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6th Metropolitan International Photographic Exhibition 

   2021

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ORGANIZER

Metropolitan Chapter of Photographic Society of America (PSA)

Website http://www.psa-met.com/

Email: psa.metropolitan@hotmail.com

 

CONTACT

Exhibition Chairman

Guo Jiang Ou (John) APSA, MPSA, EFIAP

Website: http://www.psa-met.com/

Email: psa.metropolitan@hotmail.com

 

CALENDAR

Closing Date:                             September 6, 2021

Judging Date:                             September 12, 2021

Notification Date:                      September 26, 2021

Award Date:                               November 14, 2021

Catalog, Gallery Upload Date:  November 14, 2021

 

RECOGNIZTION

The exhibition is organized under the approved rules of Photographic Society of America (PSA). 

The exhibition recognized by PSA, GPU, IAAP.

 

IMAGE AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

This exhibition is open to anyone; however, an entry may be rejected when the Sponsor or the Exhibition Organizers, in their reasonable discretion, believes the entry does not conform to exhibition rules and these Conditions of Entry. Membership in any photographic organization is not required.

 

Sanctions: Entries will not be accepted from any entrant who is currently sanctioned by PSA.

 

PSA Star Ratings

To receive proper Star ratings credit from PSA, entrants must provide their names and country exactly the same in each exhibition. Aliases are not permitted. Please contact PSA in the event of name changes or relocating to another country

 

Image Creation
Entries must originate as photographs (image-captures of objects via light sensitivity) made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired digitally.

 

Certification:

By virtue of submitting an image, the entrant certifies the work as his or her own (.Images may not incorporate elements produced by anyone else (for example: clip art, images or art by others downloaded from the Internet). Aliases are not allowed. The entrant permits the sponsors to reproduce all or part of the entered material free of charge for publication and/or display in media related to the exhibition. This may include low resolution posting on a website.  Note: Entrants who indicate that their images may not be reproduced or used “will not be eligible for awards” or inclusion in audio-visuals of the exhibition “and could be subject to disqualification” by the exhibition sponsors. The exhibition assumes no liability of any misuse of copyright

 

Alteration and Computer Generation:  Subject to Divisional restrictions (particularly Nature, Photo Travel, and Photojournalism) images may be altered, either electronically or otherwise, by the maker. Adjustments to enhance images or creatively modify images are allowed providing the underlying photograph is retained in a way that is obvious to the viewer.  Images may not be constructed entirely with a computer, and must be the sole work of the author

 

Re-use of accepted images: Once an image has been accepted in a PSA Recognized exhibition, any identical image, or near identical image, may not, in future, be entered or re-entered in any section of the same Division Star Ratings class in that exhibition regardless of media, format, or title; may not be re-titled for entry into any other PSA Recognized exhibition, including translation into another language.

 

Entry:  An Entry consists of, up to and including, four (4) images entered by a single Entrant into the same Section. An entrant may only enter a specific Section once.

 

Titles:  Each image must have a unique title. That unique title must be used for entry of that image or of an identical image into any and all PSA-Recognized exhibitions. Titles must be 35 characters or fewer. No titles may be visible to the judges, and nothing in the image may identify the maker. Titles must not include file extensions such as .jpg or .jpeg (or any other camera capture filenames), or words such as "untitled" or "no title". Titles may not consist solely of numbers.

 

Color and Monochrome:

Color and Monochrome images from the same capture that share substantial pictorial content in common will be considered the same image and must be given the same title.

However, PSA members working on Galaxy and Diamond Star Ratings are allowed to continue using different titles of monochrome versions and color versions of the same capture that have already been accepted until the required number of acceptances for those titles has been completed.

 

Breaches of Rules:

If, at any time, it is determined in the reasonable discretion of the exhibition organizer or the judges before, during, or after the judging of an exhibition that an entrant has submitted entries where one or more images may fail to comply with these Conditions of Entry, including the stated definitions, the exhibition organizers reserve the right to delete the entry from the exhibition and void any or all acceptances or awards in connection with the exhibition. Fees may be forfeited or refunded in these circumstances. The entrant acknowledges that the decision of the exhibition organizers or the judges is final

In order to ensure that images comply with the Conditions of Entry and definitions, the exhibition organizers may carry out reasonable measures to verify that:

a) the images are the original work of the entrant and

b) the images comply with the rules and definitions as set out in these Conditions of Entry

These steps include, but are not limited to, questioning any entrant, requiring the submission of RAW files or other digital files representing the original capture of the submitted image(s), confronting the entrant with evidence that one or more submitted images fails to comply with the Conditions of Entry (also known as Entry Rules), and offering the entrant a reasonable opportunity to provide counter evidence to refute the exhibition organizer’s evidence by a set deadline. Such entries that are not cleared or are still questionable after the entrant has presented evidence may be considered in breach of these Conditions of Entry, and declined. Such entries may be referred to PSA for further investigation of possible ethics violations

PSA retains the right to investigate in any way all complaints/suspicions of breaches of entry conditions, impose sanctions if deemed necessary, void the acceptances of any image found to violate the PSA rules, include the entrant’s name on the list of sanctions provided to Exhibitions, and share such investigations with FIAP. Entrants automatically agree to these terms by the act of entering the Exhibition and agree to cooperate with any investigation.

If another party is submitting images on the entrant’s behalf, the entrant will still be held responsible for adhering to these Conditions of Entry (Entry Rules) and will be subject to sanction for any violations to these Conditions of Entry and PSA’s Statement of Ethics that may result.

 

Notices to entrants:

When an entrant fills in the Entry Form to submit an entry the entrant will see a feature to affirm he or she has read these Conditions of Entry when he or she fills out the entry form.  If the entrant does not so affirm the entry will not be submitted

 

SECTIONS

  • 6 sections:

    • Open Color (PSA  PID Color)    *Color only

    • Landscape (PSA  PID Color)    *Color  and Mono

    • People (PSA  PID Color)    *Color and Mono

    • Open Monochrome (PSA PID Monochrome)   *Mono only

    • Nature (PSA ND)    *Color and Mono

    • Photo Travel (PSA PTD)    *Color and Mono

  • Each participant can enter up to 4 images per section.

 

DEFINITIONS

PSA definition of monochrome:

An image is considered to be Monochrome only if it gives the impression of having no color (i.e. contains only shades of gray which can include pure black and pure white) OR it gives the impression of being a grayscale image that has been toned in one color across the entire image. (For example by sepia, red, gold, etc.). A grayscale or multi-colored image modified or giving the impression of having been modified by partial toning, multi toning or by the inclusion of spot coloring does not meet the definition of monochrome and shall be classified as a Color Work.

 

PSA Nature Definition:

Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation.

The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality

Human elements shall not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves.

Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible.

Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement.

No techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are permitted.

Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content, or without altering the content of the original scene, are permitted including HDR, focus stacking and dodging/burning.

Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed.

Stitched images are not permitted.

Color images can be converted to greyscale monochrome.

Infrared images, either direct-captures or derivations, are not allowed.

Images entered in Nature sections meeting the Nature Photography Definition above can have landscapes, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and extant organisms as the primary subject matter.  This includes images taken with subjects in controlled conditions, such as zoos, game farms, botanical gardens, aquariums and any enclosure where the subjects are totally dependent on man for food.

Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections

 

PSA definition of travel:

A Photo Travel image expresses the characteristic features or culture of a land as they are found naturally. There are no geographic limitations. Images from events or activities arranged specifically for photography, or of subjects directed or hired for photography are not appropriate. Close up pictures of people or objects must include features that provide information about the environment. Techniques that add, relocate, replace or remove any element of the original image, except by cropping, are not permitted. The only allowable adjustments are removal of dust or digital noise, restoration of the appearance of the original scene, and complete conversion to greyscale monochrome. Other derivations, including infrared, are not permitted. All allowed adjustments must appear natural.

 

  • If the exhibition determines before, during, or after the judging that an entrant has submitted entries where one or more images fail to comply with these Conditions of Entry, including the stated definitions, the exhibition reserves the right and discretion to delete the entry from the exhibition and void any or all acceptances or awards. Fees may be forfeited in these circumstances. In order to ensure that images comply with the Conditions of Entry and definitions, the exhibition may carry out checks on the images to make sure that: a) the images are the original work of the entrant and b) the images comply with the rules and definitions as set out in these Conditions of Entry. This may involve asking the entrant to provide originally captured image(s), with EXIF data intact, by a set deadline. The questioned image(s) of any entrant failing to comply with such a request for the original image(s) may be considered in breach of these Conditions of Entry, and declined. Such entries may be referred to PSA for further investigation of possible ethics violations. PSA retains the right to investigate in any way all complaints/suspicions of breaches of entry conditions, impose sanctions if deemed necessary, void the acceptances of any image found to violate the PSA rules, include the entrant’s name on the list of sanctions provided to Exhibitions. Entrants automatically agree to these terms by the act of entering the Exhibition.

  • DATA PROTECTION  By entering this exhibition, you are explicitly consenting to the personal details you have supplied, including email addresses, being held, processed and used by the exhibition organizers for purposes associated with this exhibition. You also explicitly consent to such information being sent to organizations that have accorded official recognition, patronage or accreditation to this exhibition. You acknowledge and accept that entering this exhibition means that the status and results of your entry may be made public.

  • PSA Statement on Subject Matter There is one hard and fast rule, whose spirit must be observed at all times and applies to all sections offered in PSA recognized exhibitions. The welfare of the subject is more important than the photograph.

 

ENTRY FEE AND ENTRIES 

  • Entries received without fee will not be judged.

  • Payment by PayPal at exhibition website.

  • The Exhibition PayPal account: psa-met@outlook.com

 

IMAGE FILES

  • Digital image format: JPEG, sRGB color profile, maximum image width (horizontal) is 1400 pixels and maximum image height (vertical) is 1050 pixels, file size is less than 1MB.

 

JUDGING METHOD

  • Remote online judging.

  • All judging computer’s display resolution set on 1400 x 1050 pixels

 

REPORT CARD & CATALOG

  • Results will be notified by email and all the judging results are final.

  • Electronic catalog in PDF will be produced and available at the exhibition website for download.

 

AUTHOR COPYRIGHT

  • Each entrant owns the copyright of the submitted images. The entrant certifies the work as his own. The entrant permits the organizers to reproduce the entered material free of charge for promotional purposes related to the circuit, like catalog and website, unless specifically stated otherwise by the entrant on the entry form.

 

ACCEPTANCES

  • Acceptance rate are up to 35%

  • The acceptances from this exhibition are eligible to PSA Star Rating and Who’s Who in

    • PID Color,

    • PID Monochrome,

    • Nature Division

    • Photo Travel Division

 

AWARDS

  • Total of 138 awards includes:

    • 6 PSA Gold (1 per section)

    • 6 GPU Gold (1 per section)

    • 6 IAAP Gold (1 per section)

    • 6 PSA-Met Gold (1 per section)

    • 6 Chair Award (PSA-Met Gold. 1 per section)

    • 18 PSA-Met Silver (3 per section)

    • 24 PSA-Met Bronze (4 per section)

    • 12 GPU Honorable Mention (2 per section)

    • 6 IAAP Honorable Mention (1 per section)

    • 48 PSA-Met Honorable Mention (8 per section)

Each participant can win one award per section.

 

JURY

Elena McTighe  Hon PSA, MPSA, ESFIAP    NJ USA

Kah-Wai Lin  EPSA, SPSA   NJ USA

Mohammad Ali Salim APSA, GMPSA, GPSA, MFIAP, ARPS   NY USA

Xin Xin Liang APSA, EPSA AFIAP    NY USA

Rowshan Akhter  MPSA, BPSA, EFIAP/Silver​   NY USA

Lingyun Mao MPSA2 AFIAP    NY USA  

Jie Fischer EPSA, AFIAP   NJ USA

 

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