Monthly Competitions

A black and white photo (including sepia and other monochrome versions) forces us to see things differently. By eliminating color, you can focus on tonal contrast, shape, form, and texture. Look for and use the relationship between light and dark tones. Seek out the extremes--from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights—for more drama. Consider using software to brighten or darken parts of your subject and background to enhance tonal contrast of your image. 

Creating symmetry involves portraying a subject as two halves that mirror themselves. The subject typically is in the center of the photo, a placement that can make a strong statement. Symmetry may occur across a horizontal axis, as in a landscape photo of mountains reflected in a lake; a vertical axis, such as in a photo of a building with symmetrical architecture; or a radial axis, with elements arranged in a circular pattern radiating out from a central point--as might be found in a close-up of a flower or a round or octagonal window. Also consider portraits of people (full-face), stairways and escalators, close-ups of leaves or eyes, and bodies of water reflecting architecture or landscape.

For this theme, the image itself becomes a lens through which an emotional story is experienced. Mood is the emotional atmosphere your image projects. So, do more than simply document a moment. Instead, make us feel it through your choice of subject and the thoughtful use of light, color, tone, composition, and atmosphere.
Try to capture the quiet solitude of a foggy sunrise, the raw power of a lion's roar, the warmth of shared laughter, or the tension of an approaching storm. Subtle or dramatic, your photo should invite the viewer to pause, reflect, and feel wonder, joy, melancholy, anticipation, peace, awe, or any other emotion.

Photos are typically taken from an angle that puts the subject at eye level or slightly below it, inviting viewers to see the subject or scene as if they were standing in the photographer’s shoes. Unconventional angles move images from eye-level to different levels, creating a new perspective for the viewer. Try a “worm’s eye view” to capture a scene from at or near ground level. Then turn your camera upward to shoot a subject from below it. From a bridge or stairwell or any high point, try a “bird’s eye view” to capture your subject from above. Surprise yourself—and others—with a photo made from any unconventional angle of view.

Your challenge is to find something special that trees have to offer. Autumn colors? Sure thing. But what can you do to capture those colors in an inspiring way? Flowering trees in spring? Of course. But what can you do with those blooming branches that you’ve never done before? Flowers and leaves are gone in winter, but bare branches can create graphic wonders. Even a dead tree, standing alone on a windy ridge or sprouting mushrooms on a forest floor, may offer an opportunity you’ve never imagined.

Negative spaces are the empty or uncluttered areas within a photo. By using negative space, you can give your subject more prominence and power, direct the viewer’s eye, create a sense of scale, and evoke moods such as calmness, loneliness, and isolation. For a subject with implied direction, negative space can provide a place for it enter, thus moving the viewer’s eye with it for a stronger sense of motion. An out of focus background is a great option for negative space that can help highlight the subject.

Photos in this theme aim to excite the eye by the use of strong colors to create a mood, to tell a story, to reveal patterns or the beauty of a subject. Warm or cool colors, complementary or harmonious colors, primary or blended colors are all fair game. Subjects might include clothing or costumes, signs or lights, decorations at an event, blooms, plumage, scales, or skin, naturally occurring or human made. NOTE: You can moderately enhance the colors in your photo with software, but please don’t enter photos with colors that have been over-saturated or radically altered in other ways.

Streetscapes consist of buildings (more than a single building or detail), roadways and sidewalks, green spaces, water features, and, of course, people engaging with these elements. Streetscapes—along with activities and the light and shadows within them--change with the seasons and times of day, so be aware of all opportunities. Streetscapes can be highly urban (Times Square) or otherwise (Main Street of a small town); they can have a multi-storied skyline or be low rise. Regardless, the goal is an image that conveys the form and feeling of a place.

Like all compelling photos, abstract and altered reality images should have immediate visual impact and sustained visual interest. They should be balanced and cohesive and yet also create a sense of wonder or mystery.

Your entry may be created by one or more of the following methods. See the Rules of Competition page on the CCC website for examples of each.

• Photographing a subject in such a way that it becomes isolated from its context and where shapes, colors, lines, patterns, and textures predominate and provide primary interest. The context becomes unrecognizable and irrelevant.
• Camera movement. (Does not include panning to capture moving objects.)
• The use of software, in which a photograph is altered to the point that it no longer reflects reality. The altered photo and any added components must be the original work of the entrant. Content created by AI programs is not allowed.

Food surrounds us in our lives, and eating it is both an everyday necessity and pleasure. But can you create a photo that captures our experiences with food in an interesting way? What opportunities can you find in a coffee shop or, deli, a food truck or fine restaurant, a corner fruit stand or an upscale supermarket? Consider going further and capturing a fruit or vegetable harvest, a home meal preparation, wedding banquet, food in transport, or a still life of just a bowl of apples. Use your photography to celebrate the beauty, necessity, social importance, commerce, or creative uses of our ubiquitous food.