Deadline: Check with your County Extension Agent. Deadlines vary by county.
County entries will be submitted by a method set by your County Extension Office.
District entries will be submitted through 4-H Connect.
Photos entered at District must qualify at the county level first!
Display Date: April 30, 2022 @ District 8 4-H Roundup
Purpose:
The Texas 4-H Photography Contest encourages self-expression and allows youth to demonstrate skills learned in the area of photography, including the use of photographic equipment and process of photographs.
Objectives:
- To develop life skills in composition, light, story line, posing, and awareness.
- To gain knowledge about cameras, camera settings, photography dimensions and resolution.
- To encourage 4-H members to use photography as a meaningful communication tool in their lives.
- To provide photography project showcase opportunity for 4-H members.
- To continue to share the message of 4-H.
- To utilize photographs which can promote and strengthen the 4-H program.
2022 D8 Photography Contest Information:
- Rules & Guidelines (includes: Rules, Category Descriptions, Judging Criteria, and Score Sheet) PDF MS WORD
- Description of Categories
- Judging Criteria
- Score Sheet PDF MS WORD
Texas 4-H Photography Contest Website
Categories: (New)
| Category Description | What is NOT Allowed | Examples |
| ANIMALS – DOMESTIC Photos focusing on the various animals that have been tamed and made fit for a human environment. To be considered domesticated, the animal must have their behavior, life cycle, or physiology systemically altered as a result of being under human control for many generations. |
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| ANIMALS – WILDLIFE Category focuses on animals not tamed or domesticated and commonly found in the wilderness or the bodies of water throughout the country and world. Photos can be of wildlife in nature, zoos, and/or petting zoos. | Photos taken through glass. |
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| CATCH-ALL Photos that do not fit into one of the other categories. | A duplicate photo also entered in another category. |
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| DETAILS & MACRO Getting in close is the name of the game for this category. The goal is to zoom in close on an object to see its finer details or to make small objects appear life-sized or larger that we do not normally get to see with the naked eye. |
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| ELEMENTS OF DESIGN Images use of graphic elements of design. Photos that showcase line, shape, pattern, form, texture, perspective, etc. Photo can consist of any subject matter. | Digital creations or graphic designs made in commercial programs such as Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator. |
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| ENHANCED A single photo that has been technically manipulated to be an abstract, panoramic, stitched or composite image. Other variations are allowed as well. |
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| FOOD Category is a still life specialization of photography, aimed at producing attractive photographs of food for use in such items of advertisements, packaging, menus and/or cookbooks. | Photos of alcoholic beverages |
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| LANDSCAPE & NATURE (NON-ANIMAL) The focus of this category includes landscapes, outdoor scenics, nature images, sunsets, urban landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, and farms. Images focus on the beauty of the outdoors. | .Photos which primary subject is wildlife or person |
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| LEADING LINE This image composition technique features lines that draw the viewer’s eye from point A to point B, which is the primary subject |
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| LONG EXPOSURE Also known as time-exposure or slow-shutter, this technique involves using a long-duration shutter speed. It can be used to sharply capture stationary elements of an image while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. It is also used in low-light conditions. |
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| MOTION / ACTION The capture of movement within a single photo. The subject appears stopped or “frozen” |
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| PEOPLE Photos focus from all walks of life, parenting and family, children, babies, models/fashion, sports, and couples. All individuals in the photos mush have provided consent and permission as a subject. If requested, a release will be needed from the photographer and the subject. |
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| PLANT/FLORA Photos of interesting, unique, and beautiful flowers and flora. Photography can occur outdoors or indoors. Photo subject should be that of a single flower, plant, bush, tree, etc. Large collections of plant/flora should be considered for entry into the Nature & Landscape category. |
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| SHADOW/SILHOUETTE A silhouette is an outline that appears dark (typically a single color) with little or no details/features against a brighter background. Recording patterns of light and shade for a desired effect or emphasis is the definition of a shadow. The silhouette or shadow must be the primary subject and focus of the image. |
Reflections |
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| THEME – The 2021-2022 theme is “My Hometown”. Show what is special, iconic, unique, or even quirky about your hometown. Capture what makes it exceptional, historic, fun, or simply the best place to grow up. |
Photos manipulated by software |
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Judging Criteria
Each photograph will be evaluated against the following set of criteria. Based on total points awarded for each photograph, the participant will be awarded a blue, red, or white ribbon. The criteria for evaluating the photographs will be:
| IMPACT | (Max Points: 15) | Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. There can be impact in any of the judging elements. |
| CREATIVITY | (Max Points: 15) | Creativity is the original, fresh, and external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought. |
| TECHNICAL | (Max Points: 25) | Technical is the quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing, which includes the following aspects:
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| COMPOSITION | (Max Points: 20) | Composition is important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. Proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the creator intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker. |
| SUBJECT MATTER | (Max Points: 15) | Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told (i.e. category the photo is entered into) in an image. Subject matter also includes the center of interest for the photograph or where the maker wants the viewer to stop and they view the image. |
| STORYTELLING | (Max Points: 10) | Story Telling refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image. |
Awards
Blue, red, and white ribbons will be awarded to each photograph that is not disqualified.
Champion & Reserve in each category. The photo with the highest point value in each category in each age division will be awarded as the Champion of their respective category. The photo with the second highest point value in each category in each age division will be awarded as the Reserve Champion of their respective category.
Best of Show. Best of Show awards will be given to one photo in each age division. The Champion photo from each category will be considered for the Best of Show award.
