Guidelines

Photo Review Guidelines

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned photographer, our Photo Reviews offer an invaluable opportunity to:

Highlight Your Images: Share your best shots with fellow club members.
Celebrate & Learn: Discover what resonates and why—it’s not just critique, it’s appreciation.
Grow Your Skills: Gain constructive, actionable advice from both peers and experienced reviewers.
Explore Perspectives: Observe how different people interpret themes and capture the same subject in unique ways.

These sessions are open to all members, regardless of skill level. You’ll enjoy respectful, insightful feedback and a welcoming atmosphere designed to help every photographer master their craft.

What is a competition?

The Saskatoon Photography Club holds fall & winter competitions, Photo Presentation and a Year End Competitions (Traditional Colour, Monochrome, Altered Reality & Portrait). These are judged by professional photographers from our community. Comments and scores are given to the submissions. All current topics included in the brochure.

Year End Categories

Here’s a concise summary for the Year‑End Competitions section, highlighting key categories and the requirement that all submissions must be recent:

Categories include: Traditional (Colour), Black & White / Monochrome, Altered Reality (Creative), and Portrait.
Judged by professionals, with comments and scores provided for each entry.
Prints and digital submissions follow standard size, file, and naming guidelines
All images entered must have been taken within the past two years — ensuring fresh, contemporary work.

Image submissions can be entered in each of the following categories:

Traditional (Colour)

Images depict the subject matter in a realistic, objective manner as seen by the photographer. Images have little post- production other than some cropping, straightening and colour (contrast and saturation) work done to improve the photographic presentation of the subject. Long exposure and minimal (realistic) HDR techniques are accepted in this category. Heavily manipulated images must be entered in the ‘Altered Reality’ category. Think “digital correction” for this category.

Black and White / Monochrome

Images depict the subject matter in a realistic, objective manner as seen by the photographer. By removing the range of colour, an image is left with basic lines, textures and forms. Find a subject that has any or all of these elements as well as good contrast and you will have a great black and white image. For this category, any monochrome image is acceptable – black and white, sepia, blue tone etc. Long exposure techniques are also accepted in this category. Heavily manipulated images must be entered in the ‘Altered Reality’ category.

Altered Reality

Manipulate your own photographs to create surreal, abstract, impressionistic, or unrealistic images. Experiment with either in-camera or post processing software using special effects, montages, collages, composites, heavy HDR, or any other technique. There is no limit to what you can do! Be creative, but at the same time try to make your image look less like it might belong in the Traditional category. If you think in terms of “artistic” – that’s the image we’re looking for. Think “digital manipulation – creating art” for this category.

Portrait

An image featuring one or more people as the primary subject—expressing personality, mood, character, or story through pose, expression, composition, and lighting.

Print Submissions

Must be taken by the entrant.

Entries must be submitted on the designated date set out in the Club Calendar.

Digital copies must be sent online via our Submissions Page in order for them to be critiqued. If a digital copy is not sent, the print image will not be critiqued.

Guidelines

All prints are brought to the year end judging night in person and you will be responsible for taking it home at the end of the night
Preferred size is a maximum of 36″ Long (for ease of handling and judging)
Any medium is accepted (framed print, matted print, metal print, canvas, etc)
Show your best work, not just the image but how you present it too!

Label on Back

Name of Entrant
Title
Category: Traditional (Color), Black and White, Altered Reality (Creative)
Competition Title
Date of Competition

Click here download a PDF of the labels

Digital Image Submissions

Image Preparation & Requirements

The Print and Slide/Digital Committees will interpret and apply these rules at each club competition and have the right to reject any entry not properly presented or labeled.

File Type

Images must be submitted as JPEGs. Mac users must add .jpg or .jpeg extension.

Method of Submission

Images can be uploaded via our Submissions Page no later than 10pm on the submission deadline date.

Remember that only club members can submit to any club competitions.

Upload your submissions to our Submission Page

File Requirements

We strongly recommend that you send us your full resolution photo.

Images must be in the proper orientation for viewing when projected.

Images do not have to have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

We do not limit the file sizes when submitting

Minimum File Requirements for our Projector

The optimal viewing area is 1280 x 800 (width x height) per image

Vertical images have a minimum height of 800 pixels tall.

sRGB

Image submitted smaller than these resolutions will be shown at their submitted dimensions

Year-end Presentation Submissions

Guidelines

Use any style for your presentation (travelogue, photo essay, multi-projector)

Digital presentation – Video format preferred but can be PowerPoint

Recommended 4-6 minutes.

Digital projector resolution: 1280 x 800 (Shows can also be viewed at 1024 x 768)

Digital Images: 72 dpi minimum

Narration or music recommended