Page 31 - Cape-Camera-May-June-2025

Cape Camera May-June 2025

Changing the original scene by darkening is prohibited. The original scene (above right) was captured in
bright sunlight with the background vegetation clearly visible. In the image on the left the time of day was changed (to
night) and the background elements removed by darkening them — which constitutes illegal manipulation.
The cute cub (bottom right) is even cuter when a vignette is applied so that his face stands out even more. Selective dark-
ening to hide elements, whether with a vignette or other means, will result in a disqualification in Nature.

Manipulation in Nature categories from p30

able, artificially darkening the background beyond its present the scene as it was observed in the wild. Signifi-
original state can affect the mood, visibility of details, cant alterations that impact the authenticity of the en-
and even the perceived habitat of the subject. vironment, such as unnatural darkening, may create an
In non-manipulation nature photography, the goal is to unrealistic separation between the subject and its sur-
roundings, making the final image less faithful to reality.
Background adjustments should be limited to sub-
tle tonal refinements, rather than drastic changes that
could misrepresent the original scene.

Q: May I use a vignette in a non-manipulation category?
A: Applying a vignette during post-processing Nature
photograph is prohibited because it artificially alters the
image’s appearance. Vignettes typically involve darken-
ing or brightening the edges of a photograph to draw
focus toward the center, which disrupts the original
lighting balance and composition.
In non-manipulation categories, the objective is to main-
tain the authenticity of the scene as it was naturally cap-
tured. Adding a vignette contravenes this principle, as
Combining images is illegal. Two images may not it modifies the environmental context and atmosphere,
be combined or stitched together to create a new Na- potentially misrepresenting the actual conditions of the
ture image, even if they are shot consecutively. photographed scene.

Cape Town Photographic Society 31