challenge - Algarve Photographers Group

Challenge – “Night & Nightscapes” Dec 24

The Online Challenge brief for December is as follows:

Theme – Night & Nightscapes

This challenge may present some challenges for some but it is still worthwhile getting out there and having a go at it. By Definition: a view of an area at night. For example, “As dusk falls, a glittering array of nightclubs and casinos add their names to the town’s neon nightscape”. Hopefully, that paints a picture in your mind and gives you some inspiration.

This Theme also has “Night” which can also be used as a guide for your images. Night refers to the time of day between sunset and sunrise. The word night can also refer to the darkness that accompanies this period.

In both cases, your image will most likely be taken with low lighting meaning that long exposure will very much come into play and the use of a tripod or an alternative way of keeping your camera steady (unless you’re going off-piste and getting arty!).

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Nightscopes-Neon lights-joe-blogs.jpg
AND MAKE SURE YOUR IMAGES HAVE THE TITLE IN IT WHEN YOU SEND IT. (NOT THE CAMERA NUMBER, OR CAMERA BRAND!!)

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 17th December 2024

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Nightscapes

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 27th of December 2024

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – “Food” Oct 24

The Online Challenge brief for October is as follows:

Theme – Food

Yes, this theme is extremely broad so there is no reason why we should have a lack of submissions entered. It is a theme that everyone can relate to as we all do it every day. However, how you decide to represent “Food” is down to you. The golden rule for food photography is “Does the image make me want to eat it”?
If the answer to that question is “Yes”, then you are cooking on the correct gas mark. Food photography is a genre of photography that focuses on capturing beautiful, mouth-watering images of food.

Take into consideration the following points:

Styling and Composition
Formatting (Colours in specific that positively represent the food).
Angles (45, 90 degrees)
Action Shots (Indulge the viewer to make them feel as if they are right there).
Props – The fun little extras make food styling so much fun. Pretty dishes, colourful textiles, or vintage silverware. Distressed wood pieces, white plates and bowls, or granite countertops.

Ready Steady…Off you go!

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Food–victoria sponge-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 22nd October 2024

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Food Challenge

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 25th of October 2024

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – “Travel & Holidays” Aug 24

The Online Challenge brief for August is as follows:

Theme – Travel & Holidays

This challenge may very well create a few confrontations when it comes to defining the theme. What is travel and what are holidays? Maybe you have never stopped to think about these two words and consider their meaning. But it’s an interesting task and very often one overlooks the other. And to take photos of things that portray one or the other we need to look at both of them first and see what the difference is.

Travel is what you do to go on holiday. “go from one place to another, typically over a distance of some length”. Travelling is also something else, Travelling is a challenge. It’s sometimes frustrating, sometimes infuriating. Travelling involves getting outside your comfort zone, taking chances, and taking risks. It isn’t always fun. It isn’t always relaxing. But it is memorable, and very often life-changing.
Holiday is by definition, “an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home and not working”.

So with these now clear we can conjure up ideas for photos that fit one or the other. How do we travel? What do we do on holiday? Where do we go on holiday?

Go answer those questions with your cameras!

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Travel & Holidays-the beach-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 27th August 2024

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Travel & Holidays

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 30th of August 2024

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – “Abstract” June 24

The Online Challenge brief for June is as follows:

Theme – Abstract

We have had a few ABSTRACT-themed challenges and exhibitions over the years and it’s a subject that never gets old and one that everyone can relate to.

Entries for this theme will depict images that fall under the following description.

Abstract photography, sometimes called non-objective, experimental or conceptual photography, is a means of depicting a visual image that does not have an immediate association with the object world and that has been created through the use of photographic equipment, processes or materials.
A quick test to establish if an image can be considered abstract is; If you look at a photo and there’s a voice inside you that says ‘What is it?’….Then you’re probably looking at an abstract photograph.

Here are a few points you can take into consideration ahead of creating an Abstract photograph.

Key elements of a good Abstract Photo

Simplicity
Composition
Angle of View
Lighting
Harmony
Mystery

Also, for beginners may also like to contemplate these points too:

Start with everyday objects
Use elements of design to your advantage
Go macro
Shoot through objects
Capture motion
Practice the art of subtraction
Customize your lighting
Experiment with different shooting styles
Post-process your images

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Astract-the unknown-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 25th June 2024

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Abstract

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 28th of June 2024

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – Apr 24 “Old & New”

The Online Challenge brief for February is as follows:

Theme – Old & New

Entries for this theme will depict images that fall under the following description.

“New” refers to something recent, just made, or just acquired. It has a connotation of freshness and novelty. “Old,” on the other hand, refers to something that has been in existence or in use for a long time. It has a connotation of history, tradition, and experience. You do not need to encompass both Old & New in the same image but you can if you want to. This is the perfect challenge to get creative!

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events or challenges.
No Limit as to when the photo was taken.
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-first name-last name.jpg” For example Old New-Shiny Rust-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by the Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 23rd April 2024

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images using WeTransfer.com to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Apr24 Challenge

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 26th April 2024

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – Feb 24 “Architectural Photography”

The Online Challenge brief for February is as follows:

Theme – Architectural Photography

Entries for this theme will depict images that fall under the following description.

A challenge for a challenge. Architectural photography is the subgenre of the photography discipline where the primary emphasis is made on capturing photographs of buildings and similar architectural structures that are both aesthetically pleasing and accurate in terms of representations of their subjects. Architectural photographers are usually skilled in the use of specialized techniques and cameras for producing such specialized photography.
For anyone looking to gain some knowhow on this subject please take a look at a Non-Professional point of view: Video
And for some inspiration, this link provides some great shots

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events or challenges.
No Limit as to when the photo was taken.
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Arches-the-the walk-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by the Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 20th February 2024

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images using WeTransfer.com to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Feb24 Challenge

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 23rd Feb 2024

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – “Close Up Insects Etc.”

The Online Challenge brief for December is as follows:

Theme – Close Up of Insects and other small creatures etc.

Entries for this theme will depict images that fall under the following description.

We think that the title really says it all for this theme, don’t you? But nevertheless, it’s still a tricky theme for anyone who has not had the chance or opportunity to take photos of our tiny friends. A few guidelines will be provided for those venturing fro the first time. Watch this space,..

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
No Limit as to when the photo was taken.
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Insects–the-bug-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 26th December 2023

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Close Up Insects

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 29th of December 2023

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – “Long Exposure”

The Online Challenge brief for October is as follows:

Theme – Long Exposure

Entries for this theme will depict images that fall under the following description.

To define the theme, Long-exposure photography is a technique that involves capturing a single image over an extended period of time. By dialling in a shutter speed that lasts 1/30s, 1s, 10s, or even an hour, it’s possible to render moving subjects as beautiful blurs while keeping stationary subjects tack-sharp. Although it may sound complex, the theory behind long-exposure images is actually fairly simple. By controlling the amount of time the camera sensor “views” the scene, stationary subjects remain the same irrespective of the shutter speed, while subjects in motion start to reveal more movement as the exposure time increases. This enables us to create a wonderful contrast between sharpness and blur, producing images that overflow with senses of dreams and reality combined.

Watch out for more infomration about the scheduling of a workshop on this topic.

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
2-year rule does NOT apply
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Long Exposure-extended-colours-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 24th October 2023

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Long Exposure

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 27th of October 2023

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – “Interesting Doors”

The Online Challenge brief for August is as follows:

Theme – Interesting Doors

Entries for this theme will depict images that fall under the following description.

Firstly, the image will contain the whole door/doorway, not just a part of the door. The theme is Interesting Doors not interesting parts of a door, there fore we want to see ALL of the door. Other than that key observation, the rest is up to you. Doors can be of any material, Open, Closed etc. But we’ve put together a few tips that you might want to use when out taking photos of doors.

Point of View
Take a few steps back and use a lens with a longer focal length. Too many folks get way too close to the subject and use a wide-angle lens to capture the entire door. The issue in this case is distortion caused by the wide angle, which needs to be corrected. Shooting from across a road using a slightly longer lens is much better. There is much less distortion and it helps you better frame the image.
Framing of image
Frame your image very carefully. ask yourself, “Why are you interested in this door? Is it the door or is it the setting of the door? Could including some of the surrounding wall provide more context and add to the story? You may find that the door itself has little interest but set in its surroundings, it becomes much more interesting. Framing your image to crop out the surroundings may produce a much less interesting image. That said, more is always better and you can still crop the surrounding elements out in post-production if you wish.
Lighting is Everything
Work in the best light for the door’s location. Shooting doorways in bright conditions is often tempting and often the case, but direct light will cause you a problem. Doors tend to be set back in their frames which then cast shadows. Our eyes may see easily into these shadows, but the camera’s exposure system won’t. The result can be dark ugly shadows that diminish the image. Quite often having the door in the shade or shooting on a cloudy, overcast day will produce better results.
Shoot RAW
Shoot with the camera in RAW format. If you do find you need to shoot a door with bright light falling on it, if you shoot in RAW format you will have more flexibility to control the highlights and shadows.
Camera Position
Keep your camera upright. It can be easy to tilt your camera slightly when shooting a door in order to frame the image. Try to avoid this and instead keep the back of the camera parallel to the door. When you tilt the camera you introduce distortion and convergence where the sides of the doors will slope inwards. Use a tripod if you don’t have a steady hand, but you know this already.
Lens Aperture
Select a mid-range aperture. If you’re shooting with a full-frame camera, f/8.0 to f/12.0 will normally be right. It’s very easy to have too little depth of field and end up with soft edges, especially if you tilt the camera slightly.
Story Telling
Try to suggest a story with your image. Doors are the barrier between two worlds. There is the outside world that you are part of and there is the world inside which can’t be seen but which you might be able to hint at it. Photographing a door that’s open and allows a glimpse of this other world can send a powerful message.

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
2-year does NOT apply
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-first name-lastname.jpg” For example Interesting-Doors-Come-in-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 22nd August 2023

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Interesting Doors

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 25th of August 2023

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Challenge – “Street Art”

The Online Challenge brief for June is as follows:

Theme – Street Art

Entries for this theme will depict images that fall under the following description.

Street Art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms “independent art”, “post-graffiti” or “neo-graffiti”.

Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graffiti into a more commercial form of art, as one of the main differences now lies with the messaging it normally portrays. Street art is often meant to provoke thought rather than rejection among the general audience by making its purpose more evident than that of graffiti. The issue of permission has also come at the heart of street art, as graffiti is usually done illegally, whereas street art can nowadays be the product of an agreement or even sometimes a commission.

Street art is normally vibrant with colour but some artworks may also look just as good if portrayed in black and white, this is something that you’ll have to decide for yourself. When taking photos of street art. you’ll normally find that good examples are often in busy places (more people passing by means more exposure), so when you take your photo, be patient or even find a way of incorporating that into your image.
Also, be sure to give yourself time to explore various angles and points of view for your shot and at different times of day may also be worthwhile thinking about.

Rules

Photos must be your work and not previously exhibited or displayed in APG events.
2-year rule applies
Photos can be colour, black & white or any monochrome colour.
Photos must be at least 1800px on the longest edge and can be in Landscape or Portrait formats.
Maximum of Two Images per Member.
Entitle your image “Exhibition-name-image-title-firstname-lastname.jpg” For example Street Art-coloured bricks-joe-blogs.jpg

Order of Merit

All Images Submitted for this Challenge will accrue (1 – One) Merit point each.
The top 3 images (selected by Guest Judge) will accrue (5 – Five) Merit Points each.

Deadline for Entries

The deadline for entries is 17:00 on Tuesday 27rd June 2023

How to Submit your Entries

Please send your images to the following e-mail “membership(at)algarvephotographersgroup.org”
with the Subject: Abstract

Exhibition Go-Live

The Online Gallery will be published at 19:00 on Friday 30th of June 2023

We look forward to seeing your entries.