Thin Line Photo

DOCUMENTARY / PHOTOJOURNALISM / STREET
These photographs should tell a story and convey compelling information about the scenes.  Photographers should write accompanying cutlines/captions that help to add context and “tell the rest of the story.” Photos in this category are held to a higher degree of scrutiny and ethical consideration. No posed or staged shots, and post processing should be held to a minimum and used only for correcting minor issues with color balance, tone control and cropping for clarity, keeping in mind press-photographers’ codes of ethics. Any photo manipulation that alters the reality of the scene or adds bias to the interpretation of the image is forbidden. Original, unedited versions of photos may be requested if the accuracy of an entry is called into question. This category is open to color and monochrome images.

LANDSCAPE / CITYSCAPE / SEASCAPE
Some say an effective photo represents a strong foreground, middle-ground and background. Effective “scape” photos, whether of naturally occurring or man-made places, have a strong sense of space and go a long way to tell the story of a vast location. This category is open to color and monochrome images.

WILDLIFE / NATURE
This category is meant to highlight the natural world around us. With this in mind, the same rules apply here as they do in the photojournalism category - excessive photo manipulation is prohibited. Macro images highlighting the “art of nature” may be submitted. Additionally, this category deals with natural wildlife; and therefore, images of zoo-kept, domesticated, landscaped and other situations exhibiting the
“hand of man” are excluded from consideration. This category is open to color and monochrome images.

LIFESTYLE / EDITORIAL / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Like the cover of a book, magazine or alt-weekly, these images are meant to grab the viewer’s eye while quickly “selling” a story, so, they are held to a lower photojournalistic standard. These photos still convey a story and emotion, but may contain posed or post-production elements that alter the original scene.  This category may include photos of people or objects, but should all convey a sense of existing in the real world. Studio and product photography depicted without a real-world setting are excluded. Color and Monochrome entries are permitted.

SPORTS / ACTION / EVENTS
A specific subset of photojournalism, this category celebrates the effective capture of planned occurrences and events where the photographer has to anticipate the action and those “decisive moments” that matter in order to capture the image. Photos from live music performances, sporting events, rodeos, staged productions, carnivals, fairs and other similar events are included. Color and Monochrome entries are permitted.

TRAVEL
The mission of the photographer has always been to show to us things we cannot see for ourselves. Travel photography, while less stringent than traditional photojournalism, still serves the purpose of dispelling stereotypes and showing to those “back home” what the world beyond our own neighborhood is all about. Entries in this category must be captured outside of the State of Texas and depict some element that suggests the locale of which they were made. This category is for color images only.