The Deep South District
 DIGITAL PHOTO CONTEST 2011

   2011 Digital Contest Rules & Classes

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It’s that time again to start taking photos of your beautiful roses for our annual photo contest!

Begin by reviewing this year’s rule changes.  We hope as many of you as possible will participate in this fun activity.  Photography is one of the best ways we have to share the beauty of our national flower.

Last year, many first time contestants won awards and we are hoping to receive entries from as many new contestants as possible again this year.  Results were published in the Winter issue of the Bulletin and are on the DSD Website. I hope everyone got to see and enjoy them.

Take advantage of every opportunity to capture and share the beauty of roses.  We all enjoy the fruits of your photography.  Start collecting your photos as early as possible.  The more photos you enter the better chance you have of winning.  Please send me your entries as early as possible, but not later than the July 31, 2011 deadline.

We hope those of you who participated last year enjoyed the contest and the results. We would love to have more of you join the fun this year. Please email your questions and entries to me at a.whitcomb@earthlink.net.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

                               Al

HELPFUL HINTS:

• You will probably be using equipment, principles and techniques of close-up photography in Classes 1-10, 13 and 14. These might include the use of supplementary close-up lenses or a macro lens made specifically for close-up work.

• Be careful using the zoom on digital cameras. If you move out of the optical zoom into the digital zoom range you can significantly reduce your picture quality and get jagged edges.

• Use a tripod and cable release to help eliminate camera movement and expose with a small aperture (F 11, F16, F22, etc.) to gain more depth of field for most shots.

• Remember to plan each shot and to carefully search the viewfinder for any distracting objects or reflections before snapping that shutter. A written record of each exposure is helpful for later review.

• The winning photos usually are the ones in which the bloom or subject fills as much of the frame as possible, but care should be taken so petals or parts of the desired image are not cut off.

• The rule of thirds for off-center placement should NOT be used as one-bloom photos should be as close to center as possible.

• When that really great specimen comes along, take a number of shots, bracketing the exposures. It often is a good idea to use both a vertical and a horizontal format if the subject is suitable.

• When photographing a one-bloom specimen at close-up range, a camera angle of 30-45^o to the bloom will usually produce a better photo.

• Grooming, when needed, is very important as slight defects are magnified when the photos are projected onto a screen.

• A gray card may help you determine exposure when photographing difficult-to-capture true colors such as white blooms with a dark background, mauves and some reds. Artificial backgrounds can eliminate some distracting objects in backgrounds of photos. Use of reflectors can help eliminate dark areas and uneven lighting.

AWARDS:

Certificates of Photographic Excellence will be awarded in each class: 1^st place - Gold, 2^nd - Silver, 3^rd - Bronze. The first place image in each class and the name of the winner will be published in the DSD Bulletin and on the District website. All first place images will be eligible for the Best DSD Digital Photograph Award.

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