All' Photography FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I enter a photography contest here?

1. Create an account if you don't have one yet
2. Make sure you have a grasp of the basic rules
3. Find a contest you like that is open for entry in the Contests listing
4. Read its rules and make sure your entry is edited in accordance with the contest post-processing allowances for the contest and Arena in which it is held.
5. You can shoebox or shoot especially for the contest, it's up to you!
6. Click the orange "Submit" button up on the right and follow the instructions
7. Chose to pay or have your entry sponsored
8. Don't forget to vote and leave helpful comments! :)

useful reading - voting scale, voting karma, commenting guidelines
post-processing allowances - [fotob] Arena, [foto] Arena

What contests can I enter?

If you're a new user, you can enter any contest you feel ready for, with the exception of the pre-arranged Head-to-Head private contests of the [fotoh] arena, and the tournament arena [fotot]. Once you've won a few medals or trophies though, you might have graduated an arena or contest type and no longer be eligible to enter.

useful reading - graduation in the [fotob] arena

What sort of editing is allowed in contests?

There are two sets of rules, the beginner [fotob] arena editing rules and the more advanced [foto] arena rules.

In Beginner contests which are part of the [fotob] arena, you are limited to very basic color adjustments and cropping. In the Advanced Arena [foto], you are allowed much more freedom as long as you keep your image "photographic". Some contests, like the Intermediate state the allowances explicitly. Follow the quick links to find out more.

post-processing rules - [fotob] [foto] [fotoh] [fotot]

I got a disqualification (DQ), what should I do?

1. Check your email (the addess you signed up with) and your site inbox for a disqualification mail that will tell you the reason for the DQ.
2. If the contest is still open for entry, you can replace your DQ'd entry with a new one and it will have a chance at being reinstated into the contest if there is enough time for an Admin or Moderator to review it before the contest closes for voting. Go to your stats page and then your entry's page and click "edit" below the entry title and select the new file through Entry Content -> Browse to re-upload it. It will be automatically flagged for Moderator review.
   If the contest has opened for voting, then unfortunately there is nothing to be done. Don't worry, we all get DQ'd at some point; don't forget to read the rules of the contest carefully!

Why does photo DQ for quality?

Our photography contests are divided into three skill levels with increasing demands on the entrant to make sure that competitive play is kept interesting to players of all skill levels. This means that good players graduate from the easier contests and can move on into the more advanced ones where the quality expectations are higher to ensure that the competition remains strong. Less experienced players are encouraged to start in the more training-oriented contests where they will have an easier time picking up some medals as they get better.

useful reading - [fotob] Beginner and Intermediate contests, [foto] Advanced contests

Who can I talk to for a critique or advice?

We have an excellent Critics Corner where you can get help with your entry - critiquers are friendly and eager to help. If it's for an open contest, make sure you ask for a private critique over site message.

useful reading - Critics Corner rules

Who can I turn to if I need help?

The photography Admins take care of the Arenas, and are a good port of call for anything concerning an entry of yours. The Moderators can help you out with questions about site conduct or community questions. If you just have a general question, go ahead and start a thread about it in the relevant Forums and the community will get back to you. Please use the Report function on any images or comments that you feel need to be brought to the attention of Admins or Moderators.

I don't think I'm good enough to enter, should I?

Absolutely :) We're a friendly bunch and critique is constructive and fair. You can check out the Beginners contests if you don't feel ready to meet the big guns yet. If you don't mind trying and want to get better in a supportive environment, this is definitely the place for you.

Do my photos stay mine after I enter them?

Yes. Worth doesn't take away any of your rights to your art, you simply give Worth permission to use it. You can read what you allow Worth to do with your photos in the Terms of Use.

Someone made a mean comment on my photo!

We have a very low threshold for drama and mean-spiritedness. Report the comment using the Report link to bring it to the attention of an Administrator or Moderator.

Topic

The Photography topic concerns itself with the capture of images on analog or digital media. The end result is strictly tied to the original capture, and although editing and beautification may take place, there is always a direct link, a recognizeability and a "truth", between the original and the final product.

Some photographic art stretches this definition in the pursuit of an artistic goal, where reality is modified or augmented. In some respects the process overlaps with the procedures in the Effects arena([fx]); one clear distinction is however, that all art created in the Photography topic is created by the hand of the Photographer - no outside sources or images are used in the telling of the story.

Admins

The Admins keep the Arenas running and are the final authority when making interpretations of the rules of the Topic. Contact them directly if you have questions regarding the Photography FAQ, the rules or your entry.

The Worth1000 Photography Admins for the Advanced Photography Arena, the Beginner Photography Arena, the Team Photography Arena, and the HxH Photography Arena are:

• cl_UK
• johnnytitan
• kimbomac
• madame_ava

Moderators

Select Moderators in the Advanced Photography Arena, the Beginner Photography Arena, the Team Photography Arena, and the HxH Photography Arena help with editing forum posts and entry comments, as well as helping report entries in certain contests for Admin review before voting starts. They are:

• SigloV
• UnicornBabe

Many Moderators also give out bling and help answer community questions. For a full list of moderators and admins you can contact for help, please see this list. Moderators are usually long-standing members, selected for their knowledge, helpfulness, and participation.

Voting Scale

The voting scale is the same for the entire Photography Topic and maps your individual preferences on each entry to a 10-point scale. The below is a guide to help you space out your votes, but you're welcome to use the odd numbers too.

2	Very bad. Anything voted in this range (1-2) should be flagged for low quality as it is seriously flawed. Absolutely a snapshot without any merit.
4	Poor, but not without merit Not much effort afforded and maybe a snapshot. Has some problems such as a distracting background or compositional error.
6	Good. Most of the basics are done well (although not great or brilliant). It's clear some thought was put into composition, lighting and concept. It may not be amazing and may lack personality or finesse, but is certainly not a snapshot.
8	Very good. Professional and competent use of composition and lighting, and concept or message.
10	Outstanding. The entries in this range (9-10) are likely to be the distinctive and memorable entries of the whole contest theme.

What to consider when voting

There are three general aspects to a photo you will want to consider:

• Technical execution
• Artistry
• Appeal

The first can concern composition, lighting, pose, subject arrangement; the second will concern creativity and clarity of idea or expression; the third is a smaller factor which has to do about how well the image speaks to you. No photo should score low based on the failure of any one criterion. How you weigh the criteria will depend on the context of the contest - for example awarding points for "achieving good greenness" in a "Green" contest is a bit irrelevant; an interesting point of view on the subject and technically superior lighting or a deliberate mood sucessfully created should weigh heavily.

Most contests do not specify a photographic style or end medium or context; a journalistic photo has a different aesthetic and ideal than a successful stock photograph. It is therefore important to try and consider what the artist was attempting in his or her photograph and rate accordingly. Keep an open mind and consider the intent of each photo when voting.

Entry Requirements

These requirements apply to all Photography Arenas.

Authorship and Ownership

• You must be the original photographer of your entry - you have to be the one who pressed the shutter.
• The photographer should keep a copy of the original image with .exif information intact for verification purposes.
• You may use any type of camera - film or digital.

Presentation

• Entries should preferably be web-sized. We recommend you keep your uploads to 1mb or less. In other words, no direct from-camera uploads.
• Your entry must be sufficiently wide to be judged, which is enforced on Administrator discretion. We recommend a minimum of 400 pixels wide for vertical entries and 500 pixels wide for horizontal entries.
• No date or timestamps may be visible on your entry.
• You may not add a watermark, signature or web address to your image; see how Worth1000 protects your authorship rights in the site FAQ.
• You may not post your name or username in your entry's Title, Author's Comments, or Keywords.
• You may not link to or quote your website address or any URL that might reveal your identity in your author's comments.
• You may not link to full-sized or alternate versions of your entry in your author's comments.
• Please see the Arena regulations on editing allowances for full info on what post-capture editing is allowed.

post-processing rules - [fotob] [foto] [fotoh] [fotot]

Content

• Subject matter is to follow Worth's usual site guidelines concerning nudity, pornography, vulgarity, etc. and follow all age restrictions for the contest.
• You may submit a maximum of three entries into any one photography contest.
• You are only allowed to enter a photograph once to a contest. You may not reuse it for another contest later (including HxH contests). A DQ'd photograph may be reused in another contest if it meets all other stipulations for that contest.
• You may not submit multiple images to any contest (or contests) where your images have recognizably similar composition, lighting and setting.
• You may only incorporate posters and other 2D art within your entry if they are an element of a larger composition, and your image provides context to the used art instead of being just a direct representation of that art.
• You may use a photo previously posted in the forums.

Arena Eligibility

• You may only enter contests in the Beginner Photography Arena [fotob] if you have not already graduated from the contest level in question by gaining graduation points.
• All entries to an Arena must conform to the editing allowances for that Arena. Some contests, such as "Intermediate:" contests, may override the editing allowances explicitly.

eligibility cutoffs - [fotob] [foto]
post-processing rules - [fotob] [foto] [fotoh] [fotot]
useful reading - [fotob] Beginner and Intermediate contests, [foto] Advanced contests

Contest-Specific

• Some contests may state rules in the contest page write-up. These rules should be seen as superseding any Arena Regulations - e.g. a contest may allow cloning where it is otherwise not allowed.

Arenas

There are several Photography arenas where different types of contests are created and available for participation by members with different capabilities and/or interests.

Beginner Photography [fotob]	This is where most people will start, and will contain contests designed to develop in-camera skills. Post-capture editing is kept to an absolute minimum.
Advanced Photography [foto]	This is where photographers will play who feel they have conquered the basics of their camera and picture-taking skills and wish to push their creativity a little harder. Editing rules are more relaxed.
Head to Head Photography [fotoh]	This is where members can engage in one-on-one contests, and contests with a restricted list of players who develop their own contest themes and ideas.
Tournament Photography [fotot]	This is a special arena for the annual Team and Head to Head Tournaments and other events where members sign up to participate as part of a team or eliminating competition.

Graduation Points

Certain contests or Arenas are closed to players who have shown mastery of basic photography concepts, by virtue of their contest placements. When the player has enough graduation points, they are said to graduate the arena and are no longer allowed to compete in it. Special bling is given out for this occasion!

Graduation points are awarded for trophies or medals in the Photography topic as follows:

	Gold is worth 9 points
	Silver is worth 3 points
	Bronze is worth 1 point

The "Beginner:" and "Intermediate:" contests of the Beginner Photography arena [fotob] are contest types you can graduate from. To determine whether you're elegible, you need to count up the graduation points you've earned in two arenas, seperately: the Beginner Photography arena [fotob] and the Advanced Photography [foto] arena. Using these two totals is the key to determining the eligibility for these contests, which you can read more about here.

Once you have passed a cutoff threshold and have thus graduated an arena, you are eligible for special Graduation Bling which will be listed in your Achievements page! There are two Graduations, the Beginner graduation, and the Intermediate Graduation. In order to receive your Achievement, use the Report function on the entry that graduated you and the contest level you graduated.

Also, although you need to have reached the required score cutoff to qualify for the special Graduation bling, it is the graduation points that graduate you, not the bling.

For a tutorial on how to count up your graduation points and contact a Moderator, please follow this link.

The Beginner Photography Arena

If you're new to photography and want to grow in a safe place then this is the Arena for you. Photographers learn a special way of looking at the world, and the contest themes here help you learn it with contests targeting compositional techniques, basic color theory, and common problematic shots. You'll develop a "photographic eye" and hear feedback from the more advanced users. Most of all though, the arena offers a nurturing cradle to start out before you take on the heavy hitters in the Advanced Arena. Post-capture editing is minimal and limited to simple adjustments and compositional cropping to help you focus on the in-camera techniques.

There is a learning curve built into the contest types; the regular Intermediate contests offer more challenging themes, stricter quality requirements, but often more generous editing allowances. This is a great middle ground for experimenting and getting used to the more tricky editing techniques while still in an environment where the best players get to sit it out and watch.

Contest Types

Beginner:

• These contests all contain the word "Beginner:" before the contest title.
• This is truly the place for people just starting out. Entries of all quality will be accepted here as long as they show genuine effort, follow all the contest rules and are within the contest's theme. The philosophy is to learn the basics of composition and lighting in a supportive environment.

Intermediate:

• These all have "Intermediate:" before the contest title.
• These contests allows members of varying experience to participate, but quality requirements are a bit stricter . This makes them a more competitive type of contest than the "Beginner:" but also with a bigger jackpot. In these contests it's even more important to be careful of backgrounds, and your photography might need some more planning or thought as to message in order to really break through the competition.
• These contests may allow more editing than the regular Beginner Photography Arena rules. The editing rules will be stated in the contest description if so.
• Images entered here require a higher standard than those in the "Beginner:" contests. Images considered snapshottish "unless deemed to have a special extra something" will be disqualified as well as images considered over/under exposed, badly composed, etc. Quality decisions will be made by the photography Moderators.

Eligibility

Eligibility in the Beginner Photography arena [fotob] is determined by the number of medals and trophies you have won within both the Beginner Photography [fotob] and Advanced Photography [foto] arenas of the photography topic. You will need to add up your graduation points and compare the two totals to the cutoffs below.

"Beginner:" contests

• If you have at least 10 points from trophies in the [foto] arena or 27 points from medals in the [fotob] arena you will be considered too good to enter the Beginner contests.

"Intermediate:" contests

• If you have at least 27 points from trophies in the [foto] arena or 40 points from medals in the [fotob] arena you will be considered too good to enter the Intermediate contests.
  If you have already graduated from this arena, please have a look at the Advanced Photography arena for more challenging contests.

Photo Post-Processing Allowances

The Beginner contests have the philosophy that editing should be kept to an absolute minimum, correcting at most only minor camera output irregularities such as contrast and tone, and as part of basic compositional cropping. Editing should be strictly functional and not a creative step.

Editing

• You are only to use one image or exposure.
• All adjustments must be global, applied evenly to the whole image.
• Only exposure, contrast and saturation correction is allowed in addition to basic rotation and cropping. You may convert to B&W and tone. You may sharpen. You may reduce noise and tweak your image globally. You are encouraged to resize your image for web presentation.
• Since adjustments must be global, no cloning or dodge/burn may occur, and painting, gradients and masking are not allowed.
• No other filters except sharpening may be used.

Presentation

• If your image requires it, you may delineate your image area from the white site background with a thin solid border - keep it functional and simple.
• No text or illustrative elements may be added to your photo. This includes watermarks and signatures.

Violation of these rules may lead to your entry being withheld from winning the jackpot or trophies, or may lead to the total disqualification of your entry, depending on the severity of the infringement and Administrator discretion.

The Advanced Photography Arena

The motto of the Advanced Photography Arena is for photographers to present a message. The act and expression through photography is intimately tied to the post­capture editing. Growth as a photographer encompasses growth within both areas equally, and a careful eye not to use one as a crutch for the other. As such, we strive for a balance between skill at the moment of capture and skill in post-capture refinement and presentation.

Contest Types

There are two types of contests that will be run in this arena. All members are eligible for entering both these types of contests, as soon as they feel ready.

Advanced contests

• These contests are really for people that have conquered the basics of photography, composition and post-processing.
• Competition will be more focused on idea and presentation, demonstrated technique and skill, successfully capturing a mood and overall impact. Themes are often wider and can presume a creative interpretation. Editing allowances are relaxed in order for the best possible image to be presented from the source photograph.

Bonus contests

• Have contest titles starting with "Bonus:"
• Bonus contests are open to everyone. Some Bonus contests are designed to help photographers learn new post-processing manipulation skills and to experiment with their images. These sometimes present fictitious scenarios for a commissioned work, and entrants will be judged on how successfully they meet the specification or stated context as part of the evaluation of their photographic entry. There are also Speedrounds that test the player's ability to come up with original ideas and creative photos under a very short time limit. These contests do not allow shoeboxing and usually contain a twist to ensure the photo was shot during the contest's submission period.
• If editing allowances are different from the usual allowances for the Advanced arena, these will be stated explicitly in the contest description.

Masters contests

• Have contest titles starting with "Masters:"
• These contests are designed specifically for our truly advanced photographers who have graduated from both the Beginner and Intermediate Contests. To participate, you must have enough graduation points to make you ineligible for Beginner and Intermediate Contests, and have both graduation blings attributed to your profile.
• The themes for these contests are generally very open in an attempt to enourage our advanced photographers to experiment with new ideas and techniques.

Eligibility

All entrants are eligible for participation in the Advanced Photography Arena, and all contests within, as soon as they feel ready. Entries in the Advanced Arena are held to a higher quality standard than the Beginner Arena.

Photo Post-Processing Allowances

Members are given greater creative control over their captured photograph in the Advanced arena. All results must remain photo-realistic however, and editing should always be in the vein of coaxing the best out of a capture rather than creating a new image using the editing process. Broadly speaking, you may use post-capture editing to enhance an illusion or effect, but not create the illusion or effect.

Editing

• You are allowed selective manipulation techniques, i.e. non-global adjustments.
• You may retouch away minor detail flaws like skin blemishes, dust, scratches, and distracting scene elements.
• No illustrative elements may be added.
• You may not drastically alter lighting by adding light sources or changing day to night, etc.
• You may blend several exposures from the same photographic moment - e.g. HDR, panoramas.
• Double-exposures are not currently allowed, however, except for specific contests where it will be listed.
• You may not add scene elements that were either not present originally or not in context. Neither may scene elements be replaced or moved in this way - e.g. you can bring back a blown-out sky but only if it is the same sky from that photographic moment.

Presentation

• Borders may be creative, but should be kept simple, such as facsimiles of cardboard cutout mats or grungy photo film borders. The rule of thumb is never to let the border overshadow or distract from the photograph.
• No text or illustrative elements may be added to your photo. This includes watermarks and signatures.

Violation of these rules may lead to your entry being withheld from winning the jackpot or trophies, or may lead to the total disqualification of your entry, depending on the severity of the infringement and Administrator discretion.

The Head to Head Photography Arena

This is where you get to make up your own rules about contests, and choose the players you want to play against. Set up individual contests between only a few of you, or call up any willing contenders to jump in and have a go. These contests are assumed to follow the [foto] rules if not specified otherwise. Please see the HxH Arenas FAQ for more details on setting up a HxH.

The Tournament Photography Arena

This arena hosts two annual competitions: the Head-to-Head elimination-style Tournament, and the team-based photography tournament where groups of players collaborate against other teams. Both of these require participants to sign up ahead of time, in special sign­up threads posted by an Arena Admin a few weeks prior to the start of the tournament.

Each tournament has its own rules, revealed during the sign-up period. The tournaments also offer the winners special tournament trophies, coveted prizes indeed. Keep an eye out in the Tournament Arena community forum for announcements to be sure not to miss sign-ups, although there will surely bee a buzz in the [foto] forum as well once the event draws near.

Bling and Special Awards

	Certain accomplishments in community games, such as staying King Of The Hill for three rounds, are awarded this special badge. Fulfilling a commitment to a tournament is also one way to earn these.
	Being interviewed for the Photogworther Interview series in the community forums is an exceptional honour, bestowed only upon those whose time-honoured commitment to the site has made them a recognizeable name in competition and in the forums. This bling signifies that the owner is one of that elite few.
	Graduation caps are twice-in-a-lifetime awards, given out to those that place well enough in contests to prove they've mastered an Arena. In recognition of their skill, this Bling is presented once upon graduating the "Beginner:" contests, and once upon graduating the "Intermediate:" contests. Players with two caps show that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Advanced contests!
	Completing a 30-day challenge community game, where you must take one picture every day on a certain theme, wins you this bling. Sounds easy, but thirty days of unrelenting commitment is a challenge, which is why you don't see too many of these around!
	The tutorial author bling is reserved for those members who take the time to put down their knowledge in writing for the benefit of others. By publishing a strong tutorial on a subject of their choosing, they qualify for this mark of knowledge and generosity.
	These merit badges are awarded to all the team members of the team that win a Round of the annual Photography Team tournament. Go Team! They are also given to those who accomplish a notable feat that would otherwise go unrewarded, such as the rare case of third runner-up in the Head-to-Head elimination Tourney.
	The annual Team Photography Tournament in the [fotot] arena awards special trophies for each round to the top three entrants. These are awarded in place of the regular trophies, and are given out regardless of which team takes the overall win for the round.
	All team members of the Team taking home the overall win of the Photography Team tournament, receive this special Bling in commemoration of their efforts.
	Making it all the way to the Finals of the annual Head-to-Head style elimination tournament in the [fotot] arena will entitle you to one of these rare trophies. Gold is for the overall tournament winner, with silver and bronze going to the first and second runners-up of the final elimination!
	Winning first place in the Photographer Of The Year community game is an achievement few are lucky enough to accomplish. By consistently placing well in ranked [foto] contests, the winner is awarded this coveted prize.

Definitions

Here are some common terms found throughout the Photography Arenas:

Bokeh	The term for the way a lens renders the out-of-focus portions of an image. A pleasant bokeh would imply that the non-focused elements such as the background blend in an esthetically pleasing way.
DoF	Depth of Field. The expanse or slice of an image or scene, depth-wise, which is in reasonable focus. A narrow depth of field means that only a thin slice is in focus, and the background is usually characterised as being washed out into a pleasant blend of color. A large depth of field indicates that almost everything is in the photograph is in perfect focus.
Global editing	The opposite of selective editing; making image adjustments to the whole of an image, evenly.
Hitlist	A list of subjects that are not allowed in a contest entry under risk of disqualification. For example, "Hitlist: flowers" means that flowers are not allowed.
Open contest	Usually defined as a contest that is open for entry or open for voting; a contest that has opened but not yet ended.
Outtake	An "alternate" or otherwise unused photograph from a larger body of work, such as a photoshoot, in which the constituent photographs are recognisibly similar.
Photoshoot	A series of photographs taken in one sitting, all conveying a single idea or theme.
RoT	Rule of Thirds. This is a fundamental compositional aid whereby the subject or a main line in your photograph (such as the horizon) is placed one third from the edges of the frame.
Selective editing	Post-process editing involving the manual or arbitraty selection of pixels as opposed to working the whole image evenly. Cloning, marquee-selection tools, and masking are examples of selective editing. Hue/Sat Adjustment layers are not considered selective editing; it is the difference between "all blue pixels" and "these blue pixels".
Shoeboxing	Entering a contest with a previously created (and/or photographed) entry. Shoeboxing is forbidden in some contests, and will be stated in the description when not allowed.
Snapshot	A photograph taken casually, without consideration to background or composition. Other features might include an overpowering on-camera flash, or an uncreative angle or point-of-view when shooting.