Kingston Photographic Club

Club Competitions

We run one Club Competitions,

We run competitions (three rounds) each season, with categories for Pictorial, Nature and Creative Experimental. Each competition round is judged by a three judge panel and the entrants are invited to select two of their images for judges‘ comments, though this is not mandatory. Points are awarded for each image and the cumulative scores count towards the Annual awards presented at the end of year banquet.

Club Competition Closing Dates

  • 1st Competition – Monday, November 4, 2024
  • 2nd Competition – Monday, January 06, 2025
  • 3rd Competition – Monday, March 03, 2025

Competition submissions are made via online upload on the Competition Entry page. You must be registered for the website to submit images. Instructions for website submission can be found here.

Conditions of EntryGeneral Rules for All Divisions

Entry by Kingston Photographic Club paid members only.

No image may be entered more than once in any Club competition, but may be entered in the Online Monthly competition and vice-versa. Cropping does not count as a new image.

Any images that do not meet the rules of the competition will be disqualified PRIOR to judging. The Competitions Chair will not be responsible for notifying participants prior to the judging of any disqualifications.

It is highly recommended that prints be submitted in plastic protector pages. The Kingston Photographic Club will not be liable for any images that are damaged due incorrect mounting, throughout judging, and presentation.

All images entered into the Kingston Photographic Club Competitions must originate as photographs (image-captures of objects via light sensitive film or sensor) made by the entrant. Competition Chair may require entrant to supply original files (screen shots are not suitable).

A total of four images may be entered in each competition. These may be all in one category or divided among the categories.

The Kingston Photographic Club encourages photographers to grow through continuous practice, use fresh ideas and submit new work for competition. The original image should have been captured within 24 months of the competition closing date. We request that all Club members comply.

PLAGIARISM: Digital photography and the internet have made it very easy to acquire high quality images that individuals could present as their own work. Images submitted to KPC competitions MUST be the sole work of the maker. Images that receive high scores or have been recognized for their excellence may be subject to scrutiny by the Club Executive. Any available technology will be employed to verify the validity of the image submitted including a request from the Executive; (A) – for a copy of the original file from the camera, (B) – to produce the camera the image was produced on for examination, (C) – a copy of the editing file used in the production of the final image, and (D) – performing a web search for similar images. Concerns brought forward to the Executive on the validity of any image presented to the KPC for competition will be taken seriously. It is advised that all members keep safe any digital files that can be used to validate any image they intend to enter in club for competition. For composite images like HDR’s and panoramas, the source images need to be available for scrutiny. For digital files scanned from photographic material (slides or negatives), the original film material will be required for validation. If an image cannot be conclusively demonstrated to be the maker’s, it will be disqualified as not having been entered and any adjustments required will be made to the competition to make the proper awards. Any member found guilty of submitting plagiarized material in part or in whole may be barred from all club competitions for a period of two years. Any subsequent violation will result in a lifetime ban on participating in any club competitions or having their images submitted as representing the club. All decisions of the Kingston Photographic Club Executive shall be final.

PLEASE NOTE: KINGSTON PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB RELEASE OF IMAGES

The participants, by entering the Club competitions agree to give the Kingston Photographic Club permission to use their images at any time for Kingston Photographic Club publications and promotions including use on the club web site. Images may be duplicated by any means and kept with the club’s archives. Images may be selected by the Competition Chair to be forwarded to CAPA competitions. Entry into the club competitions implies acceptance of the above rules, UNLESS THE PARTICIPANT SPECIFICALLY REFUSES IN WRITING TO THE COMPETITIONS CHAIR.

The Kingston Photographic Club recommends that the photographer obtain a model release, if necessary, for both presentation and publication prior to submitting any entry. The photographer, not the Kingston Photographic Club, will be responsible for any legal issues.


Divisions

Our Print division has been paused for the time being as our competitions now take place online. We have not found a way of providing the same level of judging or commenting in an in-person setting.

Pictorial Division

There is no restriction as to subject matter in the Pictorial division.

Editing Criteria – Open Editing – All in-camera, on-camera and post-processing techniques are permitted. This includes combining multiple images, layers and elements in a final image. However, all components of the final image must have been taken by the Entrant.

Creative/Experimental Division – includes Abstract and Altered Reality

Creative/Experimental images may be created in the camera (zooms, pans, multiple exposures, motion blur, unusual angles of view, filters) as well as modifications and enhancements using digital imaging software. This may include: changing natural color, form, shape or any combination of these three within the image; montages (blending or composites of multiple images); HDR, focus-stacking, selective layering – using photographs of the same scene; filters; texture; masking; combination of B/W and colour; posterization; solarization; brush strokes; photograms; negative images; distortion; sandwiching; etc. The original image, (and any images used to create the submission image), must have been taken by the entrant. The original image must be altered by the maker; artwork or computer graphics generated by the entrant may be incorporated so long as the original photographic content predominates. Images may not be constructed solely within a computer.

Nature Division

Nature photography depicts living, untamed animals and uncultivated plants in their natural habitat, landscapes (without the hand of man), geology and the wide diversity of natural phenomena, from insects to icebergs. 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, but MUST NOT show the hand of man.

The accurate record of the subject and natural environment is the prime factor.

Photographs of cultivated plants, formal flower arrangements, domestic and caged animals, i.e. mounted specimens, museum groups or man and his specialized environment, are not acceptable.

Minimal evidence of humans is acceptable for nature subjects, such as barn owls or storks adapting to an environment modified by humans, or natural forces like hurricanes or tidal waves reclaiming it.

The original image must be taken by the photographer, whatever photographic medium is used.

Editing Criteria – Restricted Editing – Any manipulation or modification to the original image is limited, but may include basic clean up, white balance adjustment, tone adjustments, colour correction, clarity, vibrance, saturation, sharpening and dodging/burning and must not alter the content of the original scene. NO COMPOSITES. The Kingston Photographic Club reserves the right to request the RAW file of the original image for any images that the manipulation is questionable.

Scientific names are recommended but common names will be accepted. Include the term “wild” for a flower that is also cultivated, such as morning glory.

Please avoid using titles such as “little green plant” or “Jolly Green Giant”. “Bald Eagle” is better than “Eagle” which is better than “Bird in Tree”.

Note: Nature images with an interpretive or pictorial treatment, or with the hand of man, should be submitted in the pictorial competition.


Submission Requirements

Use the following format for each digital slide:

Edit all image files in full resolution and save in JPEG formats.

Images to be submitted in digital format and must be correctly sized. Horizontal orientation needs to be 1400 pixels long side and Vertical orientation needs to be 1050 long side. Square images 1050 vertical side. By sizing this way, the second measurement (X or Y) will fall into place all on its own. The second number is rarely constant due to cropping, straightening, etc. Save in the sRGB colour space @ 72 – 120 ppi.

Naming convention for digital images: Maker’s Name – Image Title.jpg

E.g. John Doe- Rideau Canal.jpg

Submission MethodsVia Website

For comprehensive instructions on how to upload images, Click Here.

Judging

The point system of judging will be used, with a 4 – 10 point rating by each judge, making a range of marks for each photograph from 12 – 30. At Club showing nights, the titles of all slides and prints will be given, but the photographer’s name will be announced only if they are among the top scoring entries. The top slides and prints from each competition may be forwarded to a national competition among member clubs of the Canadian Association for Photographic Art. Critique will also be given to as many images as possible, where the member has marked their entry form requesting this, whether they are among the top scoring entries or not.

The Points System

Technical Quality – Exposure, focus, adequate depth of field, foreground sharp (unless deliberately presented otherwise), shutter speed. 3 points

Subject Matter – Try for universal appeal in spite of location; if location is highly identifiable, it is usually not good; photograph must be attractive in spite of the location. For example, Niagara Falls needs something extra to take it out of the travel or postcard category. 1 point

Composition – Arrangement of design must be good. 2 points

Emotional Appeal – Make the picture outstanding; this can be done through lighting, posing, camera position, or using different lenses. It also means IMPACT. 2 points

Originality – This is the most difficult aspect to acquire in a picture and should represent something new in the picture field. 2 points

Total 10 points

Awards

Awards are presented each May for work in the yearly competitions, as outlined below. Using points awarded by the judges in each competition, a trophy will be awarded, which may be kept for the following year. In addition, the top three in each division will receive ribbons as a permanent memento. (See Qualifications for Annual Awards).

Camera Kingston Trophy – Print Maker of the Year

Vern Napier’s Cameras Trophy – Colour Image Photographer of the Year

Dorothy Benson Trophy – Nature Photographer of the Year

Harrison Burbidge Memorial Award – Creative/Experimental Photographer of the Year

Bruce Gunion Award – Top First Year Photographer – The trophy is awarded to the first year member receiving the highest total from all entries submitted to the all competitions. Returning former club members are not eligible for this award. (Formally the Limestone City Award)

Brit Trophy – Photographer of the Year. – The trophy is awarded to the member receiving the highest total from all entries submitted to the two competitions.

CAPA Medal – The top Image and top Print of the Year. – At the end of the competition year, the top three images from each division and competition are submitted to a panel of three judges. These judges will select the top image of the year and the top print of the year. Each will receive a CAPA medal.

Qualifications for Annual Awards

To be eligible for an Annual Award one must have submitted a minimum of five entries within a DIVISION.

Standings in each DIVISION are based on the total score of the entrant’s top five images.