It’s county fair season! That means animals, music, deep fried food, and contests! Speaking of contests, have you thought about entering a photo in your county fair’s photography contest? Here’s some advice to consider as you make your selections:
General Recommendations
1. Don’t wait until the day before to print your photo.
Everyone else in town will be doing the same thing, and Walgreen’s and Walmart will be backed up with orders. Besides, do you really want to enter a Walmart quality print? No, you don’t. Order your prints 2-3 weeks ahead of time online from a professional print lab like MPix, Bay Photo, or my personal favorite, Nations Photo Lab.
2. Don’t wait until the day before to look for a mat or foam core board.
Some contests–like the Malheur County Fair–require your prints to be matted. Others require your prints mounted on board or foam core. If you wait till the last minute, stores may run out, or they’ll only have mats in wild colors. Where can you find a photo mat? Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, Michael’s, and specialty art stores like Boise Blue. In Ontario, you can also find them at Oregon Trail Hobbies and Gifts. Foam core is available at Walmart, etc and office supply stores.
3. Follow the requirements.
If the rules state that your entries must be matted, don’t glue your print to a piece of black paper. That might seem obvious, but I’ve seen people do it. You could be disqualified. If you aren’t sure what the materials are or how to follow the instructions, ask somebody who’s entered before, Google the terms, or even ask me in the comments below. Some contests may have entry fees, so pay attention to that, too.
4. Choose the largest acceptable size.
If you can enter a photo up to 11×14, don’t enter an 8×10. I learned that the hard way. My photo seemed small and unimportant next to the larger prints, and may have even placed lower because of that.
Choosing an Image
5. Choose your category carefully.
Pick images that fit in less common categories (often called “sections”), unless you know your photo is awesome. Almost everyone will be entering photos of their kids and pets, as well as flowers and sunsets. If you enter an image in a more obscure section, your photo might be unopposed. Last year, at the Malheur County Fair, these sections had the fewest entries in the Adult class:
• Agriculture
• Creative Processing
• Fair Theme
• Night Scenes
• People–21 and older
• Portrait–Adult
• Portrait–Family
• Protectors of America
• Scenery–Floral (but not Flowers)
• Scenery–Water (but not Reflections or Scenery–Seascapes)
• Special Event–Birthday or Other
• Special Event–Wedding
• Sports Event
• Transportation
• Collage
Some images may fit in multiple categories: some fairs have categories for “People” and “Portraits” with further divisions by age. “People” tend to be more candid snapshots, while “Portraits” tend to be more posed, frame-worthy shots. However, since you get to choose the category for your photos, it can vary a lot.
6. Don’t enter photos that are blurry or out of focus.
Nobody wants to look at those. Sorry if that sounds mean, but it’s the truth.
7. Make sure your photos are technically proficient.
Goes with #6. Your entry should be an example of what a good photograph looks like. That means it should be clear, in focus, not too dark, and not too bright (unless it’s supposed to be–you know, something white should look white, not gray). If you don’t know how to fix an image in post-processing and can’t reshoot it, I wouldn’t enter it.
8. Don’t enhance your image too much.
It should look natural. Not dull, but not beyond believability. If you used HDR techniques and others can tell, you may have overdone it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re probably okay : )
9. Go for unusual compositions and subjects.
Instead of your subject being perfectly centered, try cropping or composing so it’s aligned on thirds of the image (Google “Rule of Thirds” for more info). Also, enter photos that have uncommon subjects, angles, or lighting. Why? You want your photograph to stand out from the rest. I’ve heard that some judges take a stack of photos and flip through them quickly, barely glancing at them, until one catches their eye. You want that photo to be yours.
Get Over It…or Not
10. Be prepared for disappointment.
County fairs are not known for fairness, which is kind of funny when you consider the name. But no, seriously, I saw a lot of subpar images receive high placings at a particular county fair last year. Sometimes they choose terrible judges who give best of show awards to photos that have colors exaggerated beyond the gamut of reality and/or are very blurry. Other times, judges don’t understand that a small depth of field is not the same thing as blurriness. I know, it stinks when that happens. You feel sorry for the photographer whose image wasn’t fairly judged…or sorry for yourself if it’s yours! But for those of you who really appreciate fairness…
11. Enter the Western Idaho Fair
If you want to ensure your photos are judged by competent individuals, enter the Western Idaho Fair if you’re local, or any other competition that has professional photographers, photographic educators, or photo shop owners as the judges. You can feel confident that the judges will do a better job. Of course, somebody will always be unhappy with the results, but at least you’ll know your entries received a more professional assessment. Besides, there are a lot of amazing photographers in Western Idaho. It’s fun to see your pictures posted alongside theirs!
Have you entered photos in your county fair before? How did they do?
