2025 Annual Photo Challenge
Mastery of Light Photography
Scope of Competition
Light is the essence of photography, shaping our perception and influencing the mood and narrative of an image. Our competition invites photographers of all backgrounds to reveal the stunning interplay between light and shadow.
Submit an image that conveys your unique perspective. Develop imaginative compositions that creative shapes with light and shadows. Capture kinetic motion in suspenseful action shots, craft intimate narratives with subtle light cues, or reveal breathtaking landscapes and cityscapes awakened by dawn’s glow. Feel free to experiment with techniques like rim lighting and light painting to showcase your technical artistry and unleash your creativity.
The competition is open to all paid-up individual/family CAPA members and Life Members.
Images depicting individuals experiencing homelessness, infirmity, or people in crisis will not be accepted. We consider the exploitation of the misfortune and suffering of others for the sake photography demonstrates a disregard for the well-being of our fellow individuals.
For this competition, an entrant can submit a maximum of four images. However, a maximum of two images can be entered in each theme.
Only for this competition – CAPA Medals will be awarded for each theme.
Competition Process
Competition Coordinator – Sheldon Boles – CAPA Director of Competitions: competitions@capacanada.ca
Questions about the scope of the competition and/or the editing criteria should be directed to the Coordinator well in advance of the closing day of the competition.
Closing Date of Competition – May 15, 2025 at midnight Standard Time (Ontario).
Check out our – How To Upload Images To CAPA Competition here.
Special Note : Following a period of 2 weeks after the competition’s closing date, you can access the final competition report by logging into the CAPA website and navigating to the ‘Competition Reports’ under the ‘Competitions’ dropdown menu.
Competition Details (click arrow for more details)
Themes
Submitted image must fall within one of the following themes:
- Contrasts of Light and Shadow – emphasize the interplay between light and shadow as a primary theme. Photographers are encouraged to explore how contrasting elements create depth, drama, and visual interest. This inclusive theme allows for a broad interpretation, from striking portraits to landscapes defined within sunlight and shadows.
- Golden Hour Magic – focus on the magical and transformative qualities of the golden hour – that special time shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the sunlight bathes everything in warm, soft hues. Photographers are challenged to harness this light to create enchanting scenes.
A diverse range of subjects is welcome from portraits to landscapes, all images which highlight the beauty of this specific time.
Editing Criteria
- Eligibility Criteria – Prior to submitting any photo in a CAPA competition, all entrants must first read the CAPA Eligibility Criteria relating to images submissions. – READ ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA HERE
- Permitted Editing Techniques:
All In-Camera Techniques: Any adjustments made directly within the camera during image capture.
On-Camera Techniques: Utilizing on-camera features and settings for image enhancements.
Post-Processing Techniques: Editing the image using post-processing software.
Sky Replacement: Sky replacement is permitted, but the replacement sky must have been captured by the same photographer submitting the image into the competition.
Triptychs (an image of three (3) separated images contained in a single image) are permitted in this competition.
Artificial Features Permitted: As of March 10, 2024, the following is a list of machine learning AI features which are permitted for use in this photo competitions:
- Luminar Neo includes tools like AI Structure, AI Sky Replacement, AI Skin Enhancer, and more that utilize machine learning algorithms to automate and enhance photo editing tasks.
- ON1 Photo RAW includes tools like AI Auto Enhance, AI Match Batch Processing, and AI No-Noise AI which aim to streamline photo editing workflows.
- DxO PhotoLab includes DeepPRIME AI technology for tasks like denoising, sharpening, and PRIME deblurring powered by machine learning.
- Topaz Labs AI includes Gigapixel AI for upscaling images, DeNoise AI, and Sharpen AI leveraging deep learning models.
- Editing Techniques Not Permitted:
Images without Photographic Origin: Images that are entirely generated electronically with no photographic origin.
Frames, Borders, Pin-lines, and Mats: Photograph must not contain any decorative elements like frames, borders, pin-lines, or mats. This includes the edges and markings of scanned film. When the frame is integral to the captured image, for instance a window frame or door frame that has been captured by the camera, these elements are permitted.
Artificial Intelligence Renderings: Images that have been created or modified using specific AI generative techniques: in-painting(where AI fills in generated elements not captured by the photographer or where AI removes elements from a photograph and replaces these elements with AI generated element); or out-painting (where the AI extends beyond the original boundaries of the image captured by the photographer using generated elements). Whether with or without text prompts, these are not permitted for submission into a CAPA competitions.
We encourage you to review our “”October 1, 2024 – Updated CAPA Stance on AI-Generated Images in Photographic Competitions” (English) (French).”
For all submitted images, the photographer must preserve intact with no alternations, the original metadata (EXIF) of images. It is recommended that photographers leave the metadata in submitted image files intact in order to ease the analysis of potential winning images.
The Director of Competitions will request and receive the original un-retouched JPEG or RAW file for a potential winning image in a competition for the purposes of image verification and authentication of competition compliance.
Upon notification that their image is a potential winning entry, photographers may be required by the Director of Competitions to submit all original images, such as unretouched JPG or RAW files, along with other image files that were integrated into the submitted image.
Failure to comply with the Director’s request for image files will result in the potential winning image being withdrawn from the competition and the competition results will be re-sorted.
These requirements aim to ensure transparency and verify adherence to the competition’s specifications regarding image authenticity and compliance with the editing criteria.
– Colour images
– Black & White images
– Colour images converted to black & white
– Infrared images which can contain a range of colours beyond black & white
Image Specifications
Title of Image
When images are uploaded into a competition, you are required to enter the title of your image into the Title Field. Title can be in either English or French or both.
Do Not: enter your name, the name of the photographer or the club name in the Title Field (that is for the Title of the image)
Do Not: include punctuation or symbols (such as / –_ , ; : ‘’ “” ! ? & $%*{} [ ] @ # &) or quotation marks in the Title of your image.
The Image Title should be simple, and introduce or set the mood or perspective for your image. For example: Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset
A weak image title, such as ‘pretty flower,’ will fail to stimulate the judge’s interest in the image and may result in a lower score than expected.
Image File Name
The image file name that you create prior to uploading into this competition should also be simple, and could be the same as the Image Title. For example: John Snow-Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset
Image Size – Dimensions
You must ensure your image is re-sized to meet the following two parameters:
- Saved as a jpg image with a maximum file size of 1.8 MB.
- Dimensions: Maximum horizontal size: 1400 pixels and maximum vertical size: 1050 pixels.
Example of Image Sizing – Double-click to view image
Note: Images smaller than the maximum dimensions will ONLY be accepted when one of the image edges has a horizontal size is 1400 pixels or the vertical size is 1050 pixels. For example: square image – 1050 x 1050 pixels; 1400 x 800 pixels; or 700 x 1050 pixels.
Note: Images will NOT be rotated by the judges and will scored as submitted.
During the uploading process of your image, our online competition system will verify if the image is less than 1.8 MB and meets the two parameters.
If your image fails this verification process, you will receive an error message and it will appear below the upload image box.
Depending on the error message – you will need to either reduce the file size of the image to be 1.8 MB or less or re-size the dimensions of your image. After doing so, please re-try uploading your image.
Suggestions – Use sRGB colour space for your image. For colour accuracy: we strongly recommend that you calibrate your monitor to ensure colour accuracy from your monitor to the image projected to the judges.
Judging Criteria
- An Image’s title may be used by the judges in evaluating a submission, so entrants should take care in selecting a title that complements or contributes to the vision or message being presented in the image.
- The judges will assign scores primarily based on the ‘emotional’ components of the image, considering values such as creativity and emotional impact. Secondary emphasis will be place on the ‘technical’ aspects, followed by considerations of the ‘composition.’
- Technical and Organizational factors, such as exposure, sharpness, focus, space, and composition, will be taken into account solely to the degree they do or do not support or reinforce the creative vision and storytelling. Images will not be penalized in scoring for so-called technical rule infractions, such as focus, if that is immaterial to the creative vision and storytelling.
- Likewise, judges take into consideration in their scoring the degree to which the entrant’s use of techniques such as colour, monochrome, duo and multi-tone, contributes to or supports the creative vision and the story telling value of the image.