2024 Ontario Zone Competition

2024 Ontario Zone Competition

Scope of Competition

The Ontario Landscape“: Images in this competition will reflect the submitter’s interpretation of the Ontario “landscape”.  There are two sub-themes:

  1. the Ontario urban landscape
  2. the Ontario natural landscape

The competition is open to all paid-up individual/family CAPA members and CAPA Member Clubs residing in the province of Ontario.
For this competition, we are seeking your best image(s) that were captured in Ontario.

Judges will score the images and one judge will provide comments on each image.

To accommodate the providing of scores and comment, camera clubs are being limited to only uploading a maximum of five (5) images from 5 different club members and images can be dispersed amongst the two sub-themes. Individual CAPA members

Individuals CAPA members must indicate the sub-theme into which they are submitting their image. They may submit only one image in each sub-theme, to an overall maximum total of two submissions.

Following a period of 2 weeks after the competition’s closing date, you can access the final competition report by logging into the CAPA website and navigating to the ‘Competition Reports’ under the ‘Competitions’ dropdown menu

Competition Details (click arrow for more details)

Definition

Landscape Definition

The “urban’”landscape sub-theme encompasses “cityscapes” and “rural” human settlements, and can entail street photography, candid depictions of groups of people, architectural shots, buildings, transportation, etc., as well as documentary and social commentary. It can include long exposure.

The “natural” landscape sub-theme encompasses earth, water, air, flora, and fauna, and can entail groups of wild or domestic animals & birds, and/or wild or domesticated trees, plants, or flowers, as well as the hand of man, within the frame. Its subject can be the countryside, a rural scene, varying terrain, seascape, waterscape, the night sky, or an astronomical event, etc. It can include long exposure. Note however that the ‘landscape’ is to be the overall or prime subject of the image.

Both sub-themes focus on the submitter’s interpretation of the Ontario ‘landscape’. Thus, it cannot entail a portraiture photograph such as portrait of a specific person, nor a portrayal of a specific individual animal, bird, fauna, or flora. As such it is to be neither ‘wildlife’ or ‘nature’ photography. Neither can it entail a “close-up”, i.e., a tightly cropped shot that shows a single object up close, at significantly more detail than the field of view the human eye usually perceives.

Editing Criteria

  • Eligibility Criteria – Prior to submitting any photo in a CAPA competition, all entrants must first read the CAPA Eligibility Criteria relating to images submissions. – READ ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA HERE
  • Permitted Editing Techniques:

All In-Camera Techniques: Any adjustments made directly within the camera during image capture.

On-Camera Techniques: Utilizing on-camera features and settings for image enhancements.

Post-Processing Techniques: Editing the image using post-processing software.

Sky Replacement: Sky replacement but the replacement sky must have been captured by the same photographer submitting the image into the competition.

  • Editing Techniques Not Permitted:

Images without Photographic Origin: Photograph must not contain any decorative elements like frames, borders, pin-lines, or mats.

Frames, Borders, Pin-lines, and Mats: Photograph must not contain any decorative elements like frames, borders, pin-lines, or mats.  This includes the edges and markings of scanned film.  When the frame is integral to the captured image, for instance a window frame or door frame that has been captured by the camera, these elements are permitted.

Artificial Intelligence Renderings: Images that have been created or modified using specific AI generative techniques: in-painting (where AI fills in generated elements not captured by the photographer or where AI removes elements from a photograph); or out-painting (where the AI extends beyond the original boundaries of the image captured by the photographer using generated elements). Whether with or without text prompts, these are not permitted for submission into a CAPA competitions.

The inclusion of Photoshop application features, such as Firefly’s AI Generative Fill and AI Expand cannot be contained in your image submitted into a CAPA competition. Similar positions will be taken with other AI systems with these features.

This updated provision will be in effect starting from November 30, 2023, and it will apply to all CAPA competitions.

  • Accepted Image Types:

Black & White Images      

Infrared Images

Colour Images

Image Specifications

Specifications

Title of Image

When images are uploaded into a competition, you are required to enter the title of your image into the Title Field.  Title can be in either  English or French or both.

Do Not: enter your name, the name of the photographer or the club name in the Title Field (that is for the Title of the image)

Do Not: include punctuation or symbols (such as / –_  , ; : ‘’ “” ! ? & $%*{} [ ] @ # &) or quotation marks in the Title of your image.

The Image Title should be simple, and introduce or set the mood or perspective for your image.  For example:  Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset

A weak image title, such as ‘pretty flower,’ will fail to stimulate the judge’s interest in the image and may result in a lower score than expected.

Image File Name

Do Not: include punctuation marks or symbols such as / –_  , ; : ‘’ “” ! ? & $%*{} [ ] @ # &) or quotation marks in the Image File name. For example, do not use: “NAME OF PHOTOGRAPHER”it_a_red rose”.jpg”

The image file name that you create prior to uploading into this competition should also be simple, and could be the same as the Image Title. For example: John Snow-Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset

Image Size – Dimensions

You must ensure your image is re-sized to meet the following two parameters:

  1. Saved as a jpg image with a maximum file size of 1.8 MB.
  2. Dimensions: Maximum horizontal size: 1400 pixels and maximum vertical size: 1050 pixels.

Note: Images smaller than the maximum dimensions will ONLY be accepted when one of the image edges has a horizontal size is 1400 pixels or the vertical size is 1050 pixels.  For example: square image – 1050 x 1050 pixels; 1400 x 800 pixels; or 700 x 1050 pixels.

Note: Images will NOT be rotated by the judges and will scored as submitted.

During the uploading process of your image, our online competition system will verify if the image is less than 1.8 MB and meets the two parameters.

If your image fails this verification process, you will receive an error message and it will appear below the upload image box.

Depending on the error message – you will need to either reduce the file size of the image to be 1.8 MB or less or re-size the dimensions of your image.  After doing so, please re-try uploading your image.

Suggestions – Use sRGB colour space for your image.  For colour accuracy: we strongly recommend that you calibrate your monitor to ensure colour accuracy from your monitor to the image projected to the judges.

Judging Criteria

    • An Image’s title may be used by the judges in evaluating a submission, so entrants should take care in selecting a title that complements or contributes to the vision or message being presented in the image.
    • The judges will assign scores primarily based on the ‘emotional’ components of the image, considering values such as creativity and emotional impact. Secondary emphasis will be place on the ‘technical’ aspects, followed by considerations of the ‘composition.
    • Technical and Organizational factors, such as exposure, sharpness, focus, space, and composition, will be taken into account solely to the degree they do or do not support or reinforce the creative vision and storytelling. Images will not be penalized in scoring for so-called technical rule infractions, such as focus, if that is immaterial to the creative vision and storytelling.

    Likewise, judges take into consideration in their scoring the degree to which the entrant’s use of techniques such as colour, monochrome, duo and multi-tone,  contributes to or supports the creative vision and the story telling value of the image.

Competition Process

  • Closing Date of Competition – January 15, 2024 at midnight Eastern Standard Time.
  • Open To – All paid-up individual CAPA members and CAPA camera club members residing in Ontario.
  • Camera Club submissions – 5 images from 5 different club members
  • Individuals CAPA members must indicate the sub-theme into which they are submitting their image. They may submit only one (1) image in each sub-theme, to an overall maximum total of two (2) submissions.
  • For each category, there will be three CAPA Medals presented for the three highest scoring images and honourable mention e-certificates for the top 8% to 10% scored images.
  • Any questions about the competition should be forwarded to the Competition Coordinator. Cheryl Bramble cbramble@shaw.ca.  If you have any questions, please contact the Competition Coordinator well advance of the closing date of the competition.
  • How To Enter Competition -check out our How To Upload Images To CAPA Competition here.