ARS Slide / Photo Competition
HELPFUL HINTS | MAILING INSTRUCTIONS | RULES |
CLASSES | JUDGING | AWARDS | ENTRY FORM |
PREVIOUS WINNERS: Each year's winners since 2003 have been placed in Power Point Programs (password located in ARS magazine, ~page 5). Previous years winners lists are available from ARS Headquarters: carol@ars-org
ARS Photography Competition
In the fall, your roses should be preparing themselves for their last big flush of the season. This means it's
time to finish taking your photos and begin making plans to enter the next American Rose Society Slide/Digital Photo Contest. Entries are due by the last Friday in November each year!!The judging panel is made up of ARS horticultural and/or arrangement judges who are also experienced photographers.
• You will probably be using equipment, principles and techniques of close-up photography in most of the Classes. These might include the use of supplementary close-up lenses or a macro lens for close-up work.
• Use a tripod and cable release to help eliminate camera movement.
• Use a small aperture (f11, f16, f22, etc.) to gain more depth of field for most shots, but be sure you use a fast enough shutter speed to freeze movement to blooms caused by wind.
• Remember to plan each shot and to carefully search the viewfinder for any distracting objects or reflections before snapping that shutter.
• The winning photos of single blooms and sprays usually are the ones in which the rose fills as much of the frame as possible, but care should be taken so petals or parts of the desired image do not touch the edge of the frame.
• The rule of thirds for off-center placement should generally not be used for one-bloom photos. A single bloom in a photo should be as close to center as possible.
• When a really great bloom comes along, take a number of shots of it, 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 to 45 degrees 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.
• For close-up photography, blooms with a muted background are generally more pleasing than one with a solid black or dark color background.
• 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. Use of reflectors can help eliminate dark areas and uneven lighting.
1. Send all slides and digital photographs directly to
-
Paul Colombo
20652 Woodcrest
Harper Woods, MI 48225
2. Slides and CDs should be properly packaged for safe delivery and accompanied by the entry form and a padded, self-addressed envelope with adequate postage for safe return. If there is no return postage your slides will not be returned. There is no need to send slides or CDs special or overnight delivery.
3. Make sure you have some form of permanent identification on each slide. SLIDES WITH GUMMED LABELS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED! ! They have been known to fall off in the projector from the heat. Please print clearly.
4. If you are submitting digital pictures, they must be placed on a CD, in one directory. Make sure they can be read by an IBM-compatible computer. Mail the CD along with the entry form. The CD will not be returned and should have the contestant’s name, e-mail and address clearly printed on the CD.
1. Contestants are permitted to enter a maximum of three slides and/or three digital photographs or any combination per class in Classes 1-10. One photo of each variety per class - that's a total of 30 entries. New ARS members who qualify for Class 12 and Youth who qualify for Class 14 may submit three additional slides and/or digital photographs or any combination in that class for a total of 36 entries.
2. Digital photographs must be saved as jpg files, and be no larger than 5megs. All digital photographs must be submitted as high resolution jpg’s with a minimum resolution of 225 dpi. The high resolution is necessary to ensure that a winning entry will print properly in the magazine. Low resolution digital files will not be considered for awards. Slides must be 35mm, in cardboard or plastic mounts, and may be cropped to any size or format.
3. All photos must have been taken by the entrant, who must be an ARS member.
4. Slides and digital photographs which have won awards in previous ARS photo contests are not eligible.
5. The rose photos will be entered under the ARS Approved Exhibition Names. Grooming the rose(s) is encouraged, and artificial backgrounds may be used.
6. For slides, mark the lower left-hand corner of each with a red circle as held for hand viewing; identify each slide with your name, address, class entered and the name of the rose, location or society where applicable. Do not write in the upper right-hand corner.
7. Digital photographs shall be saved in the following format: class number and the letter "a", "b" or "c" for multiple pictures in the same class, last name of the contestant, and the approved exhibition name of the rose. An example would be 10c Colombo Gemini. Only one entry would be 10a Colombo Gemini. Any added text that is on the photo or slide mount itself will be cause for disqualification.
8. Digital photographs may be enhanced by the use of any graphic program, such as Photoshop, Elements or Photo Impact.
9. ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED BY THE LAST FRIDAY IN NOVEMBER.
1. One bloom, at its most perfect stage, Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, Floribunda, of any variety including Singles, no sidebuds.
2. One spray, Grandiflora, Floribunda, Polyantha or Hybrid Tea, two or more blooms.
3. Open bloom rose(s), stamens must show.
4. One bloom or spray of an Old Garden Rose, Shrub or Climber.
5. One bloom of a Miniature or Mini-Flora rose, no sidebuds.
6. A spray of a Miniature or Mini-Flora rose.
7. A photo of a standard size arrangement, following the American Rose Society Guidelines for Judging Rose Arrangements. Please indicate arranger's name if known.
8. A photo of a miniature arrangement, following the American Rose Society Guidelines for Judging Rose Arrangements. Please indicate arranger's name if known.
9. Abstract or Impressionism - A photo of a rose plant(s) or any portion thereof having non-objective design, form or content. (Let your imagination run rampant.) This does not include abstract arrangements.
10. A photo of any rose garden OR any rose society activity. Arbors and garden ornaments permitted in the garden photo. Indicate society and name of the event in the society activity photo.
11. NOVICE CLASS: Open only to those ARS members who have not previously won an award (1st through 6th place) in this ARS Digital Photograph & Slide Contest. Eligible contestants may enter either the novice or the regular classes, but not both. Those entering the novice class may enter any class, 1through 10 by preceding the class number with the number 11 (Class 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, etc.). There will be six winners (1st place thru 6th place), and the 1st place winners will be eligible for the Best of Contest Awards (Queen, King, and Princess).
12. NEW MEMBER: A photo of any type rose or rose garden. Restricted to members who have joined ARS within the past 12 months.
13. MASTER CLASS: For all contestants who have had 5 or more first place entries in the ARS Digital Photograph and Slide Contest. Also, for all contestants with 5 or more first place entries in the digital photography classes. Eligible contestants may have entries in the four following classes by preceding the class with the number 13 (Class 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, 13-4). There will be six winners (1st through 6th place) and the 1st place winner will be eligible for Best of Contest awards (Queen, King, and Princess). Contestants who qualify for this class are ineligible to compete in other classes.
14. YOUTH CLASS: A photo of any type of rose, rose garden or rose activity. For all entrants under the age of 16.13-l: One bloom, any classification, at exhibition stage.
13-2: An inflorescence (2 or more blooms) of any classification.
13-3: An arrangement, either standard or miniature, following the American Rose Society Guidelines for Judging Rose Arrangements.
13-4: An abstract shot of any rose or rose parts or any photo of a rose garden or area.
1. The judging panel will consist of ARS accredited rose judges who are photographers.
2. Classes 1 through 6, 11, 13-1 and 13-2 will be judged 50 percent on exhibition quality and 50 percent on photographic excellence.
3. Classes 7, 8, and 13-3 (arrangement shots) will be judged 50 percent on the arrangement design and flower quality following the American Rose Society Guidelines for Judging Rose Arrangements and 50 percent on photographic excellence.
4. Classes 9, 10, 12, 13-4, and 14 will be judged on photographic excellence only.
There will be four Certificate of Photographic Excellence Awards in each class: Gold for 1st place, Silver for 2nd, Bronze for 3rd, and one Honorable Mention award. The first place winners in each class, along with the names of all winners, will be published in the May/June issue of American Rose. All first place winning slides will be eligible for the Best of Contest Awards.
