Contest info
BCC has monthly member contests via our competition managment software, Visual Pursuits (“VP”). Images are scored and also critiqued, which many members find insightful and helpful! Images entered are also eligible to compete in GSCCC competitions, also held monthly.
BCC is a member of the Gulf States Camera Club Council (“GSCCC”), a regional organization that allows camera clubs in several states to compete against each other. Clubs in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma & Texas enter their images and take turns having their most experienced members judging and scoring this contest. Any image that places and scores well in GSCCC is a great indicator of a job well done! GSCCC contests are entered and managed by our Contest Manager Karen McCormick. These take place entirely on VP, and our club GSCCC representative will announce any news at the beginning of each meeting.
If you would like to enter your images in a competition, use the VP system as described below.
walkthrough: How to Enter Your Photos
HOW TO ENTER:
FIRST GO TO> HTTPS://BEAUMONTCC.VISUALPURSUITS.COM/
Login: Upper right corner. Your username is your e-mail address. This will bring you to Beaumont Camera Club home page.
The top tabs access everything for your membership. Your account tab stores your personal information, the Organization tab has access to club info (such as different club documents). You also have an image library that stores all images you have uploaded (and any critiques / scores if that image has been entered into a competition).
How to enter a competition:
Go to the bar at the top and choose “competitions” > “submit images into competition” > select the current month’s competition.
There will be two, one for Advanced members and one for Novice members. Be sure to select the appropriate one. This opens a dialog box for entering. Scroll down to the bottom and choose “upload images into a competition” which will allow you to choose images from your files, or you can also choose “add images from library”. Make sure your images don’t have watermarks before competing with them!
Each person can enter 2 images per contest. After adding your images, click “save changes” (important!) at the bottom of the page.
Judging Criteria for Competitions
the 12 Elements of a Merit Image
(from Professional Photographer Magazine, 3/29/2018)
IMPACT: Compelling images evoke emotion—laughter, sadness, anger, pride.
TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE: The quality of the actual image as presented for viewing. Aspects such as retouching, sharpness, printing, color, and exposure should be spot on.
CREATIVITY: The image is original, fresh, and an external expression of the maker’s imagination.
STYLE: The subject matter meshes with the presentation. Style can also include the characteristic ways that an artist applies his or her specific lighting, posing, or compositional style to underscore the desired impact.
COMPOSITION: The visual elements of an image come together to express intent, whether that’s to please the viewer or otherwise. The viewer’s attention is captured and directed where the artist plans it to be.
PRESENTATION: The way an image is showcased gives it a finished look. Everything in the presentation—mats, borders, color choices—should work to enhance the image.
COLOR BALANCE: Color work together to evoke feelings in the viewer. For example, it can bring harmony to an image and enhance the emotional appeal. It can also be incongruous to arouse diverse feelings.
CENTER OF INTEREST: This is where an image’s creator wants a viewer’s attention focused. There may be primary and secondary centers of interest. Sometimes all the elements in an image work together to create the center of interest.
LIGHTING: The image demonstrates excellence in the use and control of light, whether natural or additive. Light informs dimensions and shape, sets tone and mood, and enhances the image.
SUBJECT MATTER: The subject matter is central to the story being told, so the subject should sync with the story.
TECHNIQUE: The approaches used to create the image—lighting, posting, capture, presentation—work together to be effective.
STORY TELLING: The image evokes the viewer’s imagination. While the act of creating is a personal thing, so too is the act of viewing. Each image is a story, and the one it tells a viewer may be unique to that person.