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Submitting/Uploading your Photos/Images to the BCC website for a Clinic/Competition: 

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Submitting/Uploading your Photos/Images to the BCC website for Clinic Judging purposes

  1. Sign onto the BCC website with your BCC member credentials 
     
  2. Find the “User Content” tab along the tabs area and Click it to show the drop-down menu 
     
  3. Click the “Clinics and Competitions” button to show the slide out menu 
     
  4. Click “Clinic #1” to begin uploading photos for the BCC Clinic #1 for example  
     
  5. You are now at the Clinic #1 form to upload your photo images 
     
  6. Looking to the left – find the “Type” box and click it to display “Topic” and Digital Fine Art”  
     
  7. To enter a photo/image for one of the 4 common categories, click “Topic”  
     
  8. Now click the “Category” button just below, and select your image category from the list  
     
  9. Next type a “Title” for your image – the title it should reflect the category the image is being entered in 
     
  10. Next Click the “Choose File” button and browse to your photo/image on your computer and select the photo that is being used 
     
  11. Your photo/image will appear with the filename you saved it as if no errors have occurred 
     
  12. Next choose if you want your photo/image to be used in any BCC social media – click the check box and choose “yes” or “no” 
     
  13. You have successfully added your first photo/image to the BCC website for Clinic  
     
  14. For your remaining photos/images – simply repeat steps 6-12 
     
  15. Once you have all your photos/images selected and uploaded – click the Submit button at the bottom of the form 
     
  16. You will get a confirmation notice with the message  
    “Currently stored on the server for “your name”  
     
  17. You have now completed uploading and submitting your photo images for the BCC clinic/competition.

Preparing for a Brant Camera Club (BCC) Photo Clinic/Competition

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Guidelines to help pick your Photos/Images for a BCC Clinic/Competition 

  • Start by reviewing the specific BCC Clinic categories to see which photo/image categories interest you or suit your photography style 
  • Review your image archive or plan to capture a new image for each of your categories. 
  • There are 4x “common” photo/image categories in the BCC clinics**  
    and 1x “Digital Fine Art” category.  
  • Members are allowed to choose 2x of the 4x common categories, and the Digital Fine Art category (if they so choose) as this category is optional – for a total of 3x images max 
  • Please Do Not submit photo/images that have previously been submitted to any BCC clinic/competition or any other competition. (This includes the same photo from a different angle) 
  • Don’t place names or watermarks on your photo – the image should be anonymous 
  • Don’t save your name in the filename of the photo – the name should reflect the image/category 
     
  • For best judging results choose images : 
     
  • That are a good fit/match to the image category you have chosen 
  • Use “leading lines” to draw the viewers eye into the scene 
  • Images that are sharp and in focus 
  • Are not over-exposed or captured in harsh light 
  • Are not over-sharpened or overly processed with filters 
  • Do not have blown out sky’s or bright areas that distract the viewer 
  • Save your photo/image as a JPEG file for uploading to the BCC website 
  • Save your photo to size 1920×1080 for landscape and 1080 x 880 for portrait 
    (note: you may have to try several portrait settings until you find one that works for your image) 
     
  •  Now that you have 2-3 photos/images that you will use for the clinic – move on to editing.  
     

**Note: The BCC Verginnia Berrie competition is similar to a clinic, but it has 10x common image categories to choose from, as well as the optional Digital Fine Art category.  
Members submit up to 5x common images and one Digital Fine Art image for a total of 6x images.  
 

 

 

Editing your Photos/Images: 

  • Once you have chosen your images, you should perform some basic editing of your photos/images to better prepare them for Clinic judging. 
     
  • “Editing Do’s” – the following editing functions ARE allowed under the common categories: 
     
  • Exposure and Colour adjustments, Brightness and Contrast adjustments 
  • Sharpening/De-noising via software 
  • Hue and Saturation adjustments 
  • Vibrance enhancement 
  • Cropping (changing the image focus by cropping out unwanted portions of the image) 
  • Applying of (discrete) photo filters 
  • Cloning out or removing small distracting items/objects (street sign, pop can, branch or twig) for a cleaner image 

 

  • “Editing Don’ts” – These editing functions are NOT allowed under the common categories: 
     
  • You cannot INSERT any object, person, or structure into your image that was not originally in the image 
  • You cannot REPLACE the sky or the foreground when editing in the common photo categories 
  • You cannot CREATE a composite image (an image made up of multiple other images/items) into the common photo categories – even if you own the other images. 

 

  • Editing under the Digital Fine Art Photo/Image Category: 
     
  • The Digital Fine Art image category has the most relaxed photo/image editing rules within the BCC for a clinic or competition 
  •  A Digital Fine Art photo/image edit may use advanced techniques including but not limited to: 
  • Sky replacement 
  • Foreground replacement 
  • Composite images- Note: all images for a composite must be owned/created by the image maker (they cannot be downloaded from a website)  
  • Advanced Photoshop/Lightroom functions 
  • Generative AI (used to create image data that did not exist previously in the makers image) is still NOT approved for use within the Digital Fine Art category.  
    Advanced editing techniques do not necessarily need to be used to submit an image to the Digital Fine Art Category

Our 2025-26 schedule is now available

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We have a great season in store with great speakers, interesting outings and how-to sessions that will help you improve your photography and editing skills.

Meetings start Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at our new home, TB Costain-SC Johnson Community Centre, 12 Morrell St., Brantford

Download our 2025-26 program.

Sign up for our new season

Sign up for the 2025-26 season

It’s easy to register online. Go to the Membership Info page and open the Membership Signup Request.

2025-26 BCC Program – FinalDownload

On the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs and applications with regard to BCC club clinics and competitions

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A few notes governing the use of Artificial Intelligence (or AI) with regard to submitting images/photographs to a Brant Camera Club (BCC) clinic or competition:

1) A photographic image for the purpose of a Brant Camera Club (BCC) clinic or competition is defined as “an image purposefully captured via a light sensitive device (digital camera, mirrorless camera, film camera, smartphone etc) and recorded to paper, film or digital file by a maker/photographer.

2) an Artificial Intelligence (AI) created/enhanced image is NOT considered a photographic image based on the image being produced (in whole or in part) by an AI system and that the image does not incorporate original content captured by the maker/photographer. Any wholly or partially created AI image will not be deemed an acceptable submission to any BCC clinic or competition. If AI has been deemed to be used to generate a submitted image, the image will be voided and all scoring points towards (rookie, photographer or digital photographer of the year) will be dropped.

3) text prompt programs (online and included in photo editing software) such as Pixart, Canva, DALL-E 2, Midjourney, Lumiar Neo, Adobe Firefly etc) are not to be used in the creation and production of any submitted image (in whole or in part) to a BCC club clinic or competition.

4) the use of AI features inherent in some image post processing software/applications must be used as intended (and not to enhance the maker/photographer image with content that was not previously available in the original image. Examples of these programs include but are not limited to Adobe CC’s Generative Fill AI, Luminar Neo’s AI Sky and Augmented Sky. These programs allow for the introduction of “new content” into an image/photo that never existed prior.

5) Programs that use AI as a means of post process refinement/editing of an  image (Examples could include Topaz Labs Sharpen AI and Denoise AI, and DxO Pureraw etc ) are acceptable during post processing as they do not “add” content and only refine current content as provided by the original maker/photographer.

What the Photography Judges look for and how they score images

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The Brant Camera Club (BCC) belongs to the Ontario Council of Camera Clubs (OCCC) along with about 35 other member camera clubs spanning from Windsor to Kingston and all points in between.  
The OCCC website can be found here.  https://o3c.ca/ 

The OCCC is a formal group that provides the Photography judges that our Brant Camera Club uses to do the online judging of our clinics and competitions.  Below you will find details from the OCCC on the judges scoring model as well as judging details  – essentially this is how the judges go about the practice of reviewing, scoring and commenting on images that they are asked to judge.  It talks about the main focus areas that judges use to arrive at their scoring and how they go about it. 

Hopefully, you will find this interesting and helpful for our upcoming Clinic #1 coming up Oct 17th as well as for the remaining clinics and competitions this year. 

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Ontario Council of Camera Clubs (OCCC) Judges Scoring Model and Judging Details

Standard Scoring Model:
• Judges workflow: is to Evaluate, Score, and Comment on an image in 45 seconds
• Evaluation has 3 focus components: Impact, Composition, and Technical

Points for each are scored as below:

Impact – up to 3 points (out of 10)
Composition – up to 3 points (out of 10)
Technical – up to 3 points (out of 10)
+1 bonus point at judges discretion = 10 points

Details/breakdown of the 3 focus/component areas:

Impact (which includes aspects like)

• Mood
• Imagination
• Story
• Subject Matter
• Total points : 3 points

Composition (which includes aspects like)

• Distractions
• Space
• Leading Lines
• Placement
• Depth
• Visual & Abstract Elements
• Total points 3 points

Technical (which includes aspects like)

• Colour
• Light
• Exposure
• Sharpness
• Technique
• Total points 3 points

Scoring:
• Total points: Impact, Comp, Tech 3+ 3 + 3 = 9 points + optional bonus point +1 (remarkable achievement)
• Use 1/2 point intervals
• 3 points per criteria ( 1.5 less than standard, 2.0 standard, 2.5 impressive, 3.0 outstanding)

Scoring Guidelines:
• a score of 5 image has significant flaws
• a score of 6 image is a record shot
• a score of 7 shows signs that maker has made the image
• a score of 8 Image has impact, no technical flaws, may win competition
• a score of 9 Superior technically, high impact, strong story
• a score of 10 Outstanding technical, impact, composition, story

How NOT To Look at an Image (Judges direction)
• Beware of the WOW factor luring you to a high score
• Don’t Nit Pick, no petty excuses to deduct points
• Careful on assumption of flaws and artifacts
• Remove “I” thinking, no baseless personal bias
• swallow your pride, if other judges show you are off
• Stop being afraid to use 9-10 scores, reward achievement
• Street/photo journalism, be tolerant of minor distractions

Guidelines for Judges Comments:
• Mention what is good about the image
• If appropriate, comment on the story element
• Use correct photo terminology, clear concise suggestions
• Tell them what action/technique they can use to improve
elements, eg., Shutter, ISO, filters, focal length, composition
• DO NOT make statements like: I don’t like B&W, oh I love
motorcycles, I have seen a thousand Blue Jays, never use “I”

Composition Guidelines – for all Genres:
•placement of major and supporting elements
•right amount of details, to express message
•good balance, to lead viewers eye around frame
•rule of 3rds, 9 rect., image placed along lines or int.
•S curves, visual interest, leading eye into scene
•symmetry, identical elements in all 4 directions
• juxtaposition, contrast in subject matter, creating tension,
elements of varying colour, age, texture, gender
• depth, 2-D image appear 3— Dimensional, utilizing a
viewpoint to include foreground, middle, and background
• framing, main subject should have breathing room, subjects
in motion should have space to move into the frame

The Story Element
• story is part of impact, can be obvious, while others subtle
Nature: feeding chicks, nesting material in mouth, fighting,
mating
Portrait: person dancing, playing music, painting,
environmental portrait
Street/ Journalistic: people interacting, parade, protest
Pictorial/Creative: implied message tied to an emotion

Image Defects and Detractions: General items judges look for that may hurt image scoring:

1. Sensor Spots: dust on sensor amplified by small aperture
2.ISO Noise: High ISO in low light conditions, shadows
3.Pixilation: cropping too much, and enlarging too much
4.JPEG Artifacts: overworking a JPEG file, soft and blocky
5.Banding: seen in graduated areas, skies, plain backgrounds
falls under Technical, different from distractions
6. Halos: high contrast with light and dark areas, “Band”
7. Sharpness: major & supporting elements should be sharp
8. Clone Marks: areas are slightly off, repeated in image
9. Colour Balance: Colour cast, or improper colour of subject
10. Cut & Paste Look: Composites, masking, lighting, shadow
11. Mergers: key parts of subject overlap each other
12. Record Shot: called a grab shot, little artistic value
13. Out of Focus: edges of main subject are not sharp, crisp
14. Soft Image: term used for image not quite sharp
15. Chromatic Aberration: purple fringing, lens fails to focus all
colours to the same convergence point
16. Too Tight in the Frame: not enough negative space around
main subject

 

 

Congrats to our award winners

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Congratulations to the winners of our annual competitions for the 2019-20 season. Click on the Download buttons to see the entries and winners.

Verginnia Barrie Contest: Dave Evans (first), Jan Carey and Donna Thompson (second), Jay Youngson (third)

2019-20-Verginnia-Barrie-Contest-Pt-1Download
2019-20-Verginnia-Barrie-Contest-Pt-2Download

Rookie of the Year: Mike Brown (first), Robin Brennan (second), Robin Daniel (third).

2019-20-Rookie-of-the-YearDownload

Image of the Year and Peoples Choice: Brian Thompson

2019-20-Image-of-the-Year-and-Peoples-Choice-1Download

Digital Artist of the Year: Donna Thompson (first), Mike Brown and Pete Byerlay (second), Nicole Pinto and Rick MacKinnon (third)

2019-20-Digital-Artist-1Download

Photographer of the Year: Dave Evans (first), Donna Thompson (second), Nicole Pinto (third)

2019-20-Photographer-of-the-YearDownload

Don Komarechka Macro Photography Book

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Don Komarechka is producing a new in depth book on macro photography. If you are interested in his book you can find information about it at this link.

Don is well known for his snowflake photography and has previously presented at the Brant Camera Club.