Nature General
This category mainly pertains to images such as landscapes, geology, natural phenomena, and wild flora/botany where the final image result looks natural as our eyes would see it, with no Hand of Man.
- The intent of Nature General is to make an image that DOES NOT HAVE ANY wild or domestic animals, birds, reptiles and looks like as our eyes would see it if we were there.
- Nature General submissions with any form of wildlife will be disqualified. If you are not sure your image meets the rule, we suggest you contact a member of the Competitions Committee to get clarification prior to the submission cut-off date.
- No humans are allowed in this category.
- Nature General must have absolutely NO HAND OF MAN in the image or any evidence of human intervention. This includes any domestic or cultivated plants, contrails from airplanes in the sky, cut lawns, or hiking trails. This category is excluded from the Natural Adaptation rule of Nature Zoology.
- Any form of unnatural or altered reality, unnatural gradients are not allowed.
HDR: The use of HDR techniques is acceptable for nature images as this technique falls under the allowed selective lightening and darkening technique; however, the final result must appear natural. Over processed HDR images or artistic HDR images are not acceptable as nature images.
Focus Stacking: The use of focus stacking techniques is allowed. The final result must appear natural.
Story-telling: The inclusion of a story-telling element in nature images is strongly encouraged.
Blurred water: Minor blurring or silky water in nature landscape images due to use of slow shutter speeds, is acceptable. Ultra-slow shutter speeds that render the water unrealistically silky and cloudy are not allowed. In keeping with the Nature General category, the sky and surrounding landscape around the water feature should look natural as our eyes would see it.
Unnatural skies: Overly processed streaked skies with added creative elements are not allowed. Long exposures of the night sky depicting the Milky Way or Aurora Borealis are acceptable as long as the sky appears as we would see it and has no added elements such as an added moon, other planets, or added streaks.
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Nature General
This category mainly pertains to images such as landscapes, geology, natural phenomena, and wild flora/botany where the final image result looks natural as our eyes would see it, with no Hand of Man.
HDR: The use of HDR techniques is acceptable for nature images as this technique falls under the allowed selective lightening and darkening technique; however, the final result must appear natural. Over processed HDR images or artistic HDR images are not acceptable as nature images.
Focus Stacking: The use of focus stacking techniques is allowed. The final result must appear natural.
Story-telling: The inclusion of a story-telling element in nature images is strongly encouraged.
Blurred water: Minor blurring or silky water in nature landscape images due to use of slow shutter speeds, is acceptable. Ultra-slow shutter speeds that render the water unrealistically silky and cloudy are not allowed. In keeping with the Nature General category, the sky and surrounding landscape around the water feature should look natural as our eyes would see it.
Unnatural skies: Overly processed streaked skies with added creative elements are not allowed. Long exposures of the night sky depicting the Milky Way or Aurora Borealis are acceptable as long as the sky appears as we would see it and has no added elements such as an added moon, other planets, or added streaks.
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