Newark & District Photographic Society

Annual Exhibition (2019) Themed Print and Themed PDI Section Themes

24/08/2017

As already noted, the 2017–2018 season sees The Society move, away from themed sections in the Photographer of the Year heats, to entries of 6 images (1 representing each theme) in the Annual Exhibition. The same themes apply to both Themed Print and Themed PDI sections and each author may make up to 2 complete entries in each section.

Assuming the steps taken, at the 2017 AGM, to manage the volume of POY entries work and are proved necessary – and that the themed sets of 6 images sections in the 2018 Annual Exhibition are well supported and go to plan – the following themes will apply for these sets in the 2019 Annual Exhibition:

• Food
• Hands
• Horticulture
• Minimalist
• Mood
• Roadscapes

While authors are free to explore any ideas these themes invoke for them, it is worth noting that the Annual Exhibition judge will take into account how well they believe the author has interpreted the brief. As such, subtle and fringe interpretations may not fare as well in judging as obvious ones – even where the less obvious image would have won in an open section. Having said that, more obvious interpretations may suggest themselves to multiple authors, so, try to be creative.

For those struggling to interpret these catchy theme titles, the following non-prescriptive and non-exhaustive definitions may help.

Food
We're not talking about snapping your restaurant meal to post on social media here and nor does this image need to be the sort of thing your see used in cook books, advertising for restaurants or supermarkets, or the final shot before the judges (of certain well known cooking programmes) tuck in. Images of food could just as easily encompass ingredients, preparation, and enjoyment of food, as well as the classic presentation short.

Hands
You don't necessarily need a hand model and fine jewellery for this image, nor do you need to worry about the rest of the model: hands with character and hands doing things are both fair game for this theme.

Horticulture
he word horticulture is a combination of two Latin words 'hortus' (garden) and 'cultura' (cultivation); while agriculture replaces 'hortus' with 'ager' (field). Horticulture is therefore practiced on a smaller scale, in more enclosed plots, than agriculture – and is more likely to promote biodiversity and ecological succession. Horticulture deals with the art, science, technology, and business of growing plants, as well as the study of plants, plant conservation, landscape restoration, landscape and garden design, construction, and maintenance, and includes multiple sub-groups – which cover the cultivation of fruits, herbs, nuts, mushrooms, seeds, sprouts, vegetables, and even seaweeds, along with non-food crops such as algae, flowers, grass, ornamental plants and trees, and medicinal plants. So, 'the world's your oyster', oh wait, that would count as animal husbandry wouldn't it?

Minimalist
In visual arts, and other mediums, minimalism is a style that uses pared-down design elements – basically, like this definition, less is more.

Mood
Whether capturing the subject's mood or attempting to evoke a mood in the viewer, we're not just talking about capturing a pretty (or technically challenging) picture here – it's time to dig deep and find your emotional side, or even to get poetic.

Roadscapes
Landscapes are predominantly natural or rural and cityscapes tend to be grand vistas of urban sprawl and epic architecture. So what exactly are roadscapes then? For this theme you should be thinking of cityscapes on a local and more personal or intimate scale; not so much a scene within which you might find the haunts (including homes and workplaces) of hundreds of thousands of strangers, as one that could hide one's local haunts or those of friends and neighbours.

Important changes under the Changes to Competition Rules (under Committee powers)

13/07/2017

"The Committee may modify any competition rule without recourse to a General Meeting where technological improvements are the driving force in such a change, provided the change is communicated to the membership as soon as possible."

With the move to online submissions:

1. Filenames no longer have to comply with any particular convention.

2. Entries must be made using the online submission system (detailed on the competitions page of The Society's website) by the published deadline, except under exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of the Competition Secretary.

3. Print entry format and submission should be as rules 7 and 8. Where electronic copies are not supplied prints must be made available, for photographing, one week before the published deadline.

Additionally, images with black fills (portraits especially) and/or borders on only two sides cause problems for the newsletter, Annual Exhibition catalogue, Annual Exhibition TV slides, and for the composite images for the Panel entries.

The Committee have therefore implemented the following change:

4. Unused space must not be filled with a background colour (e.g. black) but any borders should be applied to all sides.

[17/08/2017: N&EMPF have imposed a similar restriction on entries in the N&EMPF Annual Exhibition, for much the same reasons]

Annual Exhibition (2018) Themed Print and Themed PDI Section Themes

04/05/2017

The 2017–2018 season sees The Society move, away from themed sections in the Photographer of the Year heats, to entries of 6 images (1 representing each theme) in the Annual Exhibition. The same themes apply to both Themed Print and Themed PDI sections and each author may make up to 2 complete entries in each section.

While authors are free to explore any ideas these themes invoke for them, it is worth noting that the Annual Exhibition judge will take into account how well they believe the author has interpreted the brief. As such, subtle and fringe interpretations may not fare as well in judging as obvious ones – even where the less obvious image would have won in an open section. Having said that, more obvious interpretations may suggest themselves to multiple authors, so, try to be creative.

Themes for the 2018 Annual Exhibition are:
• Shadows and Silhouettes
• Domesticated Animals
• Letters, Numbers, and Signs
• Doors, Windows, and Arches
• Detail (close-ups of a part, not the whole)
• A Celebration of Summer

For those struggling to interpret these catchy theme titles, the following non-prescriptive and non-exhaustive definitions may help.

Shadows and Silhouettes
A classic subject for photography emphasising lines and shapes. As well as simple shadows and silhouettes, expect to see contre-jour (against the light) images where the light source is present and plays as important a part as the silhouette it creates.

Domesticated Animals
While Nature competitions allow captive animals (unlike Wildlife competitions), domestic animals are excluded and so this is your opportunity to test yourself against other members' animal photography – whether pets or livestock.

Letters, Numbers, and Signs
Another staple of photography lessons and many a first foray into photography. Don't just think literal letters, numbers, or signs – think about scenes representative of letters (perhaps using a play on words), multiples, and anything that signifies something.

Doors, Windows, and Arches
Yet another classic, architectural details have been photographed since Fox Talbot's first experiments. Don't ignore what nature has to offer though, with arches and openings that provide a window onto another scene being regularly formed by the action of water on stone or by the way trees and plants twist and contort to follow the light or under the pressure of the wind.

Detail (close-ups of a part, not the whole)
Micro photography (photography through a microscope), Macro photography (at least 1:1), and other Close Focus techniques/technologies, can all result in the capture of some small detail that would normally escape the naked eye and are commonly used in nature photography to capture small insects and fungi. For this heat we aren't however just looking for macro photography of the small, or of typical macro subjects, but rather for interesting imagery of some small detail. Even if you don't have the equipment to tackle micro/macro photography, you can still take (or isolate from your capture) some small detail of a larger whole. Please remember though that we are looking for a detail – so no complete items and, to further level the playing field, no nature allowed.

A Celebration of Summer
Whether celebrating the natural beauty of summer or recording people or animals enjoying summer, this is one theme you won't want to tackle over the winter months.

Each complete set of 6 images shall be judged against the others in the same media. The judge shall not know which sets are from the same author and splitting your best pictures between your 2 entries may, ultimately, weaken both.

These are portfolio sections and not panel based ones – the quality of the images and how well each matches its theme should be your primary concern, how well they sit together is of little importance except perhaps as a final deciding factor should the judge otherwise be unable to choose between entries of equal merit.