For the new Competitions season, we have what I believe will be a fun, stimulating and diverse array of competition topics. Our repeating mainstays – Open, Nature and Monochrome, will be joined by three new topics – 1) Long Exposure; 2) Yellow Photography and 3) On the Job. Please refer to the website link for the definition of each topic. 

Here’s the schedule for the season:

• September 8 – Open
• October 13 – Nature Photography
• November 10 – Open
• December 8 – Long Exposure
• January 12 – Open
• February 10 – Yellow Photography
• March 9 – Open
• April 13 – On the Job
• May 11 – Monochrome Photography
• June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)

Please be mindful that electronic submissions for projected images must be received no later than 11:59 pm, on the Thursday one week before the competition (i.e. on Speaker Night).  The images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.)

To learn the nitty gritty about the competitions, please refer to the Competition Rules and the Members Handbook, both of which are accessible from the SSCC website. Of course, if you have any questions about the competitions, please feel free to contact me at competition@ssccphotography.org   

Finally, our monthly competitions are meant to be engaging, interactive member events, rather than dry, impersonal contests. As such, we heartily encourage all members who submit photo entries, whether print or electronic, to be present at the competitions. I say this for several reasons. First, the critiques the judges offer of the photo entries can be valuable for the creators of the images.  After all, the SSCC enlists our judges not only to have them select their favorite images for ribbons but, as importantly, to offer their professional photographic expertise and insights as they evaluate the images. Second, audience members really appreciate hearing from ribbon winners a little of the contextual history of their images. Knowing where an image was made or how it was processed can be informative and often entertaining.  And third, being able to personally congratulate award winners makes for a more vibrant, fun experience for the audience. If a ribbon winner is absent when his or her name is called, the enthusiasm the audience wants to convey to the winner is unavoidably diminished. So, for all these reasons; if you plan to enter an image in a competition this season, please try your best to attend the event. It really helps strengthen the ties that bind us together as the SSCC.

Again, if you have any questions about the competitions, please feel free to contact me, Larry Gold, at competition@ssccphotography.org.