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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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