General
Contestants will submit up to three photographs that best represents the use of high dynamic range (HDR) photography. If there is more than three photographs from a single WeArePhotographers membership account, then the first three will be used and the rest will be voided. There is no entry fee. The prize, as described below will be provided by Photomatix. Employees of WeArePhotographers.com or HDRSoft are not eligible for prizes. The competition will run from Oct 29, 2009 until Nov. 6, 2009.
Who May Enter
The competition is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia. The competition is void, where prohibited.
Entering the Competition
To enter the competition, visit our web site, www.WeArePhotographers.com, register as a member and upload your entry into the member's photo area. The caption in the body field must have "HDR Photography Competition". Only JPEG (.jpg) digital images will be accepted. All digital files must less than 800K and 1,024 pixels on their longest side. The photograph must have used an HDR technique. No nude images will be accepted. All photographs must be received by 11:59pm PT, Nov. 6, 2009.
Model Releases will be required for any person appearing in any photograph under the age of majority in their state, signed by their parent or legal guardian. Competition entrants are responsible for complying with the rules in this document.
Competition Prizes
The winner will receive a single license for Photomatix Pro Plus. This license is good for any of Photomatix products, including Photomatix Pro and the Plugins. The license must be redeemed within 90 days.
Judging Criteria
The best use of HDR technique to create a photograph that illustrates the following:
Story Telling is where a photograph, absent any captions, is able to describe an actual story or elicit the viewer into creating a story about the photo through the viewer's imagination.
Emotional Impact within a photograph is the ability to move the viewer at the deepest levels.
Originality is the photograph’s ability to show mundane or familiar things in life in a new and innovative manner.
Technical Excellence is where the photograph was taken with complete perfection from a standpoint of technical elements, such as composition, color, exposure, focus, etc.
Visual Balance is where the overall impact of the photograph matches the subject and “makes sense”. It is where breaking the conventional photography rules leads to a better photograph.
Competition Judging
The competition judging will be done in two rounds of evaluation. In round one, our judge’s panel of photographic experts will select ten (10) finalist entries. The entries selected in round one will proceed to round two. In round two, the judges will collectively select a winning photograph. There will be no ties. The winner will be chosen on or around November 10, 2009, and notified by email no later than November 15, 2009. The winner’s names and their picture will be available for viewing on the web site no later than November 15, 2009. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.
Judges
The judges for this competition will be include Gary Fong, Genesis Photo Agency, former Dir. Of Photography, SF Chronicle, Pulitzer Prize Jurist, Photography, and Craig Lee, an industry renowned, award-winning photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Lee has been developing a reputation for his simple lighting techniques, more recently specializing in Food Photography.
License
By entering the competition, all entrants grant an irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive license to WeArePhotographers.com or their assignees, to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entries (along with name credit) in connection with future competitions and promotion of future competitions and our web site. None of the photographs entered in the competition will be sold or distributed to a third party without the written consent of the entrant and completion of an agreement for royalty payments to the entrant.
Limitation of Liability
By entering this competition, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless WeArePhotographers.com and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this competition or any competition-related activities.
