COMPETITION ASSIGNMENTS
September 2023 – May 2024
September 2023 — RED
An image where the subject of the photo is red or has red as its dominant characteristic, or where red is the principal element of the photograph. Red does not have to fill the space but should be a meaningful element of the photograph or an important punctuation point. You may NOT “create” the color red on your computer. Many hues of red are acceptable, including but not limited to: pure red, brick red and blood red. While recognizing this is somewhat subjective, the color must be obviously red (not pink, purple or orange) such that the judge does not question its hue. (Must be taken on or after September 1, 2021)
October 2023 — OPEN
Any photograph taken within the past 2 years. (Must be taken on or after October 1, 2021)
November 2023 — FAMILY
An image that conveys a sense of family, in all its varied forms. Whether it be friends, siblings, the nuclear family, a parent and child, or an animal family, we surround ourselves with people and things that give us security and a sense of home. The photograph must include obvious evidence of connections or bonds among the subjects. (Must be taken on or after November 1, 2021)
December 2023 — OUT OF FOCUS
The photograph must contain at least one element that is purposely out of focus that contributes in a significant way to the overall success of the image. The creation of your “out of focus” element(s) must be done “in-camera” and NOT on the computer. Examples include: bokeh, blur motion, intentional camera motion, or shallow depth of field. The entire image also can be out of focus to achieve a painterly aesthetic. (Must be taken on or after December 1, 2021)
January 2024 — TACK SHARP
An image that is sharp from front to back that draws on the ideas of Group f/64 which promoted a detailed, purist direction in photography in the 1930’s. They broke away from the emphasis on artistic beauty and soft-focused aesthetics associated with “Pictorialism.” The scale of the image can be from macro to grand, but ALL must be in sharp focus. (Must be taken on or after January 1, 2022)
February 2024 — NATURE
May depict observations from all branches of natural history in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject and agree to its honest presentation. Images including the “hand of man” (such as roads, fences, manicured lawns, etc.) will be disqualified. Any adjustments to the image must appear natural. Color images may be converted to monochrome. Infrared images are NOT allowed. NBCC’s expanded definition of Nature is here. (Must be taken on or after February 1, 2022)
March 2024 — HIGH KEY
An image that is almost entirely made up of white or very bright tonal values, often preserving some detail in the subject with little or none in the background. A high-key image is heavily weighted on the right side of the histogram. (Must be taken on or after March 1, 2022)
April 2024 — COLD WINTER
An image that conveys some aspect of a cold winter. The subject matter can be anything but should clearly communicate and be directly associated with the sights or experiences of a cold winter day. (Must be taken on or after April 1, 2022)
May 2024 — BLACK & WHITE, OPEN
An image rendered in Black & White (i.e., ALL color has been removed either in the digital process or through the choice of film or camera). The purpose of this assignment is to find interesting subjects in which color does not create the impact. Black & White infrared is acceptable. (Must be taken on or after May 1, 2022)
Assignment Committee: Gail Bingham, Jean-Pierre Ple’ and Catherine Simmons
September 2024 – May 2025
September 2024 — WORN OR WEATHERED
Photograph an object or person (or animal) that depicts a worn or weathered state such as an abandoned building, a rusty truck, wrinkled hands, a withered leaf or a shed snake skin. The theme embodies the Japanese concept of "Wabi Sabi," in which aesthetic beauty is discovered in impermanence, imperfection and incompleteness. (Must be taken on or after September 1, 2022)
October 2024 — OPEN
Any photograph taken within the past 2 years. (Must be taken on or after October 1, 2022)
November 2024 — SOMETHING SOFT
An image of something innately soft (for example a cotton ball) or something captured or rendered to create a sense of softness (for example, a blurred or diffused flower or a baby snuggled in a blanket). (Must be taken on or after November 1, 2022)
December 2024 — ABSTRACT ARCHITECTURAL DETAIL
Unlike architectural photography, i.e. to accurately represent buildings, your challenge is to be creative and interpretive to create an abstract image from an architectural structure. Use photographic techniques to take things out of context, simplify, render in graphic form, convey a feeling using angles, patterns, details, light and shadow, etc. (Must be taken on or after December 1, 2022)
January 2025 — OPEN
Any photograph taken within the past 2 years.
(Must be taken on or after January 1, 2023)
February 2025 — NATURE
May depict observations from all branches of natural history in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject and agree to its honest presentation. Images including the “hand of man” (such as roads, fences, manicured lawns, etc.) will be disqualified. Any adjustments to the image must appear natural. Color images may be converted to monochrome. Infrared images are NOT allowed. NBCC’s expanded definition of Nature is here. (Must be taken on or after February 1, 2023)
March 2025 — SHOOTING THROUGH
Create an image using the technique of shooting through something or placing an object between the front of your lens and the intended subject. The idea is to have an out-of-focus foreground while keeping your subject in focus. For example, you can put crumpled plastic wrap around the outer edge of your lens to create a vignette blur; you can shoot through sheer fabric to create a hazy effect; or you can shoot through a hole in a fence to capture a subject. Creating a shoot-through image in post-processing defeats the purpose and is not permitted. (Must be taken on or after March 1, 2023)
April 2025 — NEGATIVE SPACE
An image where the negative space plays an important role in enhancing the positive space occupied by the subject. The actual subject would occupy a relatively small portion of the frame. Examples include a bland sky as a background to a small cluster of trees far off in the distance, a nondescript wall that emphasizes the colors and form of a passing pedestrian, or a small sailboat floating in a vast body of water on a foggy morning. (Must be taken on or after April 1, 2023)
May 2025 — BLACK & WHITE, OPEN
An image rendered in Black & White (i.e., ALL color has been removed either in the digital process or through the choice of film or camera). The purpose of this assignment is to find interesting subjects in which color does not create the impact. Black & White infrared is acceptable. (Must be taken on or after May 1, 2023)
Assignment Committee: Ruiqing Pamboukian, Toni Robinson, David Terao, Christina Papakonstantinou, Margaret Colaianni