2009 OHS Photographic Competition

Theme: Emphasis on the National Capital Region

Taking over from Angela Snowdon as Convenor: Deborah McPhedran, sci-tech(-at-)sympatico.ca.

Class

1. “Up Close and Personal.” Close-up photos of spring or summer flowers. Location: open.

2. “Flora and Fauna.” Photos involving animals, birds, and insects as part of the gardenscape. Location: open.

3. “Voluptuous Vistas.” Photos of beds, borders, colourful drifts, and masses of mixed plantings. Location: private gardens.

4. “Shade Planting.” Photos of shade groupings or individual specimens. Location: Anywhere in the National Capital Region.

5. “Flowering Woodies.” Photos using flowering shrubs, trees, woody climbers, etc. Location: Anywhere in the National Capital Region.

6. “Edibles.” Photos of plants that contain at least one edible plant part. Location: Anywhere in the National Capital Region.

7. “Winter Interest.” Photos of a local winter scene with horticultural interest. Examples: persistent berries on shrubs, sekku (Japanese for “snow blossoms,” blobs of snow retained on branches), ice-glazed blossoms or plants, etc. Location: Anywhere in the National Capital Region.

All entries are to be on photographic-quality paper. Entries received on non- photographic-quality paper will be disqualified. Where the words “print,” entry,” and/or “image” appear, reference is to both film and digital. Only prints will be accepted. It is requested that any slide entries be converted to print format before submission. The year in which the photo was taken does not matter. However, it may not have been entered previously.

There are two components to the voting procedure:

A Judge’s Choice vote, which will be judged first, second, and third in each class for both the best film and/or the best digital print. The overall winner, as voted by the judge, will receive the Photographic Stores Ltd. trophy and a plaque of the winning image as a memento, and will have his or her winning photograph appear on the cover of the 2010 yearbook.

A People’s Choice vote, which will be judged first, second, and third in each class. The overall winner will receive a plaque of the winning image and a $25.00 cash prize. No distinction will be made for film or digital. Voting will take place at the December AGM. The Popular Choice Award, new in 2007 and based on an aggregate of the People’s Choice votes, will also be awarded. The winner will receive a $25.00 cash prize.

All winning photographs will be displayed at the January 2010 meeting, and the names and photographs of all winners will appear on the Society’s website.

The Photographic Stores Ltd. trophy is awarded each year for the image that according to the Judge shows the greatest imaginative quality and technical excellence. The winner in 2008 was Anne Johnston.

General Rules

1. The competition is open to all members of the Ottawa Horticultural Society.

2. A photograph may be entered only once as a print; it does not matter whether it originated on film or digitally.

3. Each competitor can enter a total of six images per class (any combination of film or digital prints).

4. Digital and film entries will be combined.

5. All entries will be returned in February of 2010, after the award presentations at the January 2010 meeting.

6. Photographs will be judged on their horticultural merit (40%), their photographic impact (40%), and subject interest (20%). Please note that “photographic impact” includes an assessment of the technical quality of the print e.g., with respect to colour reproduction or other physical elements in the preparation of the print. Keep this in mind especially when editing and/or printing digital images at home. Also note that “horticultural merit” may be taken into consideration in instances where the vote is tied.

7. Entries must be submitted to the competition’s co-ordinator, Deborah McPhedran, or the Society’s secretary on or before the date of the October 2009 OHS meeting.

Rules for Prints

1. Prints must be on photographic paper and be 4” x 6” in size.

2. To allow for an unbiased judgment, we ask that your name appear nowhere on the print. Please submit your photos in an envelope upon which you have clearly printed your name, phone number, and e-mail address, and have indicated whether or not you agree to have your winning photos reproduced (see item 3 below). Please include the word “Class” and the Class number on the back of each print. A competition code will be assigned to each entry in the envelope and will be recorded on the back of the print.

3. Unless you indicate otherwise, by entering the competition you agree that your name and scanned images of your winning photos may be reproduced in the OHS yearbook or newsletter and/or displayed on the OHS website.

4. If possible, please provide the names and cultivars of the plants in each photo, and indicate the location in which the photograph was taken.

5. Please place a small arrow on the back of each photo to indicate which way is up.

6. For our records, please enter the word “digital” or “film” on the back of all photos.

Viewing of all photographs, and the People’s Choice voting procedure, will take place at the Annual General Meeting in December 2009. The announcement of the winners in all classes, as determined by the judge, plus the results of the People’s Choice and Popular Choice awards, will take place at the January 2010 meeting.