October 2023 Competition Updates

October 2023 Competition Updates

Competitions Now Open For Uploading of Images

Black & White competition (closes November 15, 2023) – You can view the competition details by clicking here.

Ontario Zone competition (closes January 14, 2023) – You can view the competition details by clicking here.

New Quebec Zone Competition

We are pleased to announce that we will be offering a new Quebec Zone competition and competition will close on January 15, 2024.

We will be working with David Boutin (new Quebec Zone Director) to finalize the competition narrative. Details regarding this competition should be posted to the CAPA website by the end of October or early November 2023.

Artificial Intelligence Generative text-to-images

To stay abreast of the rapidly changing AI generative technology, we’ve established an AI Advisory Committee to the Director of Competitions. The committee comprises of Dr. Bob Ito, Parez Khatib, and Robert Hulbert.

In response to recent advancements in AI generative capabilities, we have revised our CAPA Eligibility Criteria webpage to incorporate the following statement:

  • Images that have been created or modified using specific AI generative techniques – inpainting (where AI fills in generated elements not captured by the photographer) or outpainting (where the AI extends beyond the original boundaries using generated elements), whether with or without text prompts, are not permitted for submission into a CAPA competitions.

This statement has also been added to all our 2023 – 2024 competition narratives.

Prior to entering any competition, we strongly encourage you to carefully review the other components of the CAPA Eligibility Criteria webpage concerning artificial intelligence and the definition of a photographic image. You can access the complete CAPA Eligibility Criteria by clicking here.

 

We have developed an informative presentation on Artificial Intelligence to enlighten our photographers about this swiftly changing evolving technology.


Camera clubs interested in hosting this presentation via Zoom can contact the Director of Competitions.

 

2023 CAPA Survey Suggestions Related to Competitions and Our Responses

In a proactive approach to carefully evaluate and implement a multitude of suggestions aimed at improving our competitions and processes, we will created documents which summaries suggestions and our responses.

The following is a listing of suggestions and response which are now available for your review:

 

 

Between now and April 2024, we plan to incorporate 3 to 4 suggestions and provide corresponding responses each month. For instance, in November, we will present the following suggestions:

 

  • November 2023 – Zone Competitions
  • November 2023 – Tiered Skill-Level Zone Competitions
  • November 2023 – Provide Feedback Evaluations Not Just Scores

Focus Camera Club September Update

Focus Camera Club is excited to be celebrating its 55th anniversary this year.

We are in the process of planning wonderful events throughout the year to commemorate this achievement.

We are looking forward to engaging our members with activities that will promote learning, sharing and camaraderie.

Surrey Photography Club September Presentation

An Event will be created on our Facebook Page. Surrey Photography Club

Rick Hulbert will be speaking about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of AI in Photography

We will be offering this over Zoom and in person at the Newton Cultural Centre on screen.

09/11/2023 at 06:45 pm

You can register here

Calgary Camera Club September Update

Get ready to snap stunning shots and explore your passion with fellow photography enthusiasts, as the Calgary Camera Club kicks of our 2023/24 season. Join us as we welcome photographer Kyle Marquardt, our special guest for the night for an unforgettable kickoff event on Tuesday, September 12th, from 7-9 pm at our NEW home, the Kingsland Community Hall in Calgary.

With his breathtaking images, wit and keen eye, Kyle’s insights and expertise are sure to leave you awestruck and ready to elevate your photography game. Don’t miss out!

Capture unforgettable moments, learn insider tips, and connect with fellow photography enthusiasts. Whether you’re a seasoned shutterbug or just starting to explore the wonders of photography, the Calgary Camera Club is tailor-made for YOU! Connect with fellow enthusiasts, share your passion, and dive into the art of capturing life’s most mesmerizing moments.

For all the details and to learn more about the Calgary Camera Club, visit us at www.calgarycameraclub.ca. Mark your calendars, spread the word, and be part of a photography revolution like never before!

Don’t miss out on the adventure that awaits at the Calgary Camera Club this season. See you there.

 

The Richmond Photo Club Society September Update

August and September are incredibly busy months for The Richmond Photo Club Society.

On August 13th London Farm, the historic and heritage site in Richmond, BC, held its popular “Family Farm Day”. This was a day full of exciting displays and activities such as pony rides, birds from OWL (Orphaned Wildlife), rabbits from Rabbitats, LEGO building, kid’s woodshop, and much more for families to enjoy.

Richmond Photo Club Society contributed to this fun day by providing five volunteers to take portraits and candid photos throughout the day. A few photographs taken on that day are included that show the great participation at this event. An outstanding 95 Family portraits were taken by our volunteers that day!

The next exciting event that we are participating in is Richmond Culture Days. This is an event that runs from September 23 to October 15, 2023. Over these three weeks, dozens of Richmond artists and arts organizations will offer free, inspiring interactive events and behind the scenes access to a wide range of art forms and creative practices.

Richmond Photo Clubs contribution to this event will be in providing free portraiture photography on September 23rd at the Richmond Arts Centre from 12 noon to 4 PM.

We will be offering high quality portraits to the visiting public, in a studio-like setting in the Cultural Centre. Our location is located upstairs near the roof top garden.
Families, children and singles are all invited to have their portraits taken. Up to five high quality images (for prints up to 8″ X 10″) will be proved free to all visitors!

More information can be viewed on the event at this link:

https://culturedays.ca/en/events/cd0f8fc4-de49-4a41-9051-446f2a4de385

If you are in the neighbourhood make sure to drop in!

London Camera Club September Presentations

The London Camera Club, founded in 1934, is starting its 90th year of operation.

 

September Speakers:

 

September 14 7:00 PM EDT Cole Thompson-Vision, Passion and Projects

September 21 7:00 PM EDT Mark Hogan- Staged Miniature Fine Art Photography


To check our up-coming speakers and to sign up as a guest please use this Eventbrite link:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/london-camera-club-32787844475#collections

Prairie Zone September Update

1. The CAPA Prairie Zone, together with The Camera Store and Canon, enjoyed a Prairie Zone Sales Event – complete with prizes, great deals and a wonderful speaker.

Chris Ratzlaff, shared his awe-inspiring experiences, expert insights and crucial safety considerations for storm chasing photography. Chris showed the art of capturing nature’s most dramatic moments of Prairie Zone storms. He gave valuable tips on composition, lighting and camera settings which freeze these elusive moments in time, transforming them into stunning visual stories.

While the allure of storm chasing and photography is undeniable, Chris delved into the planning that goes into every expedition to ensure the team is safe, well-informed, equipped and connected.

Chris talked about the tools and technologies he relies on to monitor weather patterns, predict storm behaviour and navigate challenging terrains while staying out of harm’s way.

This unprecedented CAPA event was available both on-line and in-person to all CAPA members! Please take a look at Chris Ratzlaff’s work at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/chrisratzlaffphotography

Special thanks to The Camera Store and Canon for their support in bringing the photo community together to enjoy this presentation and to supply prizes and fantastic deals! Thanks to everyone who attended!

2. Calgary Camera Club, CAPA Prairie Zone joined The Camera Store and Tamron for a Riverside Photowalk in late June. Calgary photographers had the opportunity to test Tamron lenses and ask Tamron’s Technical Team how to combine Tamron lenses with their mirrorless or DSLR camera to achieve the photos of their dreams!

3. Foothills Camera Club, Calgary Prairie Zone welcomed the CAPA Board of Directors to Calgary for their Annual General Meeting in early June. Following two successful days of meetings, the team toured around some of the local attractions, including Studio Bell, Elbow Falls and beyond!

Not only is Studio Bell home to the National Music Centre, the building is a photographer’s dream in terms of architectural curves and lines.

It was a great pleasure to have such a wonderful Executive team visit Calgary from all over Canada. Thanks to the Executive and to all CAPA volunteers for their time and commitment to this organization.

4. Foothills Camera Club, CAPA Prairie Zone invited photographers in Calgary and the surrounding area to join in an evening of low light photography at Global Fest! Photographers of all skillsets were invited to Elliston Park to try their hand at firework photography. CAPA’s Education Director, Dan Sigouin, was available to coach photographers who were new to low light photography.

Global Fest is an annual celebration of Calgary’s multi-cultural communities with international food, performances and festivities. Global Fest occurs over five evenings, each evening features a particular country. Our evening together featured pyro musical artists from the country of Italy. Each night of fireworks has adjudicators looking for several things: the quality of the display, choice of music, brilliance and richness of colours, synchronization and scope of work.

We thank all those who registered for this free Prairie Zone event! Veni, vidi, vici!

Note: Photos by Dan Sigouin

5. Calgary Camera Club, CAPA Prairie Zone had a great portrait shoot at Bowden Sunmaze with members from Foothills Camera Club, Calgary Camera Club, Focus Camera Club and the Central Alberta Photographic Society. Last Sunday, photographers walked around a farm of sunflowers and practiced shooting portraits with minimum instruction for two hours with one fantastic model! Although there was minimum instruction, this group shared their knowledge and helped each other in a collaborative way. It was fun to see some new faces and some familiar friends! It’s the goal of the Prairie Zone to continue to create outings that are social, educational and just plain fun.

Central Alberta Photographic Society Update

Our Members have been busy this summer, taking numerous photos of public events (as organised Club outings) as well as personal events such as vacations.

Now that Autumn is upon us we’ll be resuming our bimonthly meetings. At our first meeting, on September 13th, Tony Wong will host a Zoom presentation on night photography; after that we’ll have a hands-on practice session on Saturday September 16th. The plan is to meet at the upper parking lot of Dry Island Buffalo Jump at 9:00pm for general orientation and instruction – hopefully the weather cooperates. If the weather forecast says that it’ll be too cloudy (or smoky), alternate dates would be Friday the 15, or Friday or Saturday of the following weekend.

Members, please keep in mind that the next monthly assignment topic is “Reflections” (due Sunday October 1st).

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone again!

Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia – Apple Blossom

On May 27, members of the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia celebrated the club’s 75th year by retracing the route of the club’s first field trip through the Annapolis Valley. Pictured here are some of the members, while other participants (like during the first field trip) were off wandering amongst the apple blossoms.

Laszlo Podor was presented the CAPA medal of Excellence for earning the highest cumulative score in CAPA competitions throughout the 2022-2023 season. He presented Joyce S.K. Chew with the CAPA Club Services medal in recognition of her many years of service (including serving numerous roles on the Executive since 1997) to the club.

Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia Speakers Series

Celebrating its 75th year as a club, the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia is pleased to extend an invitation to join us for our Fred & Edie Greene Speaker series. There is no charge to attend these webinars, but donations to support the speaker series are gratefully accepted.

1. A Canoe and Photographic Adventure in Canada’s Arctic with Jim Neale takes place on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 7:30 PM ADT.

Jim Neale’s primary photographic interests are travel and sports. Join us as he talks about his 700km adventure canoeing from the headwaters of the Horton River to the Arctic Ocean. The route was filled with spectacular scenery and intimate wildlife encounters. In this presentation Jim will share some highlights and images of his adventure, camera gear choices, waterproofing/packing suggestions and reflections on the photographic experience.

You can preview some of Jim’s photography on his Flickr page (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimneale/albums).

To register for Jim Neale’s presentation, please use the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-canoe-and-photographic-adventure-in-canadas-arctic-with-jim-neale-tickets-678512197247

2. Lost in a Fog – Photographing the Foggy Landscape with Ed McGuirk takes place on Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 7:30 PM ADT.

Ed McGuirk is a Massachusetts based landscape and nature photographer whose work concentrates on New England. His work has earned numerous honors, including NECCC Nature Image of the Year, Highly Commended in the USA Landscape Photographer of the Year, and NPN’s Nature Photographer of the Year in 2021. Fog is often referred to as the “Photographers Best Friend” and has many moods that can add a lot of drama and emotion to images. This program will cover the technical, creative and post-processing aspects of photographing foggy landscapes, including the different types of fog, how to use it to create a sense of depth and tips on post-processing.

To see more of Ed’s work, visit his website at http://www.edmcguirkphoto.com

To register for Ed McGuirk’s presentation, please use the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lost-in-a-fog-photographing-the-foggy-landscape-with-ed-mcguirk-tickets-680370144417

Langley Camera Club Update

Langley Camera Club – Not resting in the Summer
It was a very busy and productive summer for many members of the Langley Camera Club. We held many outings even though it was a time to spend relaxing. We started the summer off with a yearend Barbecue at the incoming President’s home (Carla Hamilton).

A good time by all.
The many outings over July and August allowed members to keep busy with many great subjects and genres. The outings included 5K Foam Fest, Concept Neon, Colony Fam Community Gardens, The Shipyards (North Vancouver), Lighthouse Park, Steveston Dragon Boats. Also, our SIG’s (Special Interest Groups) held several outings. The two were the Floral Group, and Dusk to Dawn (Astro Photography).

We attended the Langley City Craft and Art Fair, hosting a booth with displays of members work, and information regarding our club to entice new members. We added a number of new members through the endeavors.

We are looking forward to a productive year as a club and are already in full swing with a workshop on Long Exposure for our members right out of the gates.

Please see all timetables on the website by clicking here

New DR for Montreal

CAPA is pleased to announce the appointment of Yves Bériault as District Representative for Montreal, Quebec.

Yves lives in Montreal, and is a member of the ACS-Photo de Radio-Canada and the Club Photo Valleyfield.

Please read his full biography here.

September 2023 Competition Update

September 2023 Competition Updates

2023 Annual Photo Challenge

For this competition, we received a total of 309 images from 99 entrants.

You can view the winning images from this competition here

2023 Four Nations Competition

For this competition, our 80 CAPA images were submitted into four categories: Open (35 images), Nature (15 images), Monochrome (15 images) and My Country (15 images).

You can view the results of this competition and the winning images here

All CAPA 80 entrants have been advised of these results.

Updated the Judging Criteria

Based on suggestions received in our 2023 CAPA survey, I worked with Glenn to update our standardized Judging Criteria.

The new Judging Criteria now states as follows:

  • 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.

Competitions Made More Concise

Another suggestion from our 2023 CAPA survey was to make the competitions more precise. This suggestion has been applied to all our competitions.

October 2023 to May 2024 Competitions

The following competitions are now open for the uploading of images:

Translation Concern Identified & Corrected

It has been pointed out that our Nature competition contained an incorrect translation from English to French. The specific word was feral.

To correct this translation issue, the following statement has been added to the Nature and Wildlife themes:

No domestic or escaped animals or birds are permitted in this theme (e.g. horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, camels, pigs, chickens, etc…).

Please note that there some revisions and further explanations for the 2023-24 competitions:

2023 Four Nations Competition Results

This annual inter-photo society event brings together four prestigious photography societies: the Australian Photographic Society, the Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA), the Photographic Society of New Zealand, and the Photographic Society of South Africa. Each society submits 80 top images for the competition.

This year, CAPA hosted the competition, and the panel of judges consisted of three esteemed members from the Photographic Society of America (see details below). The overall winning society in this competition was the Australian Photographic Society, demonstrating their exceptional talent.

CAPA secured the second position in the competition, followed by South Africa and New Zealand.

Numerous outstanding images were submitted for consideration in this competition. The judges carefully evaluated the entries and selected four top images for each of the four categories: colour, monochrome, nature, and our country. These selected images received the Gold Award, and three other images in each category received Honourable Mentions.

It is worth noting that in a typical CAPA competition, the awards would have been distributed as gold, silver, bronze, and Honourable Mention.

Gold Award Winners

Color category – Three Whites – Hans Kawitzki – Australian Photographic Society

Monochrome category – Lamberth Bridge – Maria Mazo – Australian Photography Society

Nature category – A Good Hunt – Ivan Glasser – Australian Photographic Society

Our Country category – Yidarki Player – Brad Le Brocque – Australian Photographic Society

Honourable Mention Award Winners

Color category – Man With Eagle – Vicky Gou Mei Zhou – Australian Photographic Society
Color category – Flying Fox – Trung Cang Nguyen – Australian Photographic Society
Color category – Winter’s Icy Cloak – Karen von Knobloch – Canadian Association for Photographic Art

Monochrome category – Ultra Modern Alencia – Kathryn McGravey – Canadian Association for Photographic Art
Monochrome category – Little Man – Simone Osborne – Australian Photographic Society
Monochrome category – Omo Patrol – Pia Jessen – Australian Photographic Society

Nature category – Bald Eagle Grabbing Herring – Anthony Bucci – Canadian Association for Photographic Art
Nature category – Pelican With Some Tasty Treats – William Shields – Australian Photographic Society
Nature category – Feast – Phillip Chang – Canadian Association for Photographic Art

Our Country category – Give Me Red – Sandipan Chaudhuri – Australian Photographic Society
Our Country category – Cristal Morning – Ben Liu – Canadian Association for Photographic Art
Our Country category – Speedy Turn – Mak Kam Ming – Canadian Association for Photographic Art

According to the guidelines and rules of the Four Nations organization, it is prohibited to distribute scores from other societies. However, we have prepared a final report that contains a comprehensive list of all CAPA photographer submissions for each category, along with their corresponding total scores.

To access our CAPA version of the final report, please follow these steps:

Visit the CAPA website.
Log in to your account using your credentials.
Navigate to the Competitions dropdown menu.
Select the Competition Report option from the menu.

Once you follow these steps, you should be able to view the final report, which includes the details of CAPA photographer submissions and their respective total scores. Please note that this information is specific to the CAPA competition and does not include scores from other societies.

For more details about the annual inter-society competition, check out our webpage.

Gold Award Winners

Honourable Mention Award Winners

Photographic Society of America Judges

Jan Lightfoot

Jan has been actively involved in judging camera clubs in Northern California since 2014. Her expertise and discerning eye has made her a sought-after judge for numerous PSA-recognized International Exhibitions and regional juried shows. Notably, she served as the esteemed Chair Person for the North American International Exhibition from 2016 to 2022. During her tenure, Jan oversaw multiple divisions, including Open Color, Open Creative, Open Monochrome, Nature and Wildlife. She continues to judge for clubs and venues throughout the United States.

Nan Carder, FPSA GMPSA, EFIAP/s

Nan has been an active and respected judge of images in the Southern California area since 2007. In 2010, she expanded her judging expertise to include PSA-recognized international Exhibitions and since then, she has provided her expertise to evaluate over 100 exhibitions across various PSA Divisions. Her area of expertise encompass Open, Color, Open Monochrome, Nature, Photojournalism, Photo Travel and Small Print. Nan’s judging included exhibitions in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Cyprus, India, Poland, Sri Lanka and the USA.

Tom Savage, APSA, MPSA2

Tom has been a dedicated photographer and active member of the Photographic Society of America for the past 40 years. During this time, he has gained recognition as an accomplished photographer across various genres, including monochrome, nature, photojournalism, sports, and wildlife. Notably, his exceptional work has been showcased at the prestigious Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.

In addition to his photography pursuits, Tom has made significant contributions to the Photographic Society of America. He has held several important positions within the organization, including serving as the Director of Nature Division, Director of Exhibition Standards, and as a member of the PSA’s Board of Directors. Tom’s expertise and commitment have led him to judge 45 club competitions in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Furthermore, he has also served as a judge for seven international exhibitions.

North Shore Photographic Society June Update

The North Shore Photographic Society is proud to be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023.

Our motto for the year has been education, camaraderie, competition and excellence in photography.

A weekend of workshops and get togethers is planned this month to celebrate this milestone in style including having two of the club’s founding members talk about the early days of the club.

Members from around BC are planning to attend this exciting event.

Party time!

Central Alberta Photographic Society June Update

Spring Competition and Photographer of the Year

CAPS held their Spring Competition in mid-May; there were many excellent photographs – too many to list here – and we enjoyed a potluck dinner and lots of comradeship. Congratulations to Mel Bolin, our Photographer of the Year! Her keen eye and technical skill produce consistently great images and the award is well deserved.

Red Deer Corridor Gallery

If you happen to be in Red Deer, check out the Corridor Gallery in the lower level of the Recreation Centre for images by some of our members. The theme put forth by the City of Red Deer is ‘Action’ – come and take a look! The photos will be on display until mid-July.

Volunteering

CAPS continues to support the community by providing volunteer photographers for numerous events; current events included the Children’s Festival (hosted by Family Services of Central Alberta) and graduation portraits for the Red Deer Air Cadet League.

Club Outings

Photographic outings organised by the Club are a wonderful source of inspiration and provide a great experience for all involved. The first summertime outing was at the Ellis Bird Farm, where bluebirds nest in abundance and provided fantastic photo opportunities. Other outings are currently being planned.

New DR for South Vancouver Island

CAPA is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Letourneau as District Representative for Southern Vancouver Island.

Richard is a member of the Victoria Camera Club (VCC) and for the past eight years, has served on a variety of committees including Webmaster VCC Website, Internal Competitions, and External Competitions.

He was one of the members responsible for implementing Zoom meetings and wrote protocols and procedures to assist members with their Zoom experience.

Please read his full biography.

London Camera Club June Update

The London Camera Club ended the year with a picnic in Springbank Park. Over 63 members and their significant others attended. We were happy to get together again and delighted to see several of our out-of-town members. The door prize, of course, was camera-themed!

Our 22-23 guest speaker series is now finished but our Program Director, Wes Smith, and several volunteers are hard at work rounding up another interesting slate of speakers for 23-24.

We are quite proud to learn that CAPA has selected three of our member’s images to represent Canada in the 2023 Four Nations Competition.

Next year we shall be trying a hybrid model for our meetings. One meeting a month will be held in-person in London with Zoom transmission to all our many members far and wide. The other three-monthly meetings will continue to be via Zoom. We have managed to keep our membership fee at $75 (per household) … a real bargain for 38 meetings and 4 competitions. You are welcome to join us no matter where you live!

Just go to our website, and click on the Membership tab.

Pia O’Leary,
LCC CAPA rep

Richmond Photo Club Society June Update

The Richmond Photo Club has been extremely busy lately. On April 29th we participated in the highly anticipated return of the Crescent Beach Photo Club’s “2023 Black and White Invitation Print Competition”.

This high profile event has returned after being cancelled since the beginning of the pandemic. Ten local camera clubs submitted images for evaluation. Richmond Camera Club won first Prize at the “Club” level as well as 1st and 2nd Prizes at the “Individual” level. Participating members were:

Albert Tsai, Sue Olsen, Neil LeNobel, George Sandor, Richard Juren, and Elmar Thiessen. Congratulations to you all!

On June 3rd, The City of Richmond held it’s annual “Doors Open” event. This event is an opportunity for clubs and organizations within the city of Richmond, BC to promote their associations to the community. The Richmond Photo Club was asked by the city of Richmond to utilize the beautiful Minoru Chapel, a historic church built in 1891, currently located in Minoru Park as the venue to showcase our member’s photography.

Twenty images were selected that were contributed by ten members. A total of 78 guests visited our location to tour the Chapel and view our member’s images.
We thank all those who contributed and volunteered their time at the event. A few photos of the day provided by Julian Rozental and Chuck Vaugeois are attached.

2024 Annual Photo Competition

Annual Photo Challenge 2024

Sponsored by Tamron

Theme – Landscape

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