Speakers Series – Nov.2024 – Peter Steeper

CAPA presents via Zoom : Peter Steeper

English presentation : November 20, 2024

Pacific 4:00 PM – Mountain 5:00 PM – Central 6:00 PM – Eastern 7:00 PM – Atlantic 8:00 PM (Canada)

Theme/topic of the presentation: Road trip! From Nova Scotia to Utah

In 2023 I drove from Nova Scotia to see Arches and Zion National Parks in Utah. Along the way I visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water House and the St. Louis Arch. As I travelled I discovered some interesting places from the people I met.

Due to bad weather and a change of plans I arrived in Moab for Jeep Week. This was an interesting trip with some unexpected opportunities for great photography.

 

Available to Individual CAPA members via the members only section of the website. Please login, go to Members > Zoom Invitation, copy and save the Zoom link before the presentation.

Speaker's Bio

Peter has been a photographer for 25 years and organized many field trips and workshops for the clubs in Nova Scotia.

He has been published in several magazines and participated in gallery shows. Since retirement he has travelled to many places in Europe and North America. He also enjoys being a maker and woodworker. He recently won SmallRig’s DreamRig 2023 Best Product Design.

He is currently working with SmallRig on more new camera rigs.

Enjoy a selection of his works below.

Speakers Series – Oct.2024 – Nikki Harrison

CAPA presents via Zoom : Nikki Harrison

English presentation : October 16, 2024

Pacific 4:00 PM – Mountain 5:00 PM – Central 6:00 PM – Eastern 7:00 PM – Atlantic 8:00 PM (Canada)

Theme/topic of the presentation: Painterly Portraits

These images are not just “Painterly” but actually painted using a very simple, but very powerful technique.

Anyone can do this, all it takes is imagination.

Nikki will touch on how to shoot for the best types of images to use, but really any types of portrait photography can work.
Nikki will cover:

  • Making your own patterns for use with this technique.
  • Making brushes that will work in correlation with this process.
  • Putting it all together with a demonstration.

You can see her work by clicking here.

Available to Individual CAPA members via the members only section of the website. Please login, go to Members > Zoom Invitation, copy and save the Zoom link before the presentation.

Speaker's Bio

Nikki Harrison is a Portrait Artist with a focus on digital art and painting techniques. She has been a professional photographer for 16 yrs and is currently based out of Kelowna, BC.

Now retired from her portrait business, she focuses on teaching other photographers her style of shooting and editing to create painterly portrait art. Feel free to join in on the platform here if you might be interested in learning more

Enjoy a selection of her works below.

Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia – Sept24 – Upcoming Presentation

Celebrating its 77th 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.

 

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Shades of Grey: The Subtle Art of Monochrome Conversion with Jeff Hirsch takes place on Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 7:30 PM ADT. A photographer and photo-educator, Jeff Hirsch is an Adobe Certified Expert in Lightroom and Photoshop.

In this webinar, Jeff will discuss how to “see in monochrome” and how to get the most out of your captures in order to advance your black & white shooting and processing skills.

You can register by clicking here

 

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Rescheduled from its original date of January 8,2024, Underwater Photography: Getting the Shot with Scott Bennett takes place on Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM ADT.

The Arts have always played an important role in Scott Bennett’s life working in the animation industry. His interest in photography has been combined with a passion for diving.

Specializing in underwater photography, Scott works with governmental tourist agencies, magazines, and resorts to promote awareness of the uniqueness, beauty, and diversity of locales. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottbennett362

Come and learn about the wonderful world under the sea as Scott discusses the unique challenges of underwater photography.

You can register by clicking here

 

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Tanzania: Crater and Plain with Gerry Emmerich takes place on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM AST. Specializing in Nature, Landscape, Travel and Sports Photography Gerald H. Emmerich Jr, HonFPSA, GMPSA/P is a member of the Image Makers Camera Club in Waukesha, Wisconsin and received the PSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

Join us and learn from Gerry about Tanzania’s wildlife that can be found in Ngorongoro Crater National Park, Tarangire National Park and the Serengeti/Ndutu area.

You can register by clicking here

London Camera Club – Sept24 – Upcoming Presentation

The London Camera Club is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Details of our history and of our celebrations will appear in a later Newsletter.

 

Sept 19 Bill Hall: How CAPA judges judge competitions
Contact Wes Smith, Programme Director
programslondoncameraclub@gmail.com

Sept 26 7PM EDT Leeann Cotton: The Art of Abandonment
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/leann-cotton-the-art-of-abandonment-tickets-998651321987?aff=oddtdtcreator

Oct 3 7PM EDT Arni Stinnissen: Bird & Wildlife Photography
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/arni-stinnissen-bird-and-wildlife-photography-tickets-998641101417?aff=oddtdtcreator

Oct 10 7PM EDT Mike Moats: The properly equipped Macro Photographer
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mike-moats-the-properly-equipped-macro-photographer-tickets-1001362099997?aff=oddtdtcreator

Oct 17 7PM EDT Richard Martin: Learning to See. Exploring abstract composition
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/richard-martin-learning-to-see-exploring-abstract-composition-tickets-1000224296797?aff=oddtdtcreator

 

You can have more details by clicking here.

September 2024 Competition News

Your Progress in Photography Hinges on Continual Learning Article

Our latest article outlines the many benefits of our photo competitions for emerging artists, going well beyond simply winning an award. Our competitions serve as a key developmental method for your personal development, offering opportunities for skill enhancement, creative expansion, and community integration.


Our article highlights seven key advantages: practical skill improvement, creative growth through diverse challenges, networking opportunities, personal progress benchmarking, goal-setting and motivation, professional feedback, and the chance to push creative boundaries. The article clearly outlines how photo competitions can play a crucial role in a photographer’s journey from novice to accomplished artist.


We would encourage you to review this new article. You can read the article here

 

Updated CAPA Eligibility Criteria Webpage

Our CAPA Eligibility Criteria webpage has been updated to include provisions from the FIAP Booklet:

“Not place identifying text, their signature or any other distinctive mark on the front or facing side of any submitted image”.

 

Updated Editing Criteria For All Competitions

The Image Metadata Required subsection of all competition Editing Criteria Sections has been updated to include the following:

“For all submitted images, the photographer must preserve intact with no alterations, the original metadata (EXIF) of images. It is recommended that photographers leave the metadata in submitted image files intact in order to ease the analysis of potential winning images.”

“The Director of Competitions will request and receive the original un-retouched JPEG or RAW file for a potential winning image in a competition for the purposes of image verification and authentication of competition compliance”.

 

Questions Why Different Submission For All Zone Competitions

For the 2024-2025 competition cycle, we’re introducing a new ‘Skill-Level’ model competition, refined based on testing in the Atlantic, Prairie, and Quebec Zones.

Currently, zone competition entry limits are based on the number of camera clubs per zone. For example:

  • Atlantic and Prairie Zones: 6 clubs each
  • Quebec Zone: 7-9 clubs
  • Ontario Zone: 20 clubs
  • Pacific Zone: 16 clubs

To ensure judges can provide meaningful feedback, we’ve set limits on submitted images. Judges have agreed to offer supportive comments on up to 50 images each. In competitions with 150 total submissions, each judge would comment on one-third of the entries. For events exceeding 150 submissions, we’ll add one or two judges to the team.

Importantly, judges’ comments will only be provided to entrants not identified as intermediate or advanced photographers.

After the 2024-2025 cycle concludes, we’ll evaluate and potentially expand the number of entrants for these competitions. We hope this explanation offers a clearer understanding of our new initiative.

 

Updated “CAPA Stance on Artificial Intelligence in Photo Competitions”

This document has been updated on August 15, 2024 and will remain in effect until Generative AI details come to light. Each competition’s Editing Criteria section has a hyperlink to this updated document.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding artificial intelligence, please email me at competitions@capacanada.ca.

 

Updated “How To Upload Images Into CAPA Competition”

Based on suggestions received, we have updated our “How To Upload Images Into CAPA Competition” PDF document which is located under the Competition Process section of each competition. You can view this webpage here.

 

Updated Competitions Q&A webpage

We have updated our Competition Q&A webpage to reflect questions raised and the responses we have provided. You can view the Competitions Q&A webpage by selecting it from our Competitions dropdown menu. You can also view this document here.

 

2024 Four Nations Competition

The Australian Photographic Society anticipates completing the judging process for the 2024 Four Nations Competition by late September.

Upon receiving the results, we will promptly notify all 80 participating photographers and publish the outcomes on the CAPA website.

Your Progress in Photography Hinges on Continual Learning

Your Progress in Photography Hinges on Continual Learning

By Sheldon Boles – FCAPA
CAPA Director of Competitions

Are you contemplating entering photography competitions but feeling uncertain? You’re not alone.

The prospect of showcasing your work alongside talented photographers can be intimidating. However, competitions offer far more than the thrill of winning; they serve as significant stepping stones in your artistic journey.

Entering competitions can elevate your skills, inspire you to push creative boundaries, and connect with a support network of fellow enthusiasts.

 

Your Progress in Photography Hinges on Continual Learning

  • Track Your Progress: Think of competitions as checkpoints in your photographic adventure. By regularly entering photo competitions, you’ll gain valuable insights into your skill development over time. Think of these competitions as a means to assess your progress and compare your work to that of your peers in a supportive environment.
  • Learn from the Community: Remember, becoming an accomplished photographer is a marathon, not a sprint. Competitions are not about instant gratification or winning at all costs. They’re about steady and incremental growth. With each competition you enter, you’ll have the opportunity to refine your technical abilities, explore new creative avenues, and push your boundaries as an artist.
  • Set Achievable Goals: Instead of aiming for the top prize right away, why not challenge yourself to have one or more of your images scored in the top 30% of the competition? As you gain experience and confidence, you can gradually raise the bar. 
  • Receive Valuable Feedback: Our zone competitions offer a unique opportunity for novice photographers to receive constructive feedback from experienced CAPA Certified Judges as well as supportive suggestions you receive from your fellow photographers and camera club members. This collaborative environment allows you to gain diverse perspectives on your work, helping you to refine your skills and enhance your artistic vision. The valuable feedback you receive will help you grow from a novice (beginner) photographer, to intermediate and advance and even master photographer.

 

Push Your Creative Boundaries: Competitions are your canvas for creative experimentation. Each competition presents a unique opportunity to:

  •  – Push beyond your comfort level
  •  – Explore unfamiliar techniques
  •  – Capture subject you’ve never attempted before
  •  – Develop your distinctive photographic style

 

While competitions spark creativity, structured education can refine it. Consider enriching your competition experience with:

  •  – Photography courses that deepen your technical knowledge
  •  – Hands-on workshops let by experienced professional photographers
  •  – Specialized seminars focusing on specific genres or techniques

This powerful combination of competitive challenges and formal instruction creates a robust framework for your artistic growth.

 

Elevate Your Photographic Expertise

In the world of photography, the most rewarding competition is one you wage with yourself. Our competitions provide a structured, supportive environment that serves as a catalyst for your personal growth journey.

Whether you’re aiming to refine your technical skills, explore new genres, or simply gain confidence in sharing your work.

 

Celebrating Your Achievements

We believe in celebrating your progress and accomplishments. Here’s how we recognize outstanding work in our competitions:

 

Zone Competition Awards

Our zone competitions are designed to provide a supportive environment for photographers at all levels, especially those new to competitions. Awards include:

  • Medals: Awarded to the three highest scoring individual images
  • Honourable Mentions: Awarded to 8% to 10% of the highest scoring individual images

To enhance fairness and broaden participation in our zone competitions, we’ve implemented a tiered skill-level model that groups photographers into three skill levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced.

A photographer’s skill-level is based on their CAPA award history, which helps prevent top performers from dominating across all categories. Each tier has its own set of awards, ensuring participants to compete against others of similar experience.

For all zone competitions, novice-level entrants will receive constructive feedback on each of their submitted images from at least one judge.

 

National Competition Awards

For our national competitions, we recognize both consistent performance and individual excellence:

  • Medals: Awarded based on the three highest cumulative scores
  • Merit Awards: Awarded to the three highest scoring individual images
  • Honourable Mentions: Awarded to 8% to 10% of the highest cumulative scores

These award structures ensure that exceptional work receives appropriate recognition while maintaining our competition standards.

 

A New Way to Measure Your Success

Starting October 1, 2024, we’re introducing an enhanced feature within all our competition reports. This enhancement will include a distribution chart showing the top 20% and 30% thresholds in each competition. Achieving an individual image scores in the top 20% is a significant accomplishment – it means your work is of superior quality and in contention for awards. Use this knowledge to set meaningful goals and celebrate your progress.

Example of an updated competition report’s distribution chart with 20% and 30% thresholds.

 

Embrace Your Growth in Photography

As you embark on your photographic journey, remember that entering competitions offer far more than accolades. Each competition offers a unique opportunity to challenge yourself.

Select a competition that aligns with your skill level or interest, prepare your best work, and submit them with confidence. Each competition challenges you to refine your technical skills, explore new creative directions, and view your work through fresh eyes.

Remember, the true success in your photographic journey lies in your artistic growth and the connection you’ll forge within the photographic community.

Your journey is just beginning – embrace it with open eyes and an eager spirit.

If you have any questions about our competitions, please email me competitions@capacanada.ca.

 

*All images are courtesy of Sheldon Boles

Victoria Camera Club – 80th Anniversary

Victoria Camera Club (VCC) is holding an 80th Anniversary Exhibition of juried prints during the month of September. The event, held in the downtown Bay Centre, includes over 100 images from members. The Exhibition also includes selected images from a 24-hour photo shoot held on June 8th, 2024 – “A Day in the Life of Victoria”.

Last fall our Club created a $1000 scholarship to be awarded to a deserving student in the Visual Arts program at Camosun College, with an emphasis on photographic arts. The inaugural recipient of the VCC Award for Excellence in Photography was Jeannie Chipps; she was presented with her award at the college’s graduation ceremony held on June 19th, 2024.

You can have more informations by clicking here.

Laval Camera Club – 15th Anniversary

In January 2010, seven photography enthusiasts from the City of Laval in Quebec got together and founded Laval Camera Club, a club dedicated to amateur photographers.

The goal of this group of founders was to set up a photography club with the philosophy of promoting the development of a purist practice of photography by improving photography skills.

In September 2010, Laval Camera Club held its first official evening for its members. From September to May, photography enthusiasts meet weekly.

Since its founding, Laval Camera Club has always advocated the same philosophy of improving photography skills. Major retouching and photo montages in post-production are not valued within the organization.

Since its inception, the Club has offered its members more than 120 conferences presented by more than 60 photographers, including some of the highest caliber such as Guy Boily, Bernard Breault, Lucie Gagnon, Michel Proulx, Serge Froment, Sophie Thibault.

A member of the Société pour la Promotion de la Photographie au Québec (SPPQ) since its inception, Laval Camera Club joined the Canadian Association of Photographic Arts (CAPA) in 2022.

The 2024-2025 season represents the 15th anniversary of Laval Camera Club. A host of activities will mark this anniversary throughout the season.

You can have more informations by clicking here.

Contest Open to Individual CAPA Members 2024

Calling all Individual CAPA Members! We are having a CAPA Promo Card Contest. CAPA is going for a new look and you have a chance to be part of it.


Any questions please contact: Carla Hamilton at 2nd-vice-pres@capacanada.ca

Richmond Photo Club Society – August27 Update

Summer in Richmond, BC, is a wonderful place to be. Public events occur throughout the season celebrating our heritage, the arts and the beauty that surrounds us. The Richmond Photo Club is a large part of this and contributes by volunteering and documenting these events.

On July 17th we participated in the 14th Grand Prix of Art. This event featured over 150 artists that are tasked with creating a painting within a three-hour time limit. Over 4000 visitors attended this event that was spread across three kilometers of beautiful Steveston waterfront! Photographers that are members of the Richmond Photo Club that day were Julian Rozental, Chuck Vaugeois, Fabian Dominguez, Grant McMillan, Laurie Lirette and David England. Photos from the event can be viewed here: http://grandprixofart.ca/blog/

On August 11th Family Farm Day at London Farm occurs. This is an annual fun filled family-oriented day that features food trucks, live music, arts and crafts and kid’s entertainment. Photographers from the Richmond Photo Club that participated in this memorable event were Julian Rozental, Elmar Theissen, Laurie Lirette and Gerry Boretta.

Our hope is that our contribution of photography to these community activities not only creates a record of them, but that it strongly contributes to promoting interest, engagement & participation in them!

NAPA – Fall Seminar 2024

Backyard Bird Photography – David will discuss his processf or capturing birds in your very own backyard. He will discuss how you can set up your own backyard studio to capture stunning bird images.


Landscape Photography David will discuss and share how he combines his training as an illustrator with nature photography, some ofthe rules of photography and how he often breaks them!


Macro Photography – One of the harest forms of photography but one of the most rewarding. David will talk about using what you already have in your bag to capture beautiful and sharp macro images.


Nature Photography – David shares stories, tips and techniques including making the most of your time in nature plus gear and setingsf or maximum enjoyment of nature photography.

You can have more informations by clicking here.

Speakers Series – Sept.2024 – Ian Plant

CAPA presents via Zoom : Ian Plant

English presentation : September 10, 2024

Pacific 4:00 PM – Mountain 5:00 PM – Central 6:00 PM – Eastern 7:00 PM – Atlantic 8:00 PM (Canada)

Theme/topic of the presentation: Visual Design Techniques for Creating Stunning Photos

In this presentation, professional landscape and wildlife photographer Ian Plant will share some of his favorite photos from around the world, as well as some of his top composition techniques for making artistic photographs that get noticed. Ian is the author of the critically-acclaimed, best selling ebook “Visual Flow: Mastering the Art of Composition,” which is now part of his Ultimate Photography Composition Course. You’ll gain a better understanding of visual design principles from this inspiring presentation, which will help you make photos that stand out.

You can see his work by clicking here.

Available to Individual CAPA members via the members only section of the website. Please login, go to Members > Zoom Invitation, copy and save the Zoom link before the presentation.

Speaker's Bio

Whether hanging over the rim of an active volcano, braving the elements to photograph critically-endangered species, or trekking deep into the wilderness to places most people will never see, world-renowned professional photographer Ian Plant travels the globe seeking out amazing places and subjects in his never-ending quest to capture the beauty of our world with his camera.

Known for his inspiring images and single-minded dedication to creating the perfect photo, Ian has reached hundreds of thousands of people around the world in his mission to inspire and educate others in the art of photography. Ian’s work has appeared in numerous photo magazines including Outdoor Photographer, Popular Photography, and Landscape Photography, among many others.

Ian has spoken at leading photo conferences including KelbyOne, Out of Chicago, and many others. Ian is also the author of dozens of books and instructional videos and founder of Photo Masters.

Enjoy a selection of his works below.

Tamron – 2024 June Sale

Capture every detail with Tamron and Save up to $200!

For a limited time only, save up to $200 on select Tamron lenses designed for your mirrorless camera. Take advantage of discounts on Tamron’s renowned Fast F/2.8 G2 lenses for Sony mirrorless cameras. Save $200 on Tamron’s compact and lightweight 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 delivers outstanding resolution and superb overall performance in a compact design. Additionally, save $150 on the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2, a top-tier telephoto zoom now equipped with vibration compensation.

Unlock the savings on these award-winning lenses and more, available now through July 7, 2024. Check it out by clicking here.

Tamron is an official sponsor of CAPA.

CAPA Digital Salon 2024 Update – June24

Greetings From The CAPA DIGITAL SALON 2024

Call to ALL Salon Entrants:

If you are attending the Gala Dinner and Salon Awards Ceremony in Kelowna, please contact me (Vice-Pres@CAPACanada.ca), as soon as possible, to be included at the Awards Presentation. Everyone receives a Certificate Of Participation, so please do let me know if you will be in attendance, allowing for the appropriate arrangements at the ceremony for you.

Also, this is your last opportunity until June 15th, if you are interested in purchasing the limited edition, in print, Salon Catalogue featuring all the awarded images, in gloss color magazine style; you may e transfer $25 to CapaOffice@CapaCanada.ca – the publication will be mailed to you mid-July. Besides being a collectible, this catalogue will be most useful to study: see what the judges like, and to ‘up your game’ in preparation for the next salon. Non-Salon Participants can order a copy, as well.

If you would like to see how your images are performing while our elite jury of judges continue their scoring process, you may log into your account at https://theiaap.com/e/capa/index.php

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Until next time…

 

Joyfully,
Shiree Jetha, MCAPA ACAPA
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT & SALON DIRECTOR

FIAP Photo Academy – July24 – Upcoming Online Events

 

Monday July 8th, 2024 at 11 am PST (Check out the correct time zone for where you live.)

Presented by the FIAP Photo Academy Online Events – Bears and Cowboys with Lisa Langell

A nature photographer and birder from the age of eight, Lisa is the founder of Langell Photography, LLC. She started her business in 2010 after a long careers as a floral designer, educational psychologist, consultant and in helping launch and manage two startups that grew into leading companies in the Ed-Tech space.

Since then, Lisa has earned numerous awards and has been published in Outdoor Photographer, Arizona Highways, Ranger Rick, Images Arizona, and more. She is an Image Master for Tamron Americas, an Ambassador for Fotopro Tripods, and is a judge for ViewBug.

Lisa loves creating nature photography and art that is inspired by her background in psychology and design. When Lisa isn’t having fun making photographs, she’s thriving on teaching photography—both via engaging online/webinar-based classes and in her in-the-field sessions. Lisa specializes in Alaska, Florida, Arizona and beyond. Her humility and passion for teaching and photography shines through! Lisa provides photographers with memorable, fun, and caring experiences that enrich, invigorate and expand photographers’ skills and portfolios in wonderful ways.

This presentation will concentrate on Lisa’s images of Bears taken in Alaska and on Cowboys taken in Arizona. It will be interesting, inspiring and educational.

If you haven’t seen Lisa’s work before do take a look at her website:  http://www.langellphotography.com

Lisa’s social media sites are:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisalangell/ and https://www.facebook.com/LisaLangellPhotography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/langellphoto/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Langellphotography

You must register to attend using this link: https://bit.ly/4aL4jGG

*Do not share this link, access is a benefit of your Individual CAPA membership.

Toronto Camera Club – Free Summertime2024 Zoom Meetings

Hi everyone,

Via Zoom, the Toronto Camera Club invites everyone to join in any or all of our 6 FREE Summertime Zoom Meetings!


The Meetings consist of attendees showing/talking (if they wish) about their submitted images that align with the Meetings’ Themes. Images to be shown must be submitted to the host at gareth.jones@torontocameraclub.com no less than 2 days prior to the Meeting.

Please note: This is not a competition although submitters are welcome to ask for comments about their images.

 

  •  June 19 – Theme: What is it? A closeup/macro image of anything you like but with some mystery about it so that attendees can guess what it is, plus an image of the actual object/item/thing. Maximum 3 images + their reveal images
  • July 3 – Theme: Black and White. Anything that takes your fancy. Maximum 3 images
  •  July 17 – Theme: Made of Glass. Anything that’s made primarily of glass. Maximum 3 images
  • July 31 – Theme: Lines in Architecture. Maximum 3 images
  •  Aug. 14 – Theme: Minimalist images. Maximum 3 images
  •  Aug. 28 – Theme: Bingo Night. Images from recognizable locations around the Globe. The submitted images will be randomized and then all attendees will play a game of photo Bingo. Maximum 3 images

 

The Zoom Meetings are all Wednesday evenings, starting at 7:30pm:


So, come on and join us whenever you can.

 

The Zoom link is:


https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84279002270?pwd=aY356W0wyII0aUBUJIoWaQfAP1E1M1.1


Meeting ID: 842 7900 2270
Passcode: 819093

 

Cheers!

 

Gareth Jones, TCC CAPA Rep.

Victoria Camera Club 80th Anniversary Update

Victoria Camera Club (VCC) continues to celebrate its 80th Anniversary. On May 16th, a Gala and Internal Competitions Year-End Awards Night was held and 65 presentations were made to Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced members in these categories: Open, Altered Reality, People, Nature, Theme, Print Open, Monochrome Print, Nature Print, and Open Print. Additionally, Distinguished Photographer plaques were awarded to Jake Saito (Novice), Tom Stewart (Intermediate), and Kathryn Delany (Advanced).

On June 1st, VCC members participated in ‘A Day in the Life of Victoria’ fun shoot, to capture what happens in our communities, within a 24-hour period. As an open theme – animals, birds, insects, landscape, cityscape, nature, people, domestic animals, and wildlife were permitted as well as creative composite images.

The Club is also gearing up for a Print Show, this fall. Scheduled for September 2024, the show will include two juried categories: a stand-alone print category featuring individual prints and a triptych category featuring series of three related prints. The Show will be held in downtown Victoria. VCC is a diverse group of photographers, and we welcome the opportunity to showcase the work of members from all experience levels.

June 2024 Competition News

Enhancements to the “CAPA Stance on AI-Generated Images in Photo Competitions”

This document has been and now identifies new applications that contain Generative features which are not permitted in our photo Competitions. List includes:

  • Canva – contains – Generative Expand, and Generative text-to-image creation.
  • Lightroom (includes beta 13.3) – now contains – Generative Remove.
  • Luminar Neo – contains – GenErase, GenSwap & GenExpand.
  • Photoroom – contains – Generative Expand, Generative Fill, Generative Background and Generative text-to-image creation.
  • Photoshop 2024 (includes beta 25.10) – Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Generative background, and Firefly AI Generative text-to-image creation.
  • Picsart – contains – Generative Replace and text-to-image creation.
  • Pixlr – contains – Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and Generative text-to-image creation.
  • Stylar AI – contains – Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and Generative text-to-image creation.

 

Zone Competitions

All of our five (5) Zone competitions for 2024-2025 have been updated to include the following:

  1. Photographers can request to elevation to a higher skill-level with supporting rationale. Request to lower skill-level will only be undertaken in exceptional cases.
  2. Rationale for the change – Our Zone Skill-Level assignment of a skill level for the Intermediate and Advanced is based the recognition of achievements in our Association.
  3. We do recognize that photographers have received accolades and recognition from other reputable photographic associations, societies, and competitions. For these photographers, they may choose to submit a request, along with appropriate supporting documentation to have their skill level elevated to either Intermediate or Advanced, to better align their proven abilities.
  4. To proceed with the skill elevation, the entrant would need to forward me (competitions@capacanada.ca) an email outlining their achievement and sources where these achievements can be verified.

For Zone competitions only, judges will score all of the images, and additionally one judge will ONLY provide comments on each image submitted into the novice skill category.

Rationale for the change – is that photographers in the Intermediate and Advanced skill levels have already received recognition for their photographic skills and abilities. Consequently, constructive feedback from judges is most beneficial for those in the Novice category, as they are still developing their skills and abilities.

By allocating dedicated commentary from one judge specifically for Novice entrants, we aim to provide valuable guidance and insights to support their growth and improvement as photographers.

 

Annual Photo Challenge

The final competition report can be viewed by first logging into the CAPA website then navigating to the Competitions Report option from the Competitions dropdown menu.

If the Competitions Report option is now visible then your login was not successful. Please try again.

Winning images can be viewed by clicking here. 

Richmond Photo Club Society – June24 Update

The votes are in! During the Richmond Photo Clubs Photography Show at Lansdowne Mall in Richmond BC last month, the club reached out to the public to vote and comment on their favorite images. All votes were anonymous.

There were over 400 ballets cast and overwhelmingly the popular vote went to Jason Li!

The club displayed several of Jason’s Owl images all of which were captured locally in Richmond, BC.

We’ve attached a few of them here for your viewing pleasure. Other examples of Jason’s work can be seen using his provided Instagram link.

Jason Li (@jason_li_photo) • Instagram photos and videos

Canadian Photography Conference Kelowna 2024

KELOWNA 2024

The excitement is mounting for the Canadian Photography Conference, particularly for myself as final details are put in place. Activities increased in the past few weeks, with UBC assigning the final room bookings for the Speakers and Meetings. Lynda Miller and I had a chance to taste the GALA Dinner offerings and finalized the Gala dinner music. The committee has been contracting transportation, sound systems, gathering attendee bag information and working on the many small details needed for the Conference.

The line-up of speakers continues to grow with the additions of Rafal Weigel and Jim Brompton.

Note some of the important dates:

  • May 23, 2024 – UBC Kelowna accommodation Conference Block will be released – after this date all rooms are at normal rates and on an as availablity basis – Book before this date to get conference preferences.
  • June 9, 2024 – GALA Dinner bookings close, don’t miss this fun gathering
  • June 9, 2024 – Conference Full Registration closes – day rate only will be available after this date.

We will soon send many other details to those registered for the conference.

If there are other questions feel free to contact the committee at conference@capacanada.ca

See you soon in Kelowna.

Henry Schnell
Conference Chairman

Conference Speakers - Plenary Speakers

Breakout Session Speakers

The Okanagan and Kelowna

The Okanagan Valley, with its unique geography, attracts visitors who come to hike the trails and paddle the lakes. It’s a vacation playground on the surface but dig a bit deeper and you’ll discover just how deep its roots go. Those tidy orchards, bucolic farms and scenic vineyards grow the fruit and vegetables for farm stands and restaurants, the grapes for award-winning wines, and the wild ingredients to forage for food or medicine.

When French Catholic priest Father Pandosy planted Kelowna’s first wine grapes in sandy soil back in 1859, he had no way of knowing that over 150 years later the Okanagan Valley would be the wine capital of BC.

Cradled within a glorious range of mountains, is a sanctuary filled with pristine lakes, pine forests, abundant gardens, orchards and vineyards, sandy beaches and other superb amenities. Stretching from north to south for approximately 135 km (84 miles) is beautiful Okanagan Lake. The lake sustains several diverse communities along this corridor known as the Okanagan Valley. The Okanagan Valley has a semi-arid climate, boasting long warm summers and short mild winters. The city of Kelowna is the largest community and is located midway through the valley. It has a metro population of over 230,000 and is the transportation, business and service hub of the valley.

Kelowna has miles of beautiful parkland and several sandy beaches which provide wonderful opportunities for boating, swimming, water-skiing, windsurfing and fishing. As well, you can hit the links at one of our many golf courses nine months out of the year. In cooler months, our snow-capped mountains and pine-filled forests are a haven for skiers, boarders, snowmobilers and outdoor adventurists of all types and levels.

The city name of KELOWNA originates from the syilx First Nations word for grizzly bear.

Orchards and vineyards thrive within a 10-minute drive from the downtown core and provide seasonal delights year-round. You can pluck ripe cherries or juicy peaches from trees or spend a delightful day sampling the award-winning wares of the internationally acclaimed wineries. The Spring, Summer and Fall Wine Festivals offer hundreds of activities focused on winemaking, tasting and touring.

That’s not all. Kelowna’s growing Cultural District covers a six-block downtown area and features a concentration of galleries, museums, theatres, a casino, artists’ studios, fine dining, unique shops and a vibrant cultural life all year long. Come and enjoy Kelowna as is hosts the 2024 Canadian Photography Conference.