GET CREATIVE! LEARN SOMETHING NEW!

TRY A NEW TECHNIQUE!

Monthly Assignments

Members are asked to submit their images through the Members Only section which will send them to our club email to be uploaded into a secured DropBox folder. Please see the instructions on the upload page in the members only section.

All forms of editing may be used, includes combining multiple images, textures, and manipulations to create a new image or composite image. All images used to create the final image must be the photographers own work. Assignments are due no later than midnight on the Sunday before meeting night. You may submit 2 images for each assignment.

If an image has been awarded Technical Merit or selected as Members’ Choice for previous assignment, it may not be submitted again. If not selected previously, images may be resubmitted for another assignment as long as it fits the criteria for that assignment.

Technical Judging: Each month, 4 images are selected for technical merit by a rotating judging panel made up of 3 club members and facilitated by a judging coordinator from the leadership team. Judges’ images are not eligible. The following criteria is used:

Content and Relevance to the Theme: Does the photo fit the assignment and does the submission meet the guidelines?

Technical Qualities: Is there a clear subject? Is it in focus? Is there a good composition with no distracting elements that could have been avoided? Is it properly exposed?

Originality: Are the details of the photo well organized with a unified meaning, interesting, different or unique approach to the assignment?

Creativity: Was the photo taken from a creative vantage point, or was the subject presented in a distinctive and artistic way?

Overall Impression: Does the image have a “wow factor”? Does it attract attention and conjure a feeling or response from the viewer?

2026 Assignments

December: Best of 2026…Show us the best 1-2 photographs you have taken this year. (Members need to print these images as well as upload the files to the website and voted onion person for 10 Members’ Choice. There will be no Technical Judging in December.)

2027 Assignments

January: Flower(s) in Vase(s) - You can have any number of flowers in any number of vases just remember that the photo must contain both flower and vase/vases

February: Refractions - Using shiny, mirrored, or translucent surfaces to duplicate, mirror, or enhance your subject. This technique transforms standard scenes into artistic compositions by adding depth, symmetry, and new perspectives to an image.

March: Architecture - The art of capturing buildings and structures in ways that are both aesthetically pleasing and accurate to their design.

April: Backlit Rain - Photographing backlit rain relies on contrast: because water is translucent, it requires a strong light source directly behind or to the side of the subject, illuminating the falling drops against a dark background.

May: Green - Photographing the color green involves mastering light, filters, and post-processing. Because human eyes perceive green more vividly than any other color, cameras can easily overexpose or wash it out. To capture deep, rich, and vibrant greens, utilize soft overcast lighting, underexpose slightly, and use a circular polarizer.

June: Member’s Choice - Any subject showing your best and favorite photos.

July: Backyard Birds - NO eagles, geese, owls, swans. Must be of the much smaller variety.Photographing backyard birds involves four main steps: attracting them with quality food and water, setting up an aesthetic perch, utilizing a blind (or shooting from a window) to avoid spooking them, and dialing your camera into a fast shutter speed (at least 1/1000s) to freeze their rapid movements.

August: Boats - Photographing boats requires balancing the dynamic movement of water with strict camera settings to capture sharp, vibrant marine images. Key practices include utilizing high shutter speeds to freeze motion, relying on burst mode for unpredictable waves, and shooting during the early morning or late afternoon.

September: Wabi-Sabi - Wabi-Sabi photography is a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness. Instead of striving for flawless, razor-sharp digital images, it encourages photographers to embrace natural decay, asymmetry, and raw, authentic emotion.

October: Break in the Pattern - Photographing a break in a pattern is a powerful compositional technique that instantly draws the viewer's eye. By intentionally capturing a disruption—such as a single object of a different color, an imperfection in the sequence, or an off-centered focal point—you create immediate visual tension and a strong focal point

November: Long Exposure Portrait Showing Motion - Photographing a long-exposure portrait with motion involves balancing a sharp, static subject with creative blur from movement. To achieve this, mount your camera on a sturdy tripod and use a slow shutter speed  to capture dynamic elements like walking crowds, flowing water, or light trails.

December: Best of 2027 - Your photos  can be of any subject, however, both images must have been taken in 2027. (Members need to print these images as well as upload the files to the website and voted onion person for 10 Members’ Choice. There will be no Technical Judging in December.)