Community
Franklin’s Frames and Art is proud to once again host a fundraiser for the Oaken Acres Wildlife Rehab Center. Information for the 2011 Photo Contest is below. If you have any questions about the competition please call the shop during businss hours.
Entry Information for the 2011 Oaken Acres Photo Contest
There will be two categories, youth (ages 5-14) and adult. Youth entry fee is $5.00 per photo and an adult entry fee is $10.00 per photo. There will be a limit of five entries per person.
All entries, in both categories, must meet the following criteria in order to be accepted by the judges. No work will be accepted after Thursday, June 30th.
Subject: This year’s emphasis is on SIZE. We would like the subject, be it animal, reptile, insect, or bird, to be not larger than eight inches across (horizontal and/or vertical) – the span from finger to thumb of the average hand. The subject must be a wild creature native to Illinois in a natural setting – not domesticated or living in a domesticated condition (kept as a pet).
Submission: Entries can be submitted by mail or delivered in person. They may be on a CD or flash drive (180 ppi, TIFF or JPEG) or a printed proof, to Franklin’s Frames and Art*, 423 N. Main St. 4E, Sycamore, IL, 60178. Your name, age category, phone number, e-mail address, and home mailing address should be enclosed or, in the case of prints, attached to the back of the print. If your work is not accepted as a finalist in the show, please make plans to pick it up at your convenience but no later than August 27th.
Accepted work: This is a juried art show. Photographers whose photos are accepted for display in the show will be notified by e-mail or by phone during the week of July 4th. Accepted photos must be delivered to Franklin’s no later than Thursday, July 14th. The show begins July 16th and runs through August 13th. An awards reception will be held at Franklin’s on August 13th at 2:00. All photos accepted for the show should be picked up between August 16th and August 27th. No work will be returned by mail or kept after Saturday, August 27th unless specific accommodations have been made.
Display criteria: The finished displayed print cannot be larger than 13 x 19. All work must be dry mounted on foam board or mat board. Photographs may be matted but once again the outside dimensions of any submission cannot exceed 13 x 19. Images should not be framed.
Judging: Three local photographers have volunteered to judge the show for the monetary “Best of Show” awards (first place - $75.00, second place - $50.00, third place $25.00) A “Viewer’s Choice” award will also be present during the reception.
Important Dates June 30th – last day to submit photos to be judged
The week of July 4th – notification by gallery of accepted work
July 14th – deadline for gallery delivery
July 16th – August 13th - gallery showing
August 13th – reception / awards
August 16th – August 27th – photos may be picked up at gallery
Judging criteria
Sharpness of image – depth of field & center of focus: Depth of field is the region of the photograph that is or is not sharp/in focus. Center of focus is the specific point/area that has been selected to be sharp.
Quality of print – paper & cleanliness: Paper selection can be as simple as glossy, luster or matte, but can become much more complex when professional papers/finishes are discussed. Cleanliness, in the era of film, had to do with dust or scratches on the negative which would appear on the print. In digital technology, a clean print has no defects or “noise” on the print and has little pixel deterioration.
Composition – cropping, flow & design: Cropping is the area selected to be within the photograph and the area excluded. Flow is movement. Every picture has a flow pattern. When a person views an image what is the first element in the image that is seen.
Light—color, shade, contrast, brightness: Color should be in balance with the natural elements of the photograph. Shade is the lightness/darkness of color. Contrast is gray range that appears between the highlights and the shadows. Brightness is the overall lightness or darkness of the image.
Subject & setting – Subject is the specific element that the photo centers upon. Setting is the background, the environment surrounding the subject.
Visual impact – strength: Strength is the impact, the power of the bond between image and viewer. Of all the critique criteria strength is perhaps the most important and the most difficult to determine because it is also the most personal. It is a combination of all the above critique criteria. Strength determines if an image is remembered or forgotten.