2023 Definitions
COMPETITION DEFINITIONS
Preamble to Definitions
In ALL categories, the photographer MUST have exposed or created all elements of the final image. Judges are looking for good composition, creativity and clear photographs.
OPEN
Subject matter is free, as is use of colour, or lack of colour, or partial colour. Experimental techniques are fine as this category is not genre specific. Good design, composition and the personal interpretation is the key.
OPEN / Mono
Identical to Open except ALL images must be Black and White which means it contains variations of the grey ranging from absolute black to absolute white. No tints, no colour.
Hint: in B&W aim to have really white whites and black blacks somewhere in your image to avoid it looking muddy grey.
Reflections
Reflection photography, also referred to as mirror photography, is when you use reflective surfaces to create an artistic echo of a scene. This type of photography can add an interesting spin to locations that are hotspots for photographers such as oceans, lakes, puddles, and even rain drops. They’re all subjects that are commonly used to create brilliant reflection photographs. Of course, less traditional resources such as metal, tiles, mirrors and anything with a shiny surface can also be easily incorporated into this type of photography. The photograph may or may not include the subject which is being reflected.
Rustic/Decay
Simple, old-fashioned, and not spoiled by modern developments, in a way that is typical of the countryside, Decay can be defined as to fall into ruin, or to decline in health, strength, or vigour. Images that document or convey the sense of decay.
Abstract Landscapes/Seascapes
Subject matter is free.
IDEAS TO GET YOU GOING: This combines the “scapes” and “abstraction” to alter the usual view. A “scape” is the broader view of the landscape, seascape, cityscape. It is an “area” as opposed to the door handle. Apart from that, subject matter is free. Abstract means non-representational. Music, for example, is abstract. It doesn’t need words to be beautiful. Here the subject image is extremely difficult to recognise. Semi-Abstract might be compared to singing, where the voice and music combine to tell a story. Here the subject image will appear abstract, but may eventually be recognisable. These images may concentrate on colour, form, texture, pattern, line or other aspect of the object Food for Thought …supposedly photography tells a story about that which can be seen as being real, whilst abstract/semi-abstract photography illustrates something which lies beyond reality, something which is intangible and not open to direct illustration.
” Semi Abstract is included as it makes more sense to many of us than Abstract. It’s sort of in between reality and abstract and far more likely to be eventually recognised.
Triptych
Arrangement of three images within one frame with clear borders between them, or by using a separate frame for each photo and mounting them next to each other. Triptych photography might involve taking one picture and splitting it into three different parts as long as each section tells a separate story or shooting three separate photos that are related. The artistic works compliment each other with similar subjects or a relatable message.
Plus Colour Object
Any mono image where one item or object is depicted in colour. Does not necessary have to be one colour but has to be one object.
Still Life (Modified 20/6)
A photograph of an inanimate object or a group of objects arranged as the subject for a picture. It can serve as an exercise in skill and creativity, to show a photographer’s understanding of composition, ability to depict colour harmony, form, texture, and the effects of light upon the objects.
Negative Space
Negative space photography is related to minimalist photography. It emphasises not just the subject, but the empty space around the subject. The viewer’s eyes may be drawn to a central figure, but they can’t help noticing the large section of emptiness that surrounds and defines that figure. The emptiness (whatever form it takes) gives definition and emphasis to the subject.
Above or Below (Hi/Low Angle)
A photograph of something above you or below you either from a low angle or hi angle respectively. Includes any subject and image not at eye level.
Motion
A photograph that gives a sense of motion. The subject can be a person, moving man made object, animal, bird or moving water.
Freeze Frame (Decisive Moment)
Think of a video of some action, such as a boy throwing a ball, a dog catching a Frisby, or a gun firing a bullet at a target.
A freeze frame, is the capture of one frame within that video. Of course your image does not have to come from a video. That's just the analogy.
So a bird taking off or landing on a branch, a water dripping from a tap into a bucket, a horse jumping a gate, all these would count as a Freeze Frame if captured in one frame (Decisive Moment). It's about telling the story of the video if you like. In one Frame.
What would not be considered a Decisive Moment. Still life, Stationary bird/animal, a flower/plant (unless it's a Venus Fly Trap). Landscapes, Portraiture.
Hi Key
A high-key image is one that is almost entirely very bright with very little or no dark shadows present. A high-key image is exposed so that the key tones are lighter than the mid-tone ideal. This means that shadows are brighter and more open and the image usually has a light airy feel.