Please check back here periodically for the latest information and any changes to this process. :) Please also check the Beaumont Camera Club website for contest themes and other information.

 

Guidelines:

    Image Size:    Max 1920x1280

    File Size:        Approx 1mb per image

    File Type:       Jpeg

    Deadline:        Saturday evening before Contest Monday (ideally...send the week before...see below)

    Email:            BeaumontCameraClubgmail.com          (I'll change this to an actual link later...as soon as I figure out how to do so with image verification)

 

Instructions:

1. Resize the file.  See the tutorial on Resizing. The ideal file size should be around 1920x1280 and 1000k. This should not affect the viewing for our contest. (In contrast, GSCCC Digital Contest requires the files to be squished down to UNDER 1024x768 and 300k. See link below in FAQ if you want more info.)  When you Resize the file using the above Resizing Tutorial, it will create a duplicate file with a suffix added to the file name...which you will need to change in the next step.

2. Name the image file like you want it to appear UNDER the projected image.  

   • If it is misspelled when you send it to me...it will be misspelled when it is displayed.

   • Avoid using special charachters like '!' or '?'.

   • Please DO put spaces in the file name, and capitalize appropriately (like a title of a book). i.e. not all caps, not all lowercase.

   • Please do not put your name in the file name.

   • Please DO type out the file names in your email.

   • You MAY keep an index number at the end of the file name. Please put an underscore between the image name and the number. For example, if I wanted to enter the image "DCS_8025 (Custom)", change the DCS to something like this: "Sunshine Girls_8025". Do not include the quotation marks in the file name. Theoretically, you could keep the DCS...but I would loose the DCS even as some people may recognize that as a Nikon camera and judge it more harshly. (JJ of course...but it could identify the brand of the camera and remove the chance of anonymity making it more difficult for a judge to by impartial.)

   • Also, if you need assistance in renaming LOTS of files. See the tutorial on Renaming.

3. Attach all images to your email. Please attach all images for a given month in one (1) email along with the titles for your printed images. You can send up to three (3) digital files and three (3) print titles for the month for a total of six (6) entries. Please put the month of the contest in the email title with your name and category. i.e. "June Photo Contest, Your Name, Novice"

4. Please include the month of entry and your level, Novice or Advanced, each month. Please include this in the body of your email along with the titles in the body of your email. This may seem repetitious, but when you are dealing with a dozens of emails and entries, every little bit helps.

5. Please include your Print Titles in the same email. If you are entering both Projected Images and Print Images, please enter the titles for BOTH clearly labeled, in the same email. As stated above, it helps to have one (1) email per participant for both Projected and Print titles.

6. Wait for an email response. When your images are received, Gmail will send out an automatic email to confirm receipt. If you send your email the week before Contest Monday, then you will have plenty of time to track down any challenges with your images not being received. If you don't get a response...see the FAQ below. If you find out you made a mistake in the email, see the FAQ below.

I know this is probably clear as mud...so, please, let us know if you have any questions. There are numerous people that can respond to your emails when you mail the club address. And, you can post questions on our public forum here: http://forum.bcc.drewloker.com/index.php

 

 

Screen shot of Sample Email:

 

 

 

 

References:

http://www.smugmug.com/help/print-quality - notice how small a file is necessary to print REALLY big pictures.

http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.asp?p=705532&rl=1

 

 

FAQ and Explanations: (because you are probably like me and want to know the long answer)

Why do you need the files to be so small? Even a high speed T3 can be a drag during the day. The computer we use for presentations is an older Mac. It does a really nice job with a DVI connection to the projector, but it chokes a bit on the super large files that the latest, greatest camera are throwing straight off the sensor. Really, though, if we were only talkign about 1 file, it wouldn't matter...but multiple each participant by the three files they are sending in and the numbers as up quite quickly. So, it would be really helpful if you all could please resize the files. Please do not send original full size files...or worse...edited files where you have set the compression quality to Extremely High (like 12 in Photoshop, etc.). They just don’t need to be 5mb. Take a look at Print-Quality and you will see that it actually takes very little to make an 8x10. Now, if we go zooming in to 1600%, sure, the large image size would be nice, but 95% of the time that isn't necessary. The actual screen resolution of the projector is 1280x1024 so anything higher than that is not going to show up when we just view the files during the normal part of the competition. I understand not wanting to resize your originals...which is why I recommend such a marvelous program as XP Resizer so you can resize the original outputting a duplicate file to send to the club. Actually, it is recommend that you prepare a file for each output device. For example, when I am printing to Sams 8x10 machine, I know I need to make the file I send them a little lighter as they have a tendency to print dark. But this is NOT the case with their large format printer which looks very much identical to my machine. Similarly, you may find that what looks great on your screen appears different on our projector such that you find that you tweak a file for projection differently than you would for printing. It would actually make sense to prepare the files for both BCC and GSCCC at the same time...but GSCCC requirements are a TOO strict. But it is not the 300k file size that is the problem...it is that they require the image size to be 1024x768 or smaller! BTW, if you want to prepare your file for GSCCC, here are the guidelines.

 

Why do I need to send all of the files in one email? It is easier to send them one at a time so I don't get confused. Easier on you but harder on us. If 10-20 people send us three emails, then we have a minimum of 30 emails...and then the person who just sends ONE email gets lost in all of the emails (several people's entries have gotten lost in the shuffle...which is why I am writing this). So, it would be really helpful if you ALL could send all three files and ALL titles including the print titles in one (1) email. Of course...you don't HAVE to send three...that is just the maximum.

 

Why is the file name so important? Several reasons. Usually, I just download your file directly into the presentation folder. What ever name you gave it is exactly the name that will appear during the presentation. The name also determines the order in which the files will appear as the files are sorted alphabetically by the file name. The name spelled out in your email is also used to complete the Entry Tracker as we select and copy your exactly file name (Ctrl + C), and then paste (Ctrl + V) into the Entry Tracker. This is so we get it exactly like you entered it. Having the file name typed out in the email helps to double check that you sent what you meant. Generally, most contest submissions go very smoothly. But occasionally, one entry is named wrong...or something...and it can end up taking a lot of time trying to piece together. Furthermore, several people assist with the contest with some people handling the Entry Tracker and Score Sheet...while others handle the downloads and yet other people handle the newsletter and other yearly promotions related to the monthly and yearly contests.

 

Why do I have to indicate level every month? Several people deal with the contest emails each month. One person may not know that you have been promoted, and just to make sure we don't make any mistakes, it is best to indicate your level in the email.

Why can't I send the images Sunday or Monday afternoon? As mentioned above, several people put all of the working parts together. Although each person may not get to finalizing their part until late Sunday...or even Monday, it is not done as a joint effort. So, even if one Contest Team Member allows it because they have not finished their part, another person may have already finished their part and not have time to redo everything. I know for me that Mondays are usually pretty crazy and the last thing I need is to handle is a late entry on Monday. Also, there isn't enough time to handle emails back and forth on Sunday afternoon or during the day on Monday thus leading to general confusion and stress on our part scrambling around on Monday afternoon. It may not look like it, but we do try to be organized prior to show time on Contest Monday. :)
 

Why don't I get an email confirmation of my submission? If you do NOT receive an email response it could be in your junk mail folder. Also, the system only sends an Autoresponse every few days, so if you get one response, and you send another email, you may not get an Autoresponse. If you do not get a response, try emailing the club address with out any images and see what happens. Simply telling your email account that the Autoresponse is NOT JUNK may not be sufficient. You may need to go into your address book and actually add the beaumontcameraclub at gmail.com address.

 

What if I make a mistake in my email, can I send you another? It really does help to try to get your email submission in one email, print titles and digital files/titles. Please do try to accumulate all of your entries until you are ready to send the entire email. But of course it is ok if you need to send another. However, if you do, please don't change the title of the email. Gmail, for better of worse, does something called Conversation Threading. Sometimes I love, sometimes I hate it. With the contest emails, it is actually pretty good because it keeps all of the emails from one person together. So, if you do have to send a second email, or we need to reply to you regarding your images, we will be able to keep track of what has been said, regardless of who is replying to the email. But, if you change the email title, your email will be separated from the original part of the conversation.

 

What if I score a 6? Welcome to the club...we have all been there. See http://forum.bcc.drewloker.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=99 for more info...and keep entering.

 

 

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