About Our Competitions

•  Our  monthly competitions are entirely voluntary: Members may enter all sections, some, or none. We believe, however, that participation in these competitions provides an opportunity to grow as a photographer.
•    All members of the Charlottesville Camera Club are encouraged to enter photos into our monthly competitions. 
•  CCC has eleven (11) competitions per year (January through November) where members are able to enter their photos into two separate categories: Assigned (see the topics on the Monthly Topics page), and Open (photographer's choice of subject.)
• For judging purposes, members are divided into two groups, "A" (Advanced) and "B" (Beginner) where Photos are evaluated on a five-point scale and A and B photographers are judged separately.
• All members are allowed to enter two photos per month, i.e., one photo in the Assigned category and one in the Open category. In addition, limits have been placed on the extent of photo editing allowed and are described in the Rules for Competition.
• All entries must be uploaded to a server before the established deadline.
• To see if you are eligible for the competitions, see "Rules of Competition" in the menu.

Why Enter Competitions?

• Competitions encourage shooting with purpose.
• Assigned themes give members a reason to create work outside of their comfort zones.
• Competition inspires skill development and helps members improve their technical execution, composition, storytelling and post processing.
• Competing across genres (landscape, portrait, abstract, etc.) encourages versatility and helps members learn new techniques.
• A judge's critique can help photographers learn what works and what doesn’t in a photo, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and thus accelerate their learning. 

Preparing for Competition

Use this checklist as guidance to improve your submissions and grow as a photographer, whether you're new to competitions or refining  your skills.

Impact, Visual Interest, and Storytelling (for more detail, see below)

• Does your photo evoke an emotional response or generate a strong first impression?
• Is the subject clear, compelling, and separated from the background?
• Does your photo draw the viewer’s eye into and through the frame with strong visual interest?
• Does it tell a story, communicate a clear idea, or elicit a strong emotion?
• Does everything in the frame belong? Remember: If something doesn’t add to the photo, it detracts from it.
• Is there a clear center of interest?
• Does the eye flow naturally through the frame, guiding the viewer from the subject to supporting elements?
• Does the image feel unique or different from typical entries?

Technical Craftsmanship

• Is your photo properly focused, well-exposed, and free of over-sharpening or over-saturation?
• Is your photo free of "noise"?
• Are there distracting elements in the frame? Editing artifacts? Dust spots? 
• Is the background brighter than the subject? If so, darken or reframe.
• Are horizontal and vertical lines level and plumb?
• Are parts of your photo too close to the edges of the frame?
• Is the horizon or subject dead center without a compositional reason?
• Are you being objective about your subject’s appeal? (Personal significance doesn’t always translate to competition quality.)

Design & Composition

•  Don’t be seduced by the natural beauty or interest of your subject. Seek out the geometric components within your frame--the shapes, forms, lines, and special relationships—and then compose them in a way that pleases you most and is more likely to connect with your viewers.
• To better recognize these key components, squint your eyes to blur detail.
• Photos turn our three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional one. When assessing a scene to photograph, view it with one eye closed. Is it still as compelling?

Titles Matter

 Titles add context, direction, and emotional tone. A strong title can help viewers understand and connect with your photo.

Light Is Everything

Light determines more than exposure. It shapes mood, depth, vibrancy, and atmosphere.

Impact, visual interest, and storytelling

• Impact is the ability of a photo to immediately grab the viewers’ attention.
• Visual Interest is a matter of subject selection. For example, a photo of a Bengal tiger is likely to be more interesting than a similarly composed photo of a common housecat. Visual interest can also be a matter of creatively composing the elements of a photo into something compelling. In either case, the photo must be something that a viewer will take the time to study and enjoy.
• Storytelling is a first cousin to visual interest. It can capture a decisive moment that implies what came before and what might happen next. It can convey information about the subject’s life, represent larger themes or ideas beyond what is in the frame, or simply convey the emotion and significance of a moment.

General Protocol

• Audience members are not allowed to speak to the judge while photos are being evaluated. However, a member designated by the executive committee may assist the judge regarding our rules or the assigned theme and may answer any of the judges’ questions.
• If a judge is not available for any reason, we will use Chat GPT or a similar AI program for the evaluations and scoring.