Calling all photo clubs....do you allow digital entries for competitions?

[Christal1664882414]

<p>Our photo club is debating the idea of whether to allow digital entries for our monthly competitions. I'm curious what other photo clubs are doing in this regard. It is definitely easier and cheaper to enter digitally, and it also would allow us to obtain a judge from virtually anywhere. But we wonder if the 'art' will be sacrificed if it becomes too easy and people are able to indiscriminately enter images. Will the quality suffer? I'd love your feedback about this.</p>

[stp]

<p>I lost contact with my photo club just as digital was becoming widespread. The local camera club in the town in which I currently live uses digital images. I think this may quickly become a discussion in each club that will parallel discussions that have taken place on this site, especially if the nature of the camera club is on "competition" of submitted entries (which is why I haven't joined my current local camera club -- I want to discuss and collaborate, not compete): how can we compare photographs that are a true representation of a striking composition as seen by the eye to photographs that express the creative mind of the photographer and have been significantly altered to express the vision of that creative mind? They are two very different processes and purposes. </p>

<p>Most clubs have limits on the number of entries that can be submitted each evening. I don't think the quality would suffer if 1) the emphasis is on competition, or 2) the judges and audience are honest, in a kind way, about the shortcomings of indiscriminate entries.</p>

<p>Considering the nature of photography today, it seems imperative to allow digital entries, and each club is going to have to wrestle with the issues of having manipulated versus non-manipulated photographs being shown side-by-side. It could also be a great learning tool: I'd love to see how a photographer has started from an initial photograph and gradually processed it to produce a final image.</p>

<p>In fact, I think that would be a great new forum for photo.net to adopt: one that allows a photographer to demonstrate how an image was taken from its initial stage to a final stage through a series of processing and possibly manipulative stages. I would find that very interesting and very instructive.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>The photo clubs I know have had that discussion already years ago. They accept digital without hesitation.</p>

[manuel barrera houston,]

<p>We do both, print and digital projection.</p>

[Christal1664882414]

<p>Stephen……Our club is comprised of all levels of photographers, including many professionals. We have 2 levels for competition…..novice and standard. We’re limited to 4 entries, and when someone has won 3 ribbons in the novice level, they must move up to the standard level. I never feel any rivalry in our competitions. It’s a collaborative and supportive group, and I’ve gained much from its membership. I’m afraid many of us would not submit images if not for having these competitions. I was a member for an entire year before mustering up the courage to enter. Once I did, however, I’ve learned so much…….as much from the actual process of getting the images ready as from the comments by the judge.</p>

<p>We have to declare if an image is manipulated, and we have very strict guidelines as to what that means. We really don’t have a lot of that kind of photography being submitted. I guess we’re kind of a ‘purist’ group. J Furthermore, some judges like gimmicks and/or manipulations, and some do not. So it all works out.</p>

<p>I like your idea of submitting before and after pictures, which shows the process. I’ll have to suggest that to our club.</p>

<p>I agree that so much depends on the judge. We work hard to find judges who can tactfully and kindly give constructive comments. This is invaluable if you get a good judge. (Which is another plus for going the digital route…..it would be easier to find judges, and we wouldn’t be limited to this geographical area).</p>

<p>Jos……thanks for your input. I greatly appreciate it.</p>

<p>Manuel……..do you use digital and print concurrently? By that I mean….do you allow both formats in the same competition, allowing the member to decide which he’d like to enter? Or do you alternate, using print format for one competition and digital for the next? We’re thinking of holding about ¼ of our competitions in the digital format, and ¾ in the print format. I suspect that eventually we’ll be all digital……maybe not. It’s just that it takes people awhile to change from the old ways.</p>

<p>Thank you all for your responses!</p>

[wood]

<p>We do only digital with projection. Judging is supposed to be a learning experience and, although some of our judges are relatively impartial and constructive, some are lacking. I also wish for more time to discuss the photos with other members.</p>

[RobertChura]

<p>We have Digital and Print competitions each month with 3 separate classes of skill levels. With over 220 members as of last month. We only allow 1 entry in digital and print class per member each month starting in May 2010. On average last year we had 180 images for a judge and now it's around 80 per month. This allows more time for critique and made less stress on the judges.<br>

IMHO If you have digital only you lose the quality of printing and in spite of popularity of digital it is still good to have good print skills. No one has ever bought a digital image from me to hang in their living room. I can never find a good way to hang a digital image on the wall. (The argument for digital frames is mute until they make an affordable 16x20 or larger frame size)</p>

[Mattman944]

<p>We have been doing digital competitions for years. I wrote software to help display and judge the images, it is available for others to use also: <a href="http://mattman944.com/ClubViewer/index.htm">http://mattman944.com/ClubViewer/index.htm</a> -MattM</p>

 

[john_h.1]

<blockquote>

<p>we wonder if the 'art' will be sacrificed if it becomes too easy and people are able to indiscriminately enter images.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br /> Just limit the number of entries allowed or have other regulations as needed, if needed. Along with any rules it wants.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Will the quality suffer?</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br /> It may be suffering now. Bringing in additional formats allows more opportunities for good things to be brought to the table. Almost everyone has cell phones. Almost everyone has computers, the internet and so in. We have digital cameras. So many firms have been discontinued. Its almost 2011. Its safe for the club to join the 21st century and it can still have film only categories.</p>

[john_h.1]

<blockquote>

<p>No one has ever bought a digital image from me to hang in their living room.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'm not sure why be the case. I sell digitally made prints. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>I can never find a good way to hang a digital image on the wall.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Try the same way you hang film based prints.</p>

<blockquote>

 

</blockquote>

[Christal1664882414]

<p>Robert W.....You didn't say how big you club is, but it is difficult to allow much time for discussion if you have too many members submitting works. Some judges are certainly better than others. We pay our judges an honorarium, so we generally get good ones. One thing we've considered doing is having a competition in which the members vote. We just haven't figured out what shape that would take yet. Thanks for your input!</p>

<p>Robert C.......Wow! You have a big club, so I can certainly understand why you would limit it to 1 entry. In a way that's good because it would make a person very discriminating about selecting that 1 image that they think will do well. And what you say about the printed image is the very thing we're struggling with. We agree with that in essence; yet we also recognize that technology is calling loud and clear for us to change. Thanks for sharing your experience.</p>

<p>Matthew.....thanks for your info. I hope you don't mind that I've passed along your website info to other club members who would be much better equipped to understand it. :-) Thanks so much for your generous offer.</p>

<p>John.....You're so right that we live in quite the tech age. Some of us are just a little slower to get on the bandwagon! :-) I held out a long time before switching from film to digital, and I've never looked back. So I'll join this century eventually. :-) Thanks for your input.</p>

[wood]

<p>Cristal,<br>

Our club is about 40 people with only about 15 entering photos, on average, in each of our 5 competitioins per year. We are limited to 8 submissions per competition, 2 max per category.</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>Our club allows prints, digital projection and traditionally projected slides. It is common for digital projection and prints to be in the same competition but slides usually have their own separate competition.<br>

We are allowed three of each type per competition so theoretically I can enter the same competion with nine entries: three colour prints, three black and white prints and three digital submissions. This is reduced if the competition specifically states colour or black and white rather than both.</p>

[manuel barrera houston,]

<p>We do both, we can submit two from different categories, Nature, Travel, Pictorial, Photo Journalism, Creative, and we have a monthly assignment, we recently added Monochrome. Some of the better entries are then sent to the Gulf States Camera Club Council (consists of Mississippi, Louisana, Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma). That means that we can submit a total of four images for judging to have the potential for moving up. Other categories are added occassionally like field trips but those for internal points within the club.</p>

[Christal1664882414]

<p>Robert, it sounds like your club is small and intimate, which must offer a great opportunity for discussing your images with other members. It's great that you can enter so many images if you're so inclined.</p>

<p>Steve and Manuel,<br>

It sounds like your clubs offer more opportunities than our club. We have 1 topic each month, and the photographer has the option of entering either 'on topic' or 'off-topic', in either color or B&W.....a limit of 4 images total. More points are awarded for on topic, but the on-topic images must have been taken within the past year. Also, some of the topics we have are decided by the program chairman, and sometimes they're pretty obscure or not of a general enough nature to appeal to very many people. I guess that's why we have the 'off-topic' option. But in both of your clubs, there seems to be more versatility. I'll pass along these suggestions to my club and see what they have to say. Thanks to you both!</p>

<p> </p>

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p>More points are awarded for on topic, but the on-topic images must have been taken within the past year. Also, some of the topics we have are decided by the program chairman, and sometimes they're pretty obscure or not of a general enough nature to appeal to very many people.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>We have a couple of other things separate from the competitions which I actually prefer:<br>

The first is the presidents challenge. The president of the club (quite a grand title!) sets a challenge and we have a month until the images are reviewed. Pictures have to be taken during that month and are a set subject. For instance, this month's subject is 'patterns using tree bark' and because there was a recent Photoshop/Lightroom tutorial on duotones, all entries must be duotoned. As I am a 100% film and darkroom user, my duotoning will consist of soaking the prints in strong black coffee for a while!<br>

The other thing we have is a print critique. We bring our prints along and anyone can comment on them. I prefer this to judged competitions as you get to hear many peoples opinions rather than just one person who is trying to give his opinion on every image.<br>

The problem with competitions is the variance in the judges. We recently had one who managed to say something negative about everything he looked at then at the next competition a different judge was the complete opposite and tried to find something good to say about each entry.</p>