The categories within the divisions above are defined as follows:
General: This is sometime referred to as PICTORIAL as the photograph is usually taken for its aesthetic value.
Nature: The subject matter of this category is limited to some form of natural history (i.e. BOTANY, WILD LIFE, GEOLOGY, METEOROLOGY). In the nature category, it is best to never show any signs of human influence. If it is impossible to take the photo without some human influence showing, at most, there should be no more than 30% of the image having any indication of humans. Images which show more than the allowed presence of human influence (as determined by the judges) will generally be disqualified. There are some exceptions but the line between acceptance and rejection is very fine. All nature subjects must be correctly identified either by their full common name, e.g. Monarch Butterfly or by their Latin name (Danaus plexippus). Butterfly alone will not be accepted.
Portraiture: An image/photograph of a person or group of people that captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses.
Special: The special categories are announced each year in the announcements section of the club’s Facebook page and also emailed to members at that time. This category gives you the chance to be as creative as you wish. Special category topics are subject to the interpretation of the image maker, providing the opportunity for artistic expressions. However, the topic should be self-evident when viewing the image submitted. This season, there will be a different special category for each judging submission. Submission deadlines for competitions are 5:00pm on the days indicated in Google Calendar.
Black and White: Any image presented in monochrome with no colour.