Themes of Contest

General Definition

Entries must originate as photographs (image-capture of objects via light sensitivity) made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired digitally. By virtue of submitting an entry, the entrant certifies the work as his/her own and permits the sponsors to reproduce all or part of the entered material free of charge for publication and/or display in media related to the exhibition. This may include low resolution posting on a website. The exhibition assumes no liability for any misuse of copyright. Images may be altered, either electronically or otherwise, by the maker and artwork or computer graphics created by the entrant may be incorporated if the photographic content predominates.

1) Shadow (color and monochrome)

In ancient times people believed that shadows were signs of some divine presence around an object. Today, we know the nature of shadow as the optic phenomena, but in our perceptions shadows still remain associated with some mystery. That is why shadows have always been of interest to visual artists – painters and photographers. Many of them choose to illustrate shadows instead of real objects, producing very interesting, conceptual, and artistic works. Today we offer a showcase of shadow photography. People, actually, are often too busy to notice how different and interesting shadow effects can be. Photography is capable of “freezing” the moment and showing us the truth about many things on Earth, including shadows.

The term “shadow” refers to a wide range of light intensity conditions – it is not darkness. A shadow is where there is a difference between a specific light intensity and a specific lower light intensity next to it. The difference in light intensity between the two light levels creates a contrast that our eye can see.
Shadow is created by an object intercepting light from a light source. Any light that can pass the object will be brighter than the light behind the object where the beam has been blocked. The edges of shadows are the defined differences in contrast between two different light intensities.
The greater the difference in light intensity between a light area and a shadow area the higher the contrast between the two. In a very hard light source where there is little reflected light nearby an object will tend to cast a dense shadow with sharp lines defining its edges.
In a soft light the edges of the shadows will be less well defined because the beam of light comes from a diffused light source. The intensity of a shadow will also be reduced where reflected light bounces back into the shadow area and thus reduces the contrast between the light in the beam and the light in the shadow.
In photography, which is essentially recording patterns of light, shade, and color, “highlights” and “shadows” are the brightest and darkest parts of a scene or image. Photographic exposure must be adjusted (unless special effects are wanted) to allow the film or sensor, which has limited dynamic range, to record detail in the highlights without them being washed out, and in the shadows without their becoming undifferentiated black areas.

When making pictures, keep this in mind: Light illuminates, shadows define.

No light, no picture. No shadows, no definition.

2) Red (color and monochrome)

This topic is define by presence of red color in the photograph. It may be a one separate, or more details, marking a photograph as a creative unit.   It is allowed that photography be monochrome in shades of red.

3) Open (color)

In this theme we expect very various contents of ideas, that is characteristic for some mainstream of the modern photography artistic production wide world. Generally, we expect photographic works in some major thematic entities:

  • classical landscape in associative and experimental way;
  • colors, shapes, shadows as crucial element of the photography art;
  • portraits, as precious sparkles of the life by all form and entities;
  • photography works with some interesting details in the contest and crucial meaning of it;
  • creative photographic research, as struggle for identity, spiritual an emotional space, creating the new document and sensibility of present time;
  • macro and micro world that surrounding us, but stays invisible for many of us;
  • photography that shows everyday reality of life, with specific moments of transience of human being. Logical connection between ambient and life in this ambient;
  • all living world in all theirs aspects and phenomenons of many different shapes of life

4) Open (monochrome)

In this theme, in genre meaning we expect, almost all as in the OPEN color theme, but given as a granted gift in monochromatic artistic frameworks. That is especially sensitive expressiveness and specific culture of the photography with admixture of nostalgia and patina that is tightly connected with pioneer period of photography art. That kind of photography is very often synonyms area simply called – LIFE.

FIAP Definitions of Black and white photography (Monochrome):
A black and white image containing various shades of grey from black to white is considered to be monochrome w. A black & white work toned entirely in a single color will remain a monochrome work able to stand in the black & white category; such a work may be reproduced in black & white in the catalog. On the other hand a black and white work modified by partial toning or by the addition of one color becomes a color work (polychrome) to stand in the color category.

PSA Definitions of Black and white photography (Monochrome):
A monochrome print is defined as having no more than one color, but may be any single color.