Indiana State Fair Photography Competition Rules, Tips and Tricks Dave Chan Indianapolis Camera Club March 22, 2016
Indiana State Fair Photography
CompetitionRules, Tips and Tricks
Dave Chan
Indianapolis Camera Club
March 22, 2016
Introduction
• Dave Chan
– Photography is a really serious hobby for me
• Amateur Photographer (by choice)
• Shooting since 2003 (digital only)
• Started with a Nikon D100 dSLR
– Day Job: Lilly Engineering in Manufacturing
– Competition Experience:
• Entered 2014 and 2015 State Fair Competition
• 2015: Fortunate to score a perfect 100, winning 1st
place and Best of Show in Amateur B&W.
State Fair CompetitionEntry Categories:Professional: ($40-30-20 for 1st-2nd-3rd , $50 for Best of Show)
1. Portrait (B&W and Color)
2. Wedding (B&W and Color)
3. Commercial (B&W and Color)
4. Open (B&W and Color)
5. Nature (B&W and Color)
6. Wedding Album
Amateur: ($30-25-20 for 1st-2nd-3rd , $40 for Best of Show)1. People (B&W and Color)
2. Travel (B&W and Color)
3. Sports (B&W and Color)
4. Photojournalistic (B&W and Color)
5. Nature (B&W and Color)
6. Open (B&W and Color)
Special State Fair Category: ($75-50-30 for 1st-2nd-3rd )1. “Celebrating Indiana’s Bicentennial”
State Fair Competition
Amateur vs. Professional:
• Judging criteria and scoring are IDENTICAL.
• Professional
– Photographers engaged in creating prints for payment regardless of the percentage of the total income.
• Do you have a website where you advertise?
• Have you put prints for sale?
• Amateur
– Photographers who do not (nor try to) sell their work
• Entries
– Categories for Amateur and Professional are different.
– Professionals 5 entries max: 3 category + 1 wedding album + 1 state fair category
– Amateurs 3 entries max: 2 category + 1 state fair category
State Fair CompetitionMounting:
• Judging criteria and scoring are IDENTICAL.
• Entries are measured for dimensions and thickness!!!
• Professional– Longest side must measure exactly 20 inches. 20”x20” max.
• Amateur– Final mounted submission must measure exactly 16”x20”.
• Mats:– Thickness must not exceed 3/16”.
– Digital mats are preferred for handling purposes.
– Overlay mats are acceptable. Note: Double faced tape, layer of spray glue, etc. will NOT hold up in high heat and humidity.
– Entries that fall apart before/during judging will be disqualified.
• Backing:– Solid photographic mount board or foam core. Masonite,
corrugated cardboard, or thin posted board are unacceptable.
State Fair Competition
Individual vs. Camera Club Entries:
• Judging, criteria, scoring use the same standards.
• Making the 5 entries “a collection” does not matter.
– Judges are told “Camera Club Category”.
– Judges do not know which camera club each entry belongs to.
– A camera club’s 5 prints may not be judged consecutively. They can be mixed with other camera club entries (order-wise)
– The scores of each club entry are added for a club score.
Camera Club Specific Items:
• 5 entries from 5 different club members.
• Club entries CANNOT be entered individually
• Print Size/Mounting: Same as Amateur. 16”x20” final size.
State Fair Competition Judging
Judging:
• The Photographic Exhibitions Committee (PEC) of
PPA (Professional Photographers of America) uses
the “12 Elements of a Merit Image”.
• IPPG (Indianapolis Professional Photographers Guild)
hosts/coordinates the State Fair Photography
Competition
– I volunteered through IPPG in 2015.
• Criteria: 12 Elements of a Merit Image
• “Objectively Subjective”
State Fair Competition Judging
IPPG’s role:• IPPG (Indianapolis Professional Photographers Guild) hosts/coordinates
the State Fair Photography Competition.
• What is IPPG?
– A club more focused on portraits and the business side of photography.
– Most members are professionals. Amateurs are welcome to join!
• IPPG uses the State Fair Competition as a “club competition” and awards
members cash prizes (paid from membership dues).
• Judges do NOT know if a print belongs to an IPPG member. The IPPG tags
are applied AFTER judging
Scoring ScaleScoring Scale:
• 95-100: Exceptional
• 90-94: Superior
• 85-89: Excellent
• 80-84: Deserving of a Merit
• 75-79: Above Average
• 70-74: Average
Judges Scoring:
• They start at 100 and find reasons to deduct.
My observations:
• Very few prints score >=90
• Ribbon usually awarded to >=80– PPA judging: >=80 is “major leagues” and considered “great”
• High 70s sometimes gets an award– Depends on the competition which depends on the category
State Fair Judging LogisticsJudges and Setup:
• 3 Judges, all “certified” PPA.– 2015: 2 from other states and 1 local.
• Judged under bright lights! Daylight Balance.
• Print is lit and framed by black curtains.
• Judging area is private, closed off to the public and volunteers.
Process:
• They announce the title and then unveil the print.
• Judges silently input a score.
• The average of the 3 scores is announced.
• A judge may challenge if the average score isn’t what they think it should be.– Challenger states their reason. Other judges respond. They give a rebuttal.
They rescore. It can go up or down.
Notes:
• A LOT of prints are judged and it’s all done in 1 long day.
• Comments are NOT written down. You get your print back with the final score.
“Drift into a Dreamscape” – Dave Chan
• Shot in Bariloche, Argentina. 24mm, f/8, 108 Sec, ISO 100, ND Filters. Metallic Print.
• 2015: Score=82. Honorable Mention in Amateur Color Travel.
• 1 Judge challenged (thought it should score higher) and print was debated. Technical
comments on “banding” and “warm/cool tones”. Post discussion, score went down.
12 Elements of a Merit ImageElements:
1. Impact:
– The “WOW” factor. Evokes intense emotion.
2. Technical Excellence
– Sharpness, focus, color balance, proper exposure, details
3. Creativity
– Has this been seen before or is it something unique?
4. Style
5. Composition
– The “rules”
– Holds the viewer in the image and the viewer looks where the photographer intended them to
6. Presentation
– Mats & borders should enhance, not distract from image
– Processional printing companies offer “Competition Prints”
12 Elements of a Merit ImageElements:
7. Color Balance
– Skin tones are accurate, etc.
8. Center of Interest
– Should be obvious what the viewer should look at and no distractions from the point(s) of interest
– Everything else supports the center of interest
9. Lighting
– Use and control of light – should be dimensional and not flat, sources, shape, roundness - should enhance an image
10. Subject Matter
– Subject should match surrounding and appropriate to tell the story
11. Technique
– Approach used to create the image. Printing, lighting, posing, etc.
12. Story Telling
– The image’s ability to evoke imagination. The Title matters!!! It’s the only way for you to communicate to the judges.
12 Elements of a Merit Image
Other Advice:• The title you choose is your communication with the judge. It
can greatly help your score!
• When selecting images for competition, choose an image that
has more of the 12 elements vs. one you may like better that
has less.
• Images must stand on their own – judges don’t care how hard
it was to get the shot or what may have prevented you from
getting a better shot.
State Fair Competition TipsTips I received for 2014:
– Use glossy finish.
– Print your prints dark.
– Recommend using digital or no mat (full bleed)
– Generally, warmer tones preferred.
– HDR / Filters – Does it help? Avoid overdoing it.
– Backing – Use marker and black out the sides so not distracting
– Try looking at your print upside down real quick. Your eyes should be drawn to the center of interest. Also, you’ll naturally see the bad parts.
– Often, the winners are not the prints people buy
– They look for technically perfect photography
– The title matches the center of interest
– Horizontal lines across people are distracting. Avoid.
– Get your rule of thirds including the mat.
– Model release required.
My 2014 Entries
What I learned and applied for 2014:
• First “real” competition I ever entered. Learn the judging criteria and cater to it.
• Use digital borders/mat
• Have it professional printed (easier)
– Professional printed/mounted by Burrell Imaging.
– $126.83 for 3 16x20 mounted prints
• Title Matters!
• Need the “Wow” factor. Something unique.
• I struggled with post-processing
– I didn’t know how to do things that need to be done…and didn’t give myself enough time to learn…
“Mandalay Sacred Sunset” – Dave Chan
• Shot in Myanmar. 14mm, f/22, 1/200 Sec, ISO 1600
• 2014: Score=78. No Merit in Amateur Color Travel.
• Halo effect from post-processing. Blacks (esp. the guy), has no detail. Better if had rim light.
“Midway Midnight Madness” – Dave Chan
• Shot at 2014 State Fair. 10.5mm Crop
Sensor Fisheye Lens on Full-Frame
Sensor Camera, f/18, 4 sec, ISO 100
• 4 sec = Time for ride to reach peak to
peak.
• 2014: Score=80. Third Place in State
Fair Category.
• Better if there were ppl. Sharpness.
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“Moment of Concentration” – Dave Chan
• Shot outdoors in NYC Park, Natural Lighting. 55mm, f/3.5, 1/640 Sec, ISO 1100
• 2014: Score=79?. 3rd Place in Amateur B&W Portrait.
• The bubble wand is distracting and too bright. Darks have no detail. Try flipping left to right.
Unedited original
State Fair Competition TipsTips I received for 2015:
– Become a better editor: Photoshop!
– Learn from those better than you.
– Know the difference.• Snapshot vs. Good images vs. Competition images
– Don’t give the judges ANYTHING to object to!• Halos, over-sharpening, banding, any technical issues
– Compete Compete Compete• Experience helps.
• Put a print through multiple competitions.
– Blacks should not be pure black. Must have details.
– Whites should not be pure white. Must have details.
– Prefer digital mats.• White Mat
• Grey border
• Small black border
• Image
– Buildings must not have keystoning at all
– Symmetry matters. Arches of a cathedral should be perfect!
My 2015 Entries
What I learned and applied for 2015:
• Start earlier! Test prints! Get advice from friends!
• Try another printing place– Professional printed/mounted by ACI
– http://www.acilab.com
– $186.42 for 4 16x20 mounted competition prints
– Tried a Metallic Print
• Title matters!!!
• Get better at post-processing images. Don’t over-process and look for artifacts!
• Must have details in the blacks!
• Less entries in B&W Categories…
“Just Like Dad” – Dave Chan
• Shot in Noblesville, IN inside a combine. 14mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO-640. Remote triggered
off-camera Speedlight Flash w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere Diffuser.
• 2015: Score=79. No merit in “Year of the Farmer” State Fair Category. No judge comments.
• Peer feedback: Distortion due to ultra-wide. Shirt is wrinkled. Lighten the darks a tad.
Unedited original
“Buddha’s Delight” – Dave Chan
• Shot in Myanmar on a moving train using window light. 14mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO-640.
• 2015: Score=81. PVCC 3rd place in Camera Club Category. No judge comments.
• Peer feedback: The cord on the right is distracting and cuts off his hand…
“Drift into a Dreamscape” – Dave Chan
• Shot in Bariloche, Argentina. 24mm, f/8, 108 Sec, ISO 100, ND Filters. Metallic Print.
• 2015: Score=82. Honorable Mention in Amateur Color Travel.
• 1 Judge challenged (thought it should score higher) and print was debated. Technical
comments on “banding” and “warm/cool tones”. Post discussion, score went down.
“Devils in the Details” – Dave Chan
• Shot in Irvington, IN. 135mm, f/8, 0.6
sec, ISO 1000
• 2015: Score=100. 1st Place in Amateur
B&W Travel. Best of Show Amateur
B&W.
• 1 Judge challenged (to discuss). Title
greatly helped the image. Judges
couldn’t find anything wrong.
Resulted in a perfect score.
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