Judged Photo Contests - What's Allowed, and What's Not Allowed

[casportpony]

What is allowed?​

Enhancing your photos is both allowed and encouraged. You don't need special skills or Photoshop to do it. Basic photo editors on your computer or phone can easily support the following features. So go ahead and give them a try!

1. Format
Unless otherwise specified, both portrait and landscape formats are allowed.

2. Cropping
Cropping involves selecting a specific section of your image while discarding the rest. This technique is useful in positioning your subject in the best spot in your photo and/or eliminating unwanted spaces.

3. Adjusting lighting and color
It's perfectly fine to adjust the lighting and color settings on your photos. You may not know this, but most cameras & phones do this automatically. Unless the photos you take are raw files, they have already been edited by your device, which may or may not have done a good job. So, it's totally acceptable to make some adjustments and enhance your photos to your liking.

4. Resizing
Photos should be at least 2000 pixels wide (landscape) or 2000 pixels tall (portrait) to be eligible for judging. Do not enlarge photos as they may become pixelated. If you need to resize your photo, keep it at a minimum of 2000 pixels wide (landscape) or 2000 pixels tall (portrait).

What's *not* allowed:​

1. Screenshots
For photo contests, attach/upload the actual photo, not a screenshot. Screenshots will not be judged.

2. Small images
Images smaller than 2000 pixels wide (landscape) or 2000 pixels tall (portrait) are usually too small to judge.

3. Adding objects
Text, clipart (drawings), frames, or elements added by the camera or your photo editing software, are not allowed.

4. Removing objects

If you want to change your photo in a way that's not mentioned above, please ask us first. We want to keep these contests fun and fair for all. Photo contests are about sharing nice photos - not a Photoshop skills contest.

 

[Debbie292d]

What is allowed?​

Enhancing your photos is both allowed and encouraged. You don't need special skills or Photoshop to do it. Basic photo editors on your computer or phone can easily support the following features. So go ahead and give them a try!

1. Format
Unless otherwise specified, both portrait and landscape formats are allowed.

2. Cropping
Cropping involves selecting a specific section of your image while discarding the rest. This technique is useful in positioning your subject in the best spot in your photo and/or eliminating unwanted spaces.

3. Adjusting lighting and color
It's perfectly fine to adjust the lighting and color settings on your photos. You may not know this, but most cameras & phones do this automatically. Unless the photos you take are raw files, they have already been edited by your device, which may or may not have done a good job. So, it's totally acceptable to make some adjustments and enhance your photos to your liking.

4. Resizing
Photos should be at least 2000 pixels wide (landscape) or 2000 pixels tall (portrait) to be eligible for judging. Do not enlarge photos as they may become pixelated. If you need to resize your photo, keep it at a minimum of 2000 pixels wide (landscape) or 2000 pixels tall (portrait).

What's *not* allowed:​

1. Screenshots
For photo contests, attach/upload the actual photo, not a screenshot. Screenshots will not be judged.

2. Small images
Images smaller than 2000 pixels wide (landscape) or 2000 pixels tall (portrait) are usually too small to judge.

3. Adding objects
Text, clipart (drawings), frames, or elements added by the camera or your photo editing software, are not allowed.

4. Removing objects

If you want to change your photo in a way that's not mentioned above, please ask us first. We want to keep these contests fun and fair for all. Photo contests are about sharing nice photos - not a Photoshop skills contest.

I have an iPhone 15 and a Dell desktop computer but I'm slow to figure this picture stuff out.

You opened my eyes to the world of [Bing] AI and I got excited learning about it. I guess I should research a little about my phone and learn how to use it for more than calls and texts.

 

[LTAY1946]

If we store our photos for backup on a site like Flickr are those disqualified if we upload rather than link them to BYC? Not sure I understand the intent of the rule here? Can discreet copyright txt be removed so the image meets the no txt rule?

 

[azurbanclucker]

If we store our photos for backup on a site like Flickr are those disqualified if we upload rather than link them to BYC? Not sure I understand the intent of the rule here? Can discreet copyright txt be removed so the image meets the no txt rule?

You may not link directly FROM flickr. You may, however, upload the same image to BYC. If it's also on flickr at the same time it's fine, you just can't link directly (also known as hotlinking) to the image housed on flickr. It has to be uniquely uploaded here.

Watermarked or copyrighted images will automatically be disqualified. Please use an unwatermarked image.

 

[Brooks_]

copyrighted images

Aren't they all copyrighted by default?

 

[azurbanclucker]

Aren't they all copyrighted by default?

Yes, technically. However in this case we're talking about a displayed copyright or watermark on the image.

 

[LTAY1946]

You may not link directly FROM flickr. You may, however, upload the same image to BYC. If it's also on flickr at the same time it's fine, you just can't link directly (also known as hotlinking) to the image housed on flickr. It has to be uniquely uploaded here.

Watermarked or copyrighted images will automatically be disqualified. Please use an unwatermarked image.

Thank you for clarification. This is what I thought. All images are already copyrighted even without marking them as such. Anytime someone uses an image they didn't take they are using someone else's property. I was taught this in college photography. I stopped marking mine long ago and unless it is one I sell I don't sign them any more either. I uploaded all of my 4 entries from my computer. I understand hot linking and such. Computer Information is what I retired from. I've taken 500k pictures as an event photographer too. My love was always wildlife though. I can only hope that one day there will be an action photography contest.... 4 action photos, one each of 4 different venues....

 

[Kiki]

Thank you for clarification. This is what I thought. All images are already copyrighted even without marking them as such. Anytime someone uses an image they didn't take they are using someone else's property. I was taught this in college photography. I stopped marking mine long ago and unless it is one I sell I don't sign them any more either. I uploaded all of my 4 entries from my computer. I understand hot linking and such. Computer Information is what I retired from. I've taken 500k pictures as an event photographer too. My love was always wildlife though. I can only hope that one day there will be an action photography contest.... 4 action photos, one each of 4 different venues....

What do you mean by action? Can you upload a few examples?

 

[azurbanclucker]

Thank you for clarification. This is what I thought. All images are already copyrighted even without marking them as such. Anytime someone uses an image they didn't take they are using someone else's property. I was taught this in college photography. I stopped marking mine long ago and unless it is one I sell I don't sign them any more either. I uploaded all of my 4 entries from my computer. I understand hot linking and such. Computer Information is what I retired from. I've taken 500k pictures as an event photographer too. My love was always wildlife though. I can only hope that one day there will be an action photography contest.... 4 action photos, one each of 4 different venues....

That's a good contest idea...

 

[LTAY1946]

What do you mean by action? Can you upload a few examples?

I will right here. Give me a few.