The second BPS competition and critique for this year will be held on June 24, 2024. Submission deadline is Sunday night, June 9, 2024 at 12 MN. This deadline is close. Submit now. This will be a recorded, hybrid meeting using Zoom for those who decide not to join us at the GoggleWorks. Every member is encouraged to participate. The goal of our competitions is to make these sessions learning experiences for everyone, the submitters and the observers. Hopefully, this will lead to improved photographic outcomes down the road. This is accomplished by having highly qualified judges who do thoughtful and constructive critiques of the submissions and give actionable recommendations.
“Anything Goes” is the theme for this event in both nature and pictorial. This theme was used in 2023 but is being repeated. The reason for this is to allow our creative expressions to go all out again. Here is the chance to shine. This is the session to showcase abstract images, multiple exposures, intentional camera movement, Photoshop manipulation or even straight forward, representational imagery, if desired. Any type of image, genre or creative process works as long as all of the elements originate entirely within a camera. To be specific, no AI generative fill elements are allowed in any BPS competition. The maker will need to differentiate between Pictorial and Nature subject matter as the core basis of their images since this could be difficult to discern from the final result.
The BPS competition rules were revised and given BPS Board approval on May 8, 2023 and some slight procedural changes were made this year. Everyone should review the latest rules and the details for entry as found HERE or refer to the BPS website for details under the “Competition” header. This document will give you the naming guidelines and the sizing criteria along with a lot more information. Ginnie has created a guideline for image sizing – check it out HERE. Please, please do your best to get this process correct. Carefully review your files before your submission. There continue to be a significant number of errors which creates a large amount of unnecessary work on my part.
For competitions, BPS members are divided into Class A (advanced) and Class B groups. Generally, all new members are in Class B. If you feel that your photographic images and skill level are indeed “advanced” then please email Vince Pellegrini at Vince.Pellegrini@
For submission, there are 4 links to 4 separate directories in the Club’s SmugMug account to upload images into, depending on the photographer’s Class (A or B) and the image Category (Pictorial=P or Nature=N). This will then automatically separate the image files appropriately on the receiving end.
Class A photographers use these 2 links to upload files once they are sized and named correctly:
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Pictorial (P): https://www.smugmug.com/
upload/r5ZTvq/ClassAPictorial -
Nature (N): https://www.smugmug.com/
upload/BkRVbG/ClassANature
Class B photographers use these 2 links to upload files:
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Pictorial (P): https://www.smugmug.com/
upload/f7pVTw/ClassBPictorial -
Nature (N): https://www.smugmug.com/
upload/F5hJxr/ClassBNature
If you have questions or need help, please email Vince before submitting at Vince.Pellegrini@
Submission of an image for any BPS competition indicates agreement of the maker to allow BPS to post the image in the BPS Newsletter and online via the BPS website and BPS YouTube channel.
Carl Finkbeiner will be the judge for this competition. Carl is a professional photographer in the Philadelphia area, offering fine art photographs, artifact photography services for curators and makers, as well as photography instruction. After a 45 year career in a highly rational/analytical profession – statistical sciences – he left the business world in 2015 and pursued his lifelong passion for photography in earnest. Carl earned the Contemporary Practices Photography Certificate from the Tilt Institute in Philadelphia, then worked in event and portrait photography, exhibited his own work, taught photography composition and editing, and is the Photographer at the Rose Valley Museum, shooting the collection as well as events and marketing material.
Carl is an instructor with the Digital Photo Academy which offers a range of on-line courses and services as well as over 200 in the field sessions around the world through 124 instructors. Carl’s own business is Deliberate Light Photography. Carl can be found on Instagram and Facebook: @carlfinkbeiner.
The four first place winners of this BPS competition will be posted on the Digital Photo Academy sites.