Monthly Competitions

All members of the Charlottesville Camera Club are encouraged to enter photos into our monthly competitions. For the purposes of judging, members are divided into "B" (beginner) and "A" (advanced) classes. Photos are evaluated on a five point scale.

Eleven months each year, members enter photos into two different categories: 1) Assigned (see topics below), and 2) Open (photographer's choice of subject). In these categories, A and B photographers are judged separately. Members can enter no more than one photo in each of these categories. For both the Assigned and Open categories, there are some limits on the extent of photo editing allowed, as described in the Rules of Competition.

In December, members compete in End-of-Year competitions. See EOY awards for details.

All entries must be uploaded to a server before the established deadline. See Uploading for more inormation.

A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE ENTERING A COMPETITION:

Is my craftsmanship as good as it can be? (Is the image perfectly sharp, well exposed, not over-sharpened or over-saturated, etc.?)
Are there any distracting or unnecessary objects in my image? (Remember: If something doesn’t help your image, it hurts it!)
Is any part of the background brighter than my subject? (If so, find a way to eliminate or at least darken it.)
Are any parts of my image too close to the edges of the frame?
Is my subject or horizon right in the middle? Am I sure that’s the best place for it?
Am I being objective about the subject’s appeal? (Your pet or grandchild or garden may mean everything to you, but a judge cares only about the quality of the image.)

This Year's Themes

January	Something That Makes You Happy	Feel flooded by a world full of unhappiness? Then fight back with your camera! Capture something that never fails to bring you joy, and do it in a way that brings joy to us as well.	Phil Witt
February	Soft and Delicate	Soft and delicate colors, shapes, objects, even emotions are yours, almost everywhere, to capture.	Larry Treadwell
March	The Mundane Made Beautiful	Photography is all about seeing. So, what can you see in the ordinary objects and aspects of life that make a beautiful [or at least interesting] photograph?	Mary Louise Ravese
April	In Focus, Barely	Especially in landscapes and close-ups, photographers strive for the maximum amount of the subject to be in focus, or for the maximum “depth of field.” But beautiful photography can happen with the bare minimum depth of field as well. So, open your eyes--and lens apertures--wide and see what happens!	Becky Witt
May	Getting Around	Yes, there are planes, trains, boats, and automobiles. But also bikes, boards, skates and wheel chairs. And don't forget legs, wings, and fins! Use your imagination to capture people, animals, and even plants getting from one place to another, and the devices they use to do so.	Janet Jeffers
June	Less Is More	“Keep it simple” is often a key to good photography. Someone once said (often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci): "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." So, can you create a power-packed photo with the minimum amount of content?	Russ Burden
July	Let It Be Three	The number three seems to have a special appeal to our H. sapiens brains. It's also the largest number we can recognize quickly without counting. So, can you make the most of this magical number by capturing three of anything in a single photo or in a triptych? (Triptychs aren’t normally allowed in our competitions, but for this one we’re making an exception. Instructions for making a triptych in Lightroom, Photoshop, Google Docs, and other programs can be found with a web search.)	Cneryl Opperman
August	Plants in Odd Places	Flowers, ferns, trees, and other plants growing naturally where you wouldn’t expect them, such as inside the hollow of a tree, a narrow crack in a sidewalk, a chink in a wall. But also plants planted in odd places by odd people! (A garden in an old bathtub, anyone?)	Jamie Konarski Davidson
September	Water, Water, Everywhere	Aim your camera at anything from a raging surf or roaring waterfall to a single drop of dew, and show us something interesting--maybe even something we haven't seen or imagined before--in the water all around us. Denise Silva will return to judge our September competition. Formerly a resident of Leesburg, Denise now lives in Kalispell, Montana, next door to Glacier National Park. Denise is an accomplished nature, landscape, and wildlife photographer. Her work has been highly recognized and widely published. Her company, Roadrunner Photography Tours, offers trips to numerous locations including Cuba, Iceland and Patagonia. You can view galleries of her work at https://roadrunnerphotographytours.com/galleries-2/galleries/	Denise Silva
October	Abstracts and Altered Reality	Our ongoing theme of photographing “found” abstracts or creating works of art with our cameras and software. (See the full description of this theme on the CCC website.)	Sandi Croan
November	Good Eats	Food: We eat it three times a day. We see it everywhere in every form--from growing on a tree or in a pasture to the most elaborately prepared meal. People all over the world partake in an almost infinite variety of ways. What can you say about food--or the people harvesting, cooking, or eating it--with a photo?	TBD
December	End of Year Competition	See entry under "Rules of Competition" on CCC website for details	TBD

Next Year's Themes

January	Architecture, Grand and Modest	Building interiors or exteriors, cityscapes, bridges and subway tunnels, archways and entryways: Any building or part of a building—down to the finest detail—that was artfully designed to look and function as it does.
February	Black and White	Any subject at all in monochrome--black and white, sepia, or cyanotype. In choosing a monochromatic subject, look for subjects where color doesn’t matter or even interferes, and where contrast, tone, shadow, shape, and texture prevail. For some good ideas and good techniques go to https://gurushots.com/article/black-and-white-photography-guide Also check out this PDF: http://cvillecameraclub.org/sites/default/files/Black%20and%20White%20Basics.pdf
March	On the Street	Street photography is a visual documentation of everyday life in society, whether in a busy city or in a small town. Aim for candid shots of people in public places that tell a story or capture a sense of place. But don’t ignore street scenes without people, which also can be evocative. Remember to ask for permission if shooting a child. For adults, permission is not necessary unless the photo is to be used commercially.
April	As Time Goes By	Living things show their age in many ways. Wrinkled faces, well-worn hands, tired eyes, gnarled trees, fading flowers—all can make powerful photos. Non-living subjects may include rusting cars, peeling paint, dilapidated homes, ancient ruins, and eroding landscapes. Even well-preserved things may qualify for this theme if they show their age in changing styles, fashions, and technology.
May	Spring Forward!	Yes, there are blooming flowers and singing birds and emerging butterflies, and all certainly qualify for this theme. But if these subjects are becoming a bit commonplace for you, what else can springing forward mean? Rebirth? Renewal? A fresh start? What do these concepts look like to you?
June	People in Their Environments	Photograph someone in one of their usual environments, such as their home, workplace, garden, gym, playing field, studio, or whatever. Aim to portray the essence of the person’s experience. Photographs may be posed or candid.
July	Weather	From storm clouds to sunbeams, from downpours to rain puddles, from sunbathing to trudging through snowdrifts. Lightning, ice-covered trees, birds braving a ferocious wind—weather and its effects can be photographed in many fascinating ways. What aspect of weather can you reveal with your camera and creative vision?
August	Peaks and Valleys	Peaks and valleys can be found everywhere. In landscapes, for sure, but also in everything from buildings to household objects, from living bodies to the parts of a plant.
September	The Forest Floor	Focusing your attention on the ground when walking in the woods can be especially rewarding to a photographer. So, get down low and see what kinds of subjects or perspectives you can capture. Everything from super-wide angle to macro could work wonders. Can’t get yourself back up after getting down low? Try attaching your phone to a selfie stick and lowering it to the ground.
October	Abstracts and Altered Reality	Our ongoing theme of photographing “found” abstracts or creating works of art with our cameras and software. (See the full description of this theme on the CCC website.)
November	The Shape of Things	Bring out the essence of an object or any other subject by emphasizing its basic form, using light and shadow, perspective, contrasting colors, or any other means. Consider hard, angular, geometric shapes to soft, flowing, organic ones.
December	End of Year Competition	Our annual end-of-year competitions. See entry under "Rules of Competition" on CCC website for details.

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This Year's Themes

Next Year's Themes