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12 Elements of a Merit Image

3.29.2018 News

The gold standard for judging International Photographic Competition entriesEvery year, Professional Photographers of America hosts its International Photographic Competition, where image-makers compete not against each other, but against a dozen ideals of excellence.Volunteer jurors complete classroom and hands-on instruction before they are invited to judge competition images. They use the 12 Elements to grade images on a 100-point scale, awarding each maker one, two, or zero merits for... Continue Reading >

Ben Shirk wins Grand Imaging Award

1.22.2018 News

Ben Shirk, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., is the Grand Imaging Award winner of 2018. Since 2011, Shirk has received 13 Grand Imaging Awards from PPA, taking honors in the portrait, wedding, and illustrative categories. This year, his “Till Death Do Us Part” image (above) took the overall top prize. The award was announced Jan. 15 at Imaging USA in Nashville, Tennessee.A proponent of PPA’s annual International Photographic Competition, Shirk says the work he puts into prepping his IPC entries... Continue Reading >

2018 Diamond Photographers

January 2018 issue Galleries

The 2018 crop of Diamond Photographer images takes imagination and technique to new heights. This next-level group of images represents the best of the best in PPA’s most recent International Photographic Competition.Earning a Diamond in IPC means that all four of a photographer’s images submitted into competition (i.e. the whole “case”) earned a spot in the coveted Loan Collection. Participants may enter a case in each of two categories: Photographic Open and Artist. Photographic... Continue Reading >

Photo Competition Prep: A Fresh Look at the 12 Elements

By Lisa Dillon, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, and Bryan Welsh, Cr.Photog., API
3.24.2017 News

One of the most daunting sentences you can hear as a novice competitor in PPA's International Photographic Competition is “Entries are judged using the 12 Elements of a Merit Image.” What are these 12 elements? Where can you find them? And most of all, what do they mean?If you’re new to image competition, it can feel like a game. It’s possible you have only a passing familiarity with the 12 Elements of a Merit Image. Yes, the list is displayed at every image competition and a short... Continue Reading >

8 new rules for PPA’s International Photographic Competition 2017

3.15.2017 News

Know the new rules and deadlinesThanks to the efforts and participation of the PPA Board of Directors, members, volunteers, and staff, the International Photographic Competition has seen significant growth in the past few years, with upticks in entries, critiques, and overall image quality.IPC 2017 will include a number of rule changes:1. To increase efficiency, juror panels will be reduced from six to five members. In 2016, a six-juror panel judged each image, and the lowest score was... Continue Reading >

28 Competition sins

6.30.2016 News

Adrian Henson, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP, has made a study of image competition. If you’re looking to rack up PPA merits in the International Photographic Competition, he says, avoid the following 28 sins, then find something in your image that really knocks you back in your seat. “Then you have the beginnings of what might be a great competition print,” he says.© Adrian Henson1. Sensor dust2. Halos3. Over-sharpening4. Crooked horizon5. Color banding6. Out of focus7. Bad... Continue Reading >

Act Two

By Jeff Kent
May 2016 issue Profiles

Leslie Hoyt nails the second phase of her professional lifeFor Tulsa, Oklahoma, portrait photographer Leslie Hoyt, M.Photog., CPP, photography began as a source of entertainment. Hoyt retired from a career in the software industry in 1999 to stay home with her children. Being a stay-at-home mom was challenging and rewarding in its own way, but after a couple of years, she started to feel the itch to get back into an adult pursuit.“Honestly, I was bored,” says Hoyt. “I had retired. I... Continue Reading >

Case study: Finding validation

By Jeff Kent
September 2015 issue Business

Tracy Page discovers career-saving supportWhen Tracy Page, Cr.Photog., CPP, of Douglas, Georgia, first got into photography, she faced a wall of negativity from many of the established photographers she encountered. Members of the old guard doubted her professionalism and her abilities. They were suspicious of her motives and withheld advice. Most discouraging: They told her again and again, “You’re doing it wrong.”SITUATIONWith a background in painting, drawing, and fine art, Page... Continue Reading >
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