How To Win a Photo Contest

Photo contests are often an expression of an artist’s perspectives. If you think you take beautiful photos but never get short-listed in any of the contests you join, it is time to evaluate why. Your photos may be beautiful, but run through this checklist of things to remember when entering a photo contest:

Be sure you read the instructions carefully.
Contests have rules that you should follow and you should do just that. Know the ropes around the contest. If they require you to submit only one photograph, choose the best among your shots and submit only one. If they require you to submit one at a time, you should follow that rule. Most of the time photo contests enthusiasts find themselves regretful that their best photo did not make it through the submission, all because they did not read the contest rules.

Submit your best photograph first before submitting another one.
In any case the contest allows multiple entries, always submit your best photo before following it up with your second and third best. The first photo always gets the attention.

Always make it sharp.
Blurry pictures are always the first ones to get eliminated. Unless you have blur effects on some of the objects, which should be used with caution, blur should be literally avoided. You should have a camera that can shoot moving objects or can hold the picture even if your hands are shaky.

Decent exposure.
Some images may appear darker or lighter in some computers. The right thing to do is to calibrate your monitor to the right contrast, brightness and color. You can adjust this by calibrating it with Adobe gamma. It will help you adjust the intensity of your monitor to the most acceptable settings to most computers.

Know Adobe Photoshop.
Sometimes when the photograph appears blurry you can adjust this in this software. Discover how you can use the “Unsharp mask” or the “Smart sharper” features in Photoshop. It will greatly improve the sharpness of your photo.

Do not overly compress a jpeg or image file.
When you compress your file, the resolution is affected. If you compress it into a very small file size, you will find that when you magnify it into its actual pixels, it becomes too small.

Always be creative or artistic.
In the judging panel, they always ask three questions:

• Does the photographer have an artistic eye?
• Does he notice the very unusual and unnoticed objects and be able to create a subject out of it?
• What techniques did the photographer use to make an interesting effect?

Do not forget to name and describe your photo.
Your description can better give the judges an in-depth understanding of what your subject is all about. Be specific and direct to the point. Avoid using misleading terms or double meaning terms.

Be aware of the past winners.
If a photographer seems to be winning most of the time, study his photos well. Keep track on what stands out in his photos. Do not, by all means, imitate his technique but find a unique way to branch out an improved version.

Photo contests mostly look for creative, beautiful and truthful images like photos that can signify something deeper. If you enter these contests, remember that it is your expression that can win you this. If you follow their rules and keep your lens sharp, you will get a good chance of winning.