 10 using 2 digits) – eg CP_013_08_My Picture, indicating a Colour Print image by Member 13 that is their 8th priority.