I recommend you start competing with PSA by entering their FREE Facebook competition every day. No rules, no sizing, except all parts of the image must be yours (read rules pinned at top)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/359957924457298
It's easy to enter a pic every day (keep track of which ones you enter). You will see a lot of great images and see what the judges choose. There is a different judge every day, one from the USA, one from India, one from Europe, one from the Middle East, and so on, so that it minimizes the judge's preferences.


To get an idea of what is involved in competing, you'll find the PSA webinar library has 2 videos that are helpful.

Go to: https://psa-photo.org/page/webinars

You must request to see webinars, there is a button at the top.

Then scroll down to "Downloadable Webinar on PSA Activities"
Then watch "How to Enter PSA and FIAP exhibitions" by John Andrew Hughes
There is a lot there, you might want to watch a couple of times.

Then there is a video on how to apply for distinctions--
"Achieving Photographic Distinctions from PSA" by Roy Killen

I hope this helps to get you started. I am happy to help if you get stuck.

Good luck!
Brenda   Posted: 12/17/2023 09:49:02

Hello, everyone! After reading Nadia’s entry in the PSA supplemental Travel Journal, I thought it was important enough to re-post in the Digital Dialogue group pages. Here, we are reminded that “changing reality” is not allowed in PSA Travel Photography competition. In addition, I also want to stress the need to appropriately categorize one’s work if using “composite” techniques (including sky replacement) by tagging the work as a Hybrid Image, primarily when competing outside the Travel Photography category.

Below is a shortened version of Nadia Filiaggi’s original post in this months Travel Photography Journal.

Photography Travel is a documentary medium, and our images must reflect what was seen when we pressed the shutter. Removing, adding to, moving, or changing any part of an image except for cropping and straightening is not allowed. This goes for adding a different sky even if you are the author of the sky that is being replaced. (Please see the images below for reference).

(Note that using an element on an image that is not your own work cannot be entered into any section of a PSA recognized Exhibitions and is in violation of the PSA Ethics Policy).

Here are some examples showing the sky replacements selected from the Photoshop sky replacement facility: Here, it is evident how each Sky Replacement selection changes the mood and overall aesthetic of the original registered event below. Nonetheless, both examples are not authentic and thus ineligible to be used in PSA image competition.

The ‘2023 Photo Travel Guide for Judges and Chairs’ is available for download on the Photo Travel’s webpage: https://psa-photo.org/page/photo-travel

The Photo Travel Division has also set up a Gallery of staged/set-up images which our members can peruse: https://psa-photo.org/page/mo-ptd-staged-images

We have also produced new educational material that relates to the 2023 Guide: https://psa-photo.org/page/mo-ptd-resources

If you are uncertain if your image adheres to the Photo Travel Definition, please make use of the free Photo Travel Evaluation Service which members can access after login: https://psa-photo.org/page/mo-individual-image-evaluation

We look forward to hearing from you and directing your questions to the appropriate PSA administrator.

Originally posted by:
Nadia Filiaggi MPSA EFIAP
Email: ptd-esd@psa-photo.org

Best regards,
Lance A. Lewin (DD83 and DD87 Admin)
PSA B&W Photography Mentor
PSA South Atlantic Area Membership Director
Email: lance.visualizingart@gmail.com
  Posted: 03/28/2023 20:52:35

PSA Fine Art Photography Article: Compositional Structure

Hello, everyone! Hope you take the time to read my article in
The March issue of the PSA Journal, which can be found on the
PSA website if you do not currently receive the hard-copy of the
Journal. I very much look forward to your comments.

You can also Follow the Link below. Thank you.

https://psa-photo.org/resource/resmgr/pdf/journal_/2023/2023-03-psa-journal.pdf

Lance A. Lewin
PSA B&W Photography Mentor
PSA South Atlantic Area Membership Director
Contact: lance.visualizingart@gmail.com

  Posted: 03/19/2023 16:36:31

Camera, lens, tripod
Canon R5 with Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 lens. Tripod.

Taking the shot:
The camera is set for focus stacking, 350 shots and f/2.8 using the camera's default setting for focus increment. Autofocus is on, stabilization is off. 2 second delay after pressing shutter release until shooting will begin. Half press the shutter release and hold. The camera focusses on the nearest object within the chosen focus area. While the release is still half pressed, manually adjust the focus of the lens so that focus is in front of all parts of the subject. Note that the camera can display the focus distance while this is being done. Fully depress and release the shutter button, and after two seconds the shooting begins. Carefully watch the display, and as soon as the most distant part of the subject has come into focus and then starts to become blurred, depress and release the shutter release to stop the shooting.

Processing
I have experimented with various work flows, and I find that the following gives me the sharpest images with the fewest artifacts to be corrected manually.
Convert the raw images to tif using the Canon raw processor in DPP4.

Settings
Digital lens optimizer, 100% (This corrects chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting.)
Adjust luminosity so that brightest pixels of the image are somewhat shy of being blown and the darkest pixels of the image are close to full black
Minimal sharpening
No increase in clarity
Examine the tif images and either delete or do not use those at the beginning and at the end where the subject is not in focus.

Generating the composite focus stack
Open the tif images in Helicon focus, process using algorithm C with a smoothing setting of 2.
Process the stacked composite with an image editing program, which in my case is Picture Window 8, but most people will be using Photoshop.   Posted: 02/22/2023 09:19:24

Here's a PDF on the technique Sunil uses in Lightroom   Posted: 10/02/2022 10:08:56

I've just had the ribbons for the PSA Individual Portrait Division Competition round 1, one Merit and one Honorable Mention. Now for round 2.

>3 other medals this year in PSA recognised competitions, 2 Bronze medals and a Judges Choice, plus assorted ribbons, so what will 2021 offer?
  Posted: 12/30/2020 11:47:22

From Jim Hagan's September 2020 entry--
Jason Kravitz--This gives you an idea of the gray area that I used to paint in the dark areas.
Jim Hagan --Many thanks for your revision and for explaining your 50% gray layer. I do use dodge and burning but will have to try your technique.   Posted: 09/27/2020 19:06:02

There has been some interest in Digital Dialogue to start an Underwater Photography group. If you have an interest in joining an underwater photography digital dialogue group, let me know, and I will pass it on to the organizers.

Also, I just learned that if you are in 2 or more Digital Dialogue groups, you are not allowed to enter the same pic in multiple groups. I actually have done this several times, as it gives me even more ideas. But, obviously, won't do that any longer. Just passing that on, if any of you are in multiple Digital Dialogue groups.   Posted: 08/23/2020 12:42:58

Here are the basic steps Stephen Levitas (Group 32). used in PS Elements.
1. Open a new blank PS document, with lots of space to receive two copies of your image. Later you can crop down to just the final image.
2. Crop your original image (if needed, as in this case) to just the portion of the image you want, and copy it into layer 1 of the new document.
3. Go back to the Step 2 image, flip it horizontally, and copy that to layer 2 of the new document.
4. Move the images to touch, crop the composite to get rid of excess empty space, and save as a JPEG if you want.
Lots more creativity is possible with copying, transforming, and pasting into a new document, and we have seen some fantastic stuff (much more than this basic technique) throughout the Digital Dialogues over the months and years. Some folks are fantastic with their imaginative transformations.   Posted: 08/20/2020 15:47:52

One of my images, "Decisive Moment", has been posted to the Digital Dialog Member's Showcase home page for this month, go Group 78 :)
http://psadigital.org/
  Posted: 08/16/2020 05:25:29

Brenda was asking for some moon photography tips.

I usually try to get out every full moon, especially in the summer when it stays lighter out and you can get more photo opps with the moon interacting with foreground elements without it being too dark.

Most of what I've learned has been from photographer Don Smith who shared some of his techniques in an article posted on Aminus3 a while back.

You can see it here : https://www.aminus3.com/threads/amazing-moon-photography/

  Posted: 08/10/2020 17:33:06

I'm testing out our bulletin board. This is where we can discuss camera gear, a specific technique, etc. I'm hedging a bit and putting my latest version of my July entry, as I didn't get it posted before the discussion closed on it. I started from scratch and went a whole different direction with tools and processing. I wanted to get the blue HDR halo off the yellow rope that Jason had pointed out.

You'll find our bulletin board button in white right above "PSA Digital Dialogue". Anyone have a topic?   Posted: 08/02/2020 17:18:09