Competition Themes

Competition themes are selected to encourage MWCC members to focus on learning or practicing specific types of photography, each requiring a unique set of skills. Below is a list of past competition themes.

Open

Any subject including those listed herein.

Abstract

Blends of color, texture, shape, form, and light to create a design-patterned image.

Architecture

Buildings, interiors, ruins, bridges, statues, sculptures, monuments, memorials, or anything where manmade structures are the principal interest.

Bridges

The image is centered on or contains a bridge.

 

 

Close-up

Images that result from the use of close-up lenses, or macro lenses, where the magnification of the subject exceeds that obtained with a standard lens at a minimum focusing distance.

Earthscape

An expressive portrayal of a landscape or waterscape , not necessarily a literal recording of a scene but rather expresses the photographer's personal vision or emotion. An Earthscape does not show the hand of man.

Macro

Images taken at a very close range with the use of a specially designed lens, extension tubes, diopters, etc., where the magnification exceeds that of a standard lens at minimum focusing distance.

Montage

An image created outside the camera by layering two or more separately captured images (e.g. placing two or more frames of slide film in one slide mount, printing two or more negatives over top of each other on the same piece of paper, or layering two or more images in a digital darkroom).

Multiple Exposure

An image created in the camera by placing more than one exposure on a single frame (e.g. one film frame or one digital image).

Nature

Images that illustrate the natural features of land, sea, or sky, or that reveal certain natural phenomena such as cloud formations, precipitation, frost, fire, etc., but do not show the hand of man. This category is included each year in support of the "Nature's Best" contest.

Night Photography

Photos taken after sunset and before dawn. Subjects can include cityscapes, illuminated buildings and other subjects by moon or star light.

 

Photojournalism

Storytelling pictures where the activity itself is the center of interest.

Portraiture

An individual, or group of individuals, where the subject rather than the activity is the main interest.

Plants and Flowers

Images where plants and flowers are the principal interest.

Reflections

Images reproduced on a reflective surface such as clouds on water, or structures on window glass.

Shadows

Darkness cast upon a surface by a body, human, animal, or structure,
intercepting the light rays.

Still Life

Small inanimate objects such as fruit, flowers, glassware, structures, etc., as the center of interest.

Transportation

An image showing the process of moving an object from one place to another and/or the equipment necessary to do so.

Wide Angle

An image which was produced with a 35mm lens or wider and exploiting the properties of the wide angle lens including different angles of view and perspective rather than just including more of the scene in the image.