The CAPA Fall Round upload form is now active.

September 20 is the PGNS upload deadline for entries for the Fall CAPA Interclub competition where we will be selecting images to go away to represent our club in the Nature, Open and CAPA theme categories.

It is important to note that CAPA’s definitions and eligibility criteria can be different from PSA so please take note of the following differences.

For all CAPA competition Categories:

• Horizontal images must be exactly 1400 pixels wide.
• Vertical images must be exactly 1050 pixels high.
• Otherwise the image will not load on CAPA’s upload page.

It is equally important to pay attention to the different editing requirements as CAPA will disqualify images that do not meet the criteria. They are being very diligent in ensuring that there is a fair playing field for all and that everyone is obeying the rules. There were many instances of disqualified club and individual images last year with no chance to submit a replacement image. Do not submit images in categories if you cannot/are unwilling to meet CAPA’s eligibility requirements.

Ineligible images include:

• Submitting an image or substantially the same image which has previously been recognized as receiving a CAPA award.
• Entering an identical or simultaneously the same images or one that is substantially the same in both the ‘individual‘ and ‘club‘ components of the same CAPA competition.
• For a ‘restricted editing’ criteria competition – CAPA will request and receive the original untouched JPEG or the RAW file for a potential winning image in a competition and this image will be subjected to CAPA’s Image Verification Process. Many images were disqualified last year, when CAPA’s Director of Competitions did not receive the requested file.

Titles can have an impact on the score of an image so chose a title that compliments or conveys the message you want to convey about the image as CAPA judges will take that into consideration. ie. Choose a descriptive title like “Drained of Emotion” or “In A Days Work” rather than one like “SG frog” or “Moto123456”.

1) The first theme, Smartphone- Tablet allows “Open editing” so all types of processing techniques are allowed. All portions of the image must have been photographed by the maker. Digital frame, pin-line, borders and mats are permitted in this competition.

Images in this competition must have been captured using either a Smartphone or a tablet equipped with a camera. External lenses attached to the phone/tablet are permitted, but external devices like a DxO One digital camera is NOT.
A copy of the original captured images along with its metadata (EXIF) must be preserved and available for scrutiny by the CAPA Director of Competitions.

2) The Open category allows “Open editing” so all types of processing techniques (pre and post) are allowed including composites and use of filters. All portions of the image must have been photographed by the maker. Digital frame, pin-line, borders and mats as well as Monochrome, infrared and HDR images are permitted in this competition.

This is one of the categories where CAPA has added “5 subthemes” this year. Images submitted must fit in one of those subthemes: Closeup, Person(s), Natural Landscape, Urban Landscape & Architecture, and Animals/Birds).

CAPA defines these themes as follows:

• Close-up (achieving magnification of a subject by using lens and/or technique – reproduction ratio ranging from 1:10 to just below life size)
• Person(s) (portraiture, candid, documentary)
• Natural Landscape (country side, rural scene, varying terrain, seascape, waterscape, astronomical events, etc… – can include ‘hand-of-man’ and/or long exposure)
• Urban Landscape & Architecture (can include low-light and/or long exposure)
• Animals/Birds (wild or domesticated – ‘hand-of-man’ is permitted)

4) In the Nature category, CAPA is awarding Botany awards for the top 3 Botany images. Continuing the initiative from last year to encourage Botany images, the Executive is holding a Botany competition so that PGNS will send at least one Botany image to CAPA in our Nature submission. The top Botany image will be selected to go away along with the top 5 images from the other Nature subthemes (Nature, Insects/Amphibians/Reptiles, Landscape, Wildlife).

The Nature category has “Restricted Editing” so the RAW/original JPG file must be available as CAPA is being diligent about scrutinizing the image to ensure that all awarded entrants are complying with its restrictions. Do not submit an image to the Nature or Botany competition if you are not able to provide the original file.

Restricted Editing – No techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are permitted. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content, or without altering the content of the original scene, are permitted including HDR, focus stacking and dodging/burning. Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed. Stitched images are not permitted. All allowed adjustments must appear natural. Color images can be converted to grey-scale monochrome. Infrared images, either direct-captures or derivations, are not allowed.

Also be very careful to not include the “hand of man” in your Nature images. Note CAPA considers light pollution, jet streams as hand of man.

This year there will also be 5 subthemes in the Nature category (Botany, Nature, Insects/Reptiles/Amphibians, Landscape and Wildlife).

These definitions are as follows:

• Botanical – subjects such as wild flowers, plants, trees, fungi and algae. Germinated and grown without human assistance.
• Insects, Reptiles & Amphibians – such as: ants, bees, beetles, mosquitos, crocodile. Images can be taken in the wild or in a zoo-like setting but “no hand of man” should be in the image.
• Nature – subjects such as animals, birds, insects, reptiles and marine subjects – under the control and feeding of humans if not obvious – such as zoos, game farms, animal preserves, aquarium, etc… (no feral or domesticated animals)
• Landscape – subjects such as weather phenomena, geological formations, landscapes, seascapes and natural phenomena, planets, stars and astronomical events – no hand of man.
• Wildlife – ONLY living and untamed mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and marine subjects – no hand of man.

Note: Lack of Hand-of-man – is the devoid of all human elements and impacts of human activities.

The following are examples ‘hand-of-man:’

• Human – body or portions there of.
• Sky – cables, telephone/power lines, jet streams, aircraft, light pollution, artificial light, etc…
• man-made structures or paths, concrete, man-made stone, telephone poles, fences, posts, domesticated or cultivated plants/food, cut grass, organized or systematic laying out of planted trees, etc…
• Elements – cut trees or branches or stems, tree stumps, man-made food, objects or background, etc…
• Sea – boats, ships, piers, docks, posts in the water, etc…

CAPA has included a summary checklist to help you with what techniques and modifications are allowed in the Nature category.

Looking forward to seeing you and your images!

Joyce