 The minimum requirement, for all categories, is that the image must have been taken using a camera with a sufficiently high resolution to allow the image to be reproduced at A4 size or above (at 300 ppi). We recommend that you use a camera of 4 mega pixels or more.
NB Please ensure that your camera is on its highest-quality setting.
You can also submit images that have been scanned from film or negative to all categories.
All images must be of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
You may already have the images that you want to enter in your files. This is fine, as long as they have been taken within the five years immediately prior to the closing date. Images that have appeared in a previous Take a view books or those that have been successful in other national/international competitions are not eligible.
Images submitted will be completely anonymous when they are viewed by the judges. The captions will not be shown at this stage and so images will be selected solely on their visual interest and impact.
When you have selected your pictures, digital adjustments, including High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging techniques, are allowed. The integrity of the image must be maintained and the making of physical changes to the landscape is not permitted. It must be possible to go to the location of the image and see the view exactly as it appears – so no subtraction or addition of trees or fences.
Black & white and panoramic images are allowed.
Other hints to help you to select your images:
Focus. The image should be sharp unless blur is an intentional effect. Winning and commended entries will be printed in a book and displayed as large prints at an exhibition at the National Theatre, so it is critical that the quality is as high as possible. Please use the best possible camera that you can. The requirements given for camera quality are MINIMUM requirements, and the larger the file size you can supply if your image is short-listed, the better. However, this will not change your chance of winning. As long as your image meets the minimum spec, it has an equal chance, but a larger file will mean that your image can be printed at a larger size.
Light. The use of light is key to a good landscape and the most important thing is that the light is appropriate to the image. There are many different types of ‘good’ light; storm light, early morning light, even flat light can be perfect, depending on the subject.
Composition. When editing your images for entry, make sure that you stand back from them and view them as a whole. Is there a tree growing out of the back of a sheep? Is the whole thing on a slant? Would it have been better if you’d moved a few feet to the left? Or held the camera nearer to the ground? There are a lot of factors that contribute to the overall composition of an image, but it should be very obvious when everything has come together and looks right.
Emotion. This is a tricky one, as it is a very personal thing and hard to define. A good photograph will include some of the emotion that the photographer was feeling at the time it was taken and a strong emotion, whether good or bad, can lift a picture above the ordinary. It is also a very good idea to seek a few opinions on the images you wish to enter. It can be difficult to assess your own work and be objective as there are always other factors that interfere – it may have been a particularly hard shot to get, you may have waited three days in a rainy camper van – but that does not necessarily make it good, so an opinion from someone who was not there when the picture was taken is invaluable. |
