Competition Syllabus

No competition specific rules apply other than the DVPS general rules and guidelines

This competition is for Black and White (B&W) images. Monochrome images of other colours including sepia tones will not be accepted. Photographs may be taken in colour and converted to B&W or, taken in B&W with no converting. Members are free to choose the subject(s) for their photos and are encouraged to “think outside the square” with respect to their photographic subject(s) and their presentations.

Action photography is a genre of photography that “Captures Moments of Movement”. It is about capturing a subject in motion and can encompass wildlife, sports and vehicles. The capture can be freezing motion or include blur such as panning techniques. Examples include and not limited to are an animal running, a sports person in mid-air catching or kicking a ball, a racing car, motorbike and cycles travelling at speed. Movement in nature such as flowing water or waterfalls is not permitted.

A photograph is of someone. A portrait is about someone. By photographing a person in their natural surroundings or creating an environment that represents something about them, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features. This can be taken in a candid street photography style or set up in a studio so long as it tells us about the person in the image. Examples would be someone within their workplace, like a chef in a busy kitchen, a painter in their studio with all their paints or a mechanic in his garage with all the tools and cars within the scene. Normal editing is permitted including composite photography.

EDPI Images must be taken from a mobile phone only. Print: There are no no competition specific rules other than the DVPS general rules and guidelines

Street photography is the art of capturing candid moments of everyday life in public places, focusing on unmediated, unposed, and spontaneous scenes, people, and interactions. While the term suggests public "streets," the genre encompasses any location where public activity occurs and can include urban or rural settings. The aim is to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, showcasing compelling, emotional, or ironic instances that might otherwise go unnoticed. For this competition, ultra-wide angle and high-power telephoto are not to be used. The purpose of this is to level the playing field for those participants less well equipped. Standard lens between 24mm and 150mm are allowed. Post processing is allowed. The only constraint is it must be a single image. If your camera is able to do double exposures, they are permissible BUT only if done in camera.

Architecture photography is a genre of photography that focuses on capturing buildings, structures, and interior spaces in visually compelling ways. It’s not just about documenting architecture. It’s about interpreting design through light, composition, perspective and detail. Elements you could include are exteriors and interiors, lines and geometry and light and shadow. Techniques you may consider for your architecture photography are the use of a wide angle lens to capture more of the scene especially in tight spaces; paying attention to lines and geometry by aligning vertical and horizontal lines; using leading lines to guide the viewer’s eye; focusing on details such as textures, patterns and materials and experimenting with perspective. In post processing it is acceptable to use perspective correction tools.

Macro/ closeup photography opens the miniature world that surrounds us and opening up beautiful details in the various subjects. A macro photograph is one that the subject is the same size or larger on the sensor as the actual subject, typically in the ratio 1:1 to 5:1 (5x). Closeup photography is the act of photographing objects in close range so the subject you photographing fills the frame with most detail but does not include the broader scene. Closeup photography is easily achievable with any lens, even with a telephoto lens. Subjects can be insects, flowers, plants, objects, textures and patterns of an object, water droplets, fruits and vegetables, leaves, oil and water, rocks and stones, jewellery etc. and turning the details of the object into the focus of attention. Macro photography can be achieved using point and shoot camera with a macro setting, macro settings on a zoom lens with that capability, closeup lens/filters, extension tubes or macro lens. The use of tripods, and flashes can be used as needed. Watch out for camera movement and subject movement. Images can be colour, monochrome or black and white. Normal post processing is allowed including composites. Focus stacking is allowed to achieve a greater depth of field. Inhumane treatment of animals and insects will not be permitted. Resources: https://photographylife.com/macro-photography-tutorial/4 https://www.adobe.com/au/creativecloud/photography/discover/macro- photography.html

1. Landscape photography which emphasises views, composition, light and atmosphere is a broad category that refers to images of the natural environment. It may include evidence of man, people, animals or even part of the sea provided that none of these additional elements dominate the photograph. The challenge of this competition will be to photograph scenes that are conducive to a portrait format and present your images in a vertical layout i.e., taller than wide. 2. Techniques you may wish to employ are the use of a wide-angle lens to capture more of the scene; a narrow aperture to increase depth of field so everything from the foreground to the background is in sharp focus; a tripod especially in low light situations; inclusion of a foreground element to add depth and leading lines to lead the viewer’s eye into the scene. Normal editing is permissible but it should enhance the image by maintaining natural colours and lighting and not distort reality. When uploading your vertical landscapes to the Competition Entry web page be mindful the maximum accepted height of an image is 1080 pixels high which may require adjustment of the width of your images.