The Winning Formula – How to Win Competitions

The following started as a personal "cheat sheet" for me to use when preparing images for competition. I thought I would share it with our members as a slightly (in some cases) tongue-in-cheek analysis of what I have learned from competing – and judging.

All I ask is that you don’t take too seriously, but as an aid to those who are new to competing, or are still struggling trying to get a winning image.

Do not try to be too creative; "formula" pictures (those that adhere to the following rules) will trump creativity every time.
If possible, always include a "leading line" – an element in the image that runs from lower left to upper right is best.
Include a "stopper" at the right side of the picture to keep the viewer’s eye on the image.
Birds, flowers, some insects (never spiders) will do well, as long as the image is sharp and in focus from front to back of the subject.
Simple compositions do better than complex or "cluttered" images.
Ask yourself the question "does this look like a vacation picture?" Basic or "record" shots that have no central subject or significantly interesting element seldom score well.
When shooting flowers, avoid even numbers of blooms. Odd numbers are good, three is the magic number.
Photos of exotic animals (except snakes) or locations will do well, even if not otherwise a great image. Judges are human, and sometimes they are more impressed by the subject than the image.
Don’t try to increase the color – keep it as natural as possible.
Learn to use Photoshop well – every image (especially digital projected) can be improved by manipulating with PS.
Always look at your image the way it was shot, then flip it horizontally and view it.
Burn in (darken) any light areas that are not part of the central image; these are distractions.
Make certain white areas are well exposed and no detail is lost due to over exposure. An otherwise excellent image will be scored lower if any white areas are "blown out."
Never include the sky in photos taken on overcast days – they will always be classified as "blown out" – even thought it was what the actual sky looked like.
Crop to yield the largest image possible – for vertical projected images, crop the top and bottom (if possible) to get greater width.
Keep in mind the basic rules of composition (rule of 3’s, golden mean, etc.)
Look at your images through a judge’s eye – put your image up on your screen and give yourself less than 10 seconds to rate it.
Bigger IS better! When it comes to prints, a large print will beat out a smaller one. This is in part due to a judge's ability to see the image better.

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The Winning Formula – How to Win Competitions

The following started as a personal "cheat sheet" for me to use when preparing images for competition. I thought I would share it with our members as a slightly (in some cases) tongue-in-cheek analysis of what I have learned from competing – and judging.

All I ask is that you don’t take too seriously, but as an aid to those who are new to competing, or are still struggling trying to get a winning image.

Do not try to be too creative; "formula" pictures (those that adhere to the following rules) will trump creativity every time.

If possible, always include a "leading line" – an element in the image that runs from lower left to upper right is best.

Include a "stopper" at the right side of the picture to keep the viewer’s eye on the image.

Birds, flowers, some insects (never spiders) will do well, as long as the image is sharp and in focus from front to back of the subject.

Simple compositions do better than complex or "cluttered" images.

Ask yourself the question "does this look like a vacation picture?" Basic or "record" shots that have no central subject or significantly interesting element seldom score well.

When shooting flowers, avoid even numbers of blooms. Odd numbers are good, three is the magic number.

Photos of exotic animals (except snakes) or locations will do well, even if not otherwise a great image. Judges are human, and sometimes they are more impressed by the subject than the image.

Don’t try to increase the color – keep it as natural as possible.

Learn to use Photoshop well – every image (especially digital projected) can be improved by manipulating with PS.

Always look at your image the way it was shot, then flip it horizontally and view it.

Burn in (darken) any light areas that are not part of the central image; these are distractions.

Make certain white areas are well exposed and no detail is lost due to over exposure. An otherwise excellent image will be scored lower if any white areas are "blown out."

Never include the sky in photos taken on overcast days – they will always be classified as "blown out" – even thought it was what the actual sky looked like.

Crop to yield the largest image possible – for vertical projected images, crop the top and bottom (if possible) to get greater width.

Keep in mind the basic rules of composition (rule of 3’s, golden mean, etc.)

Look at your images through a judge’s eye – put your image up on your screen and give yourself less than 10 seconds to rate it.

Bigger IS better! When it comes to prints, a large print will beat out a smaller one. This is in part due to a judge's ability to see the image better.

Send mail to bill@ruting.us with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2009 Salt Creek Camera Club Last modified: 06/03/11

Send mail to bill@ruting.us with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2009 Salt Creek Camera Club
Last modified: 06/03/11