Digital Competition #3
"Nature" (restricted to wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects & fish)
Images Due August 10, 2025, by 9 PM. (Note: Deadline moved up from Midnight)
Results presented to the Club on September 9th.
The most important part of a Nature image is the nature telling a STORY.
Nature editing guidelines:
"Nature" (restricted to wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects & fish)
Images Due August 10, 2025, by 9 PM. (Note: Deadline moved up from Midnight)
Results presented to the Club on September 9th.
The most important part of a Nature image is the nature telling a STORY.
Nature editing guidelines:
- Zoo animals are included as part of the Nature category which allows captive animals.
Feral animals such as mustang horses and razorback hogs are not eligible under PSA Nature definitions; nor are domesticated farm animals and pets. - Removing, adding to, moving, or changing any part of an image is not allowed.
- Evidence of the “hand of man” is not permitted EXCEPT for example, devices such as banding or radio collars, and man-made materials in nests.
- Cropping and straightening ARE permitted.
- Global and targeted adjustments such as adjusting white balance, contrast, hue, saturation, etc. ARE permitted.
- Removal of sensor dust spots, noise, chromatic aberrations, halos ARE permitted.
- Vignettes applied in post processing are NOT permitted.
- Blurring and darkening to hide elements is NOT permitted.
- This is nature so your image must appear natural.
From PSA Judge Kurtis Sutley:
Kurtis recently judged a PSA Nature Competition and sent us some helpful “judge perspective” information.
Kurtis recently judged a PSA Nature Competition and sent us some helpful “judge perspective” information.
- It can’t be over emphasized enough that the judge must be able to look at the image and see the story the photographer is trying to tell.
- The subject of the photograph must be apparent, and it must be doing something to indicate the story. For example, a bird sitting on a fence post vs. a bird coming in for a landing on a fence post. Even better would be two or more subjects interacting with each other.
- It is important that the photo tell the story. Something should be happening, or apparent something is about to happen. (After hundreds of years, people are still wondering about Mona Lisa’s smile.)
- The title cannot be relied on to tell the story, (e.g., the image should stand alone without any help from a title).
- Cropping of an image is allowed. This can be used to remove peripheral distractions, or unneeded excess empty space, to focus the image on the story being told.
