ESPI - Smartphone Street Photography photomeet. Participants could only use their phone cameras and had two hours to roam the City of Malolos to find interesting subjects. Furthermore, there was a theme for the contest : "RED".  Their entries are now up for voting.


Voting Mechanics :

• Contest is open to Focus Bulacan official members and applicants. Voting is also open only to members and applicants, plus official guest judge. Only Focus members/applicants/judge's votes will be tallied.

• There's no specific criteria where to base your vote. Just vote for the photo that you think best captured the essence of the theme and activity (Red, Street Photography).

• Please view each and every photo before casting your vote.

• Pick one photo for 1st place, one for 2nd place, and one for 3rd place. Cast your vote by stating the entry numbers of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place photos. 1st place votes get 3 points, 2nd place votes get 2 points, and 3rd place votes get 1 point. (Guest judge's votes count for 10 points for 1st place, 7 points for 2nd, and 5 points for 3rd.)

• You need to pick three photos. If you name only one photo, your vote would only count for 1 point.
• Although not required, voters are encouraged to offer constructive critique on their picks.
• Participants may not vote for their own photo. Self-votes will be nullified and violator's entry will be automatically disqualified.

• The entry that accumulates the most number of points wins.

• Use your Facebook account to cast your vote. There's a Facebook comment box plug-in at the bottom of this post. State your vote by adding a comment there.
• To the participants : win the contest thru the merit of your photo, not by other means. Please report cases of vote solicitation or vote influencing by informing Focus Bulacan Competition Officer Jing Calonge. Your report will be handled confidentially. Participants who are found to have solicited or influenced votes shall be disqualified outright from the contest and given a last warning. The next offense shall lead to disqualification from Focus Bulacan's 2019 Competition.
• Voting ends on Monday, April 29, at 11:59PM. Winner will be announced soon after.

The entries :

15 entries in all. May the best one win.

Thank you for dropping by and chiming in. Especially our guest judge Francis Nollan and Irene Dy.

Here are the best of the birdies :

Back in flight! Congratulations, Ry! 1st Place gets an extra 10 points, 2nd Place gets 7, 3rd Place gets 5, 4th Place (undisclosed) gets 3, and 5th Place (undisclosed) gets 2 points for Focus Bulacan's 2019 Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for submitting entries.

Coming up : April 2019 "Sunburst" Theme Contest

The form and beauty of nature presented in abstract. Which ones stand out for you, and which did you vote for? Let's find out our winners. Thanks to everyone who voted!

The Top 3 :

He's on fire! We're just in the third month of 2019 and this is already his third contest win. Congratulations, Gerson! 1st Place gets an extra 10 points, 2nd Place gets 7, 3rd Place gets 5, 4th Place (undisclosed) gets 3, and 5th Place (undisclosed) gets 2 points for Focus Bulacan's 2019 Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for submitting entries.

To be announced next : our Birdscape PhotoMeet Contest winners

There's a time for joy, a time for sorrow, and all the emotions in between. And then there's the perfect moment to capture those emotions. Thanks to everyone who cast their votes!


Our Top 3 :

Way to Go, Patrick! Congratulations! 1st Place gets an extra 10 points, 2nd Place gets 7, 3rd Place gets 5, 4th Place (undisclosed) gets 3, and 5th Place (undisclosed) gets 2 points for Focus Bulacan's 2019 Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for submitting entries.

Up next : Our March "PhotoMeet" contest, something new in store for the participants... and mentors :)

Straight out the camera entries. Hats off to the participants for coming up with these compelling stories. After a week of voting, the top photos have emerged.

The Top 3 :

Back to back wins! Congratulations on your hot start, Gerson! 1st Place gets an extra 10 points, 2nd Place gets 7, 3rd Place gets 5, 4th Place (undisclosed) gets 3, and 5th Place (undisclosed) gets 2 points for Focus Bulacan's 2019 Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for submitting entries.

Thanks to everyone who gave their votes and determined our winners! Till the next contest.

A new race begins.

For The Throne.

Here are the changes in this year's competition from last year's :

• NEW COMPETITION OFFICER : 2018 Competition Officer Jer Sandel has resigned his post and relinquished his officership altogether starting this year. Taking on the role of Competition Officer for 2019 is JING CALONGE.
• Competition Officer Calonge is not eligible to enter Focus Bulacan's competition. She may, however, join the PhotoWorld Cup competition in representing Focus Bulacan, the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk contest, and other national/international contests that are not organized by Focus Bulacan.
• Although he is now eligible to join Focus Bulacan's 2019 competition, former Competition Officer Sandel has chosen not to participate this year. However, he may still join the PhotoWorld Cup competition in representing Focus Bulacan, the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk contest, and other national/international contests that are not organized by Focus Bulacan.
• 2018 PhotoWorld Cup Adviser Joey Ramos is taking on a new role, this time as Externals Officer for 2019. He is still eligible to enter and join the Focus competition, with no restrictions.

Purpose. Focus Bulacan’s photocontests are meant to inspire improvement by providing an organized form of objective and subjective evaluation of photos. Photograph entries are individually assessed, then compared to other entries, with these assessments being the basis for voting. The results and feedback of the contests should serve as critique, which in turn would guide the participants as to where improvements should be made in their next photos.

Approach. Contests are competitive in nature. Competitiveness - within the boundary of rules, fairness and sportsmanship – spurs improvement. Participants are urged to do their best to win contests while adhering to these guidelines. However, may we remind everyone that there will be winners, there will be losers, yet the ultimate goal is for participants to learn something from the feedback and critique on their photo entries. Winning isn’t everything. Wanting to win AND learning from trying are everything.

Methodology. Focus Bulacan contests are open only to official members and applicants. Likewise, only members and applicants are allowed to vote on the photos. Entries will be kept anonymous so as to eliminate bias and make voters assess the photos purely on their merit.

PHOTOMEET AND THEME CONTEST ENTRY SUBMISSION PROCEDURE :

• Follow contest general guidelines (regarding restrictions and photo resizing).
  
• Rename your entry in this format :

              If PhotoMeet contest : YOURNAME_PHOTOMEETNAME.JPG
              (Example : ALDENRICHARDS_MALOLOSPHOTOWALK.JPG)
              If Theme contest :
              YOURNAME_THEME.JPG (for your entry)
              (Example : ALDENRICHARDS_EMOTIONS.JPG)

• Email your contest entries to focuscompetition2019@gmail.com (new email address for 2019 contests)
• Indicate in Subject the name of the photomeet or theme contest

              (Example : "DULANSANGAN CONTEST ENTRY")

PHOTOWORLD CUP ENTRY SUBMISSION PROCEDURE :

• Follow contest general guidelines.
• Rename your entry in this format :

              YOURNAME_THEME_EDITED.JPG (for your entry)
              YOURNAME_THEME_UNEDITED.JPG/RAW (for RAW file of your entry)
              (Example : ALDENRICHARDS_EMOTIONS_EDITED.JPG /
               ALDENRICHARDS_EMOTIONS_UNEDITED.CR2)

• Keep in mind that you have to submit BOTH your photo entry and its raw file. Incomplete submissions will be disqualified from the contest.
• Email your contest entries to focuscompetition2019@gmail.com
  
• Indicate in Subject the name of the PhotoWorld Cup theme

             (Example : "PWC HOUSE OF WORSHIP ENTRY")

• Only Focus members and applicants are allowed to join our contests.
• For photomeet and theme contests : only members, applicants, and guest judges may vote (public voting).
• For PWC contests, a Focus competition committee will select the entries for submission to the national PWC judging.
• For 2019 photomeet and theme contests, we will use public comment voting system where votes will be posted as comments on the website contest page.  You have to use your personal Facebook account in order to vote. The comment section is at the bottom of the contest page, click HERE to get the idea. We strongly encourage voters to offer critique along with their votes. Voting mechanics are also published whenever a contest is posted for voting.

Voting Mechanics

• Contest is open to Focus Bulacan official members and applicants. Voting is also open only to members and applicants, plus official guest judges.

• There's no specific criteria where to base your vote. Just vote for the photo that you think best represents the activity or theme.

• Please view each and every photo before casting your vote.

• Pick one photo for 1st place, one for 2nd place, and one for 3rd place. Cast your vote by stating the entry numbers of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place photos. 1st place votes get 3 points, 2nd place votes get 2 points, and 3rd place votes get 1 point. (Guest judge's votes count for 10 points for 1st place, 7 points for 2nd, and 5 points for 3rd.)

• You need to pick three photos. If you name only one photo, your vote would only count for 1 point.
• Although not required, voters are encouraged to offer constructive critique on their picks.
• Participants may not vote for their own photo. Self-votes will be nullified and offender's entry (if he/she has one in the contest) will be automatically disqualified.

• The entry that accumulates the most number of points wins.

• Use your Facebook account to cast your vote. State your vote in the Facebook comment section at the bottom of the contest page.

• To the participants : win the contest thru the merit of your photo, not by other means.

• Voting usually takes a week (7 days), with the winner announced the next day once voting ends.

 
Vote Solicitation/Influencing

• Soliciting or influencing votes is strictly prohibited.
• Do not ask voters to vote for your entry or influence them to do so by showing them your entry.
• Keep your entry anonymous as much as possible.
• Proven cases of vote solicitation/influencing will lead to disqualification of involved participant.
• Please report cases of vote solicitation or vote influencing to Competition Officer Jing Calonge. Rest assured that your report will be handled confidentially.
  

Like the previous year, we shall have one guest judge for photomeet contests and one guest judge for theme contests. Each judge's votes will count for 10 points for their 1st place picks, 7 points for 2nd place picks, and 5 points for 3rd place picks. Each guest judge will be asked to vote in every photomeet or theme contest for 2019.

PhotoMeet Contest Judge :

• FRANCIS NOLLAN - Neutral Ground Reborn administrator and Konsepto Camera Club president
  

Theme Contest Judge :

• JAMES SINGLADOR - Internationally-acclaimed photographer, member of the PhotoWorld Cup committee and Samahan ng mga Litratista sa Rizal
  

Competition Officer Jing Calonge has reviewed and finalized the points system for our 2019 competition. Here are the details :

Points/Scoring System - Points awarded for contests and accomplishments :

• For every submission of entry to a Focus PhotoMeet or Theme contest : 3 points
• Bonus points for placing in the Top 5 of a PhotoMeet or Theme contest :

          + 10 points - 1st Place
          + 7 points - 2nd Place
          + 5 points - 3rd Place
          + 3 points - 4th Place
          + 2 points - 5th Place
          (No additional points for 6th place onwards)

• Scoring for Focus Portrait Project :

             Submission of entry : 5 points
             + 20 points : 1st Place
             + 15 points : 2nd Place
             + 10 points : 3rd Place
             + 7 points : 4th Place
             + 5 points : 5th Place

• Scoring for Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk contest :

             Submission of entry : 3 points
             + 20 points : 1st Place
             + 15 points : 2nd Place
             + 10 points : 3rd Place
             + 7 points : 4th Place
             + 5 points : 5th Place
             Bonus points :
             + 10 points : if included in Honorable Mentions list
             + 20 points : if included in Finalists list
             + 30 points : if People’s Choice winner
             + 50 points : if Grand Prize winner
             * +10 points for Photowalk Leader (who can only enter Leaders Contest, not the regular contest)

• Scoring for Fujifilm Nationwide Photowalk contest :

             Submission of entry : 3 points
             + 20 points : 1st Place
             + 15 points : 2nd Place
             + 10 points : 3rd Place
             + 7 points : 4th Place
             + 5 points : 5th Place
             Bonus points :
             + 15 points : Top 5 finish (2nd-5th place)
             + 25 points : for Grand Prize winner / People's Choice winner
             * +10 points for Photowalk Leader (who cannot enter the regular contest)

• Scoring for Focus Anniversary Exhibit and People's Choice + Juror's Choice contest :

             Submission of entries for exhibit : 10 points total (regardless if photos are approved for exhibit or not)
             Bonus points for People's Choice :
             + 20 points : 1st Place
             + 15 points : 2nd Place
             + 10 points : 3rd Place
             + 7 points : 4th Place
             + 5 points : 5th Place
             Bonus points for Juror's Choice :
             + 25 points : Juror's Choice (only 1 will get chosen)

• Points for FPPF PhotoWorld Cup competition :

             + 5 points for submission of entry (regardless if approved for national contest or not)
            
             Bonus points according to contest ranking :
             + 10 points : Enter the Top 30 of a PWC contest (13th-30th place)
             + 20 points : Place 2nd-12th (Top 12) in a PWC contest
             + 30 points : Place 1st in a PWC contest

             Bonus points according to year-end competition ranking :
             + 75 points : Finish 1st in PWC Photographer Of The Year competition
             + 50 points : Finish 2nd-5th in PWC POTY competition
             + 30 points : Finish in Top 10 of PWC POTY competition
             + 50 points : Win PWC Rookie Of The Year competition
             + 20 points for each Focus participant if Focus Bulacan finishes in Top 10 of Club Of The Year competition

 
The only permanent thing in the world is CHANGE. And indeed, we're moving on to our next contest. But not before revealing our winners. Thanks again to everyone who voted, especially those who offered critique!


Top 3 of "Change" :

Change atop the POTY standings is coming? Congratulations, Gerson! 1st Place gets an extra 10 points, 2nd Place gets 7, 3rd Place gets 5, 4th Place (undisclosed) gets 3, and 5th Place (undisclosed) gets 2 points for Focus Bulacan's 2019 Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for submitting entries.

Up next : February 2019 PhotoMeet Contest!

Hey, hey, hoooo-heeyyyy! Congratulations to the top placers of our first photo contest of 2019. Thanks to everyone who voted and helped determine these winners! Only a point separated our 1st and 2nd placers... proof that every vote counts!

Our "Showdown of Lights" Top 3 :

Buena mano! Congratulations, Jeff! 1st Place gets an extra 10 points, 2nd Place gets 7, 3rd Place gets 5, 4th Place (undisclosed) gets 3, and 5th Place (undisclosed) gets 2 points for Focus Bulacan's 2019 Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for submitting entries. *

* - 2019 Competition Officer Jing Calonge is still in the process of assessing points allocation for this year's competition. These values are not final yet.

The Focus Portrait Project is Focus Bulacan's version of the Christmas "exchange gift" tradition. Pick your monito/monita randomly from a lot, then partner with him/her in conceptualizing, scheduling, and executing the shoot. All the photos are then presented during our Christmas party and voted upon on-the-spot to determine the winner. This has been the 6th edition of FPP. For this one, the assigned theme for the photos is "Framed".

Here are the FPP 2018 entries :

Attendees of our year-end party (Decemberfest) voted on the entries and determined the winner. Here are the adjudged top photos of Focus Portrait Project 2018 :

Congratulations, Jeffrey and Ronald! Both were not present during our year-end party and awarding. Jeffrey (the winning photographer) claimed his prize - a Samsung A6 tablet - a few days after our event.

FPP participants get 5 points for submitting entries for the Photographer of the Year competition. First place gets additional 20 points as bonus, 2nd place gets 150 points, 3rd place gets 10, 4th place gets 7, and 5th place gets 5 bonus points.

Till next year and till the next edition!

Ordinary or extraordinary? Our voters sorted through the field and picked their favorites. Here are the top photos of our last monthly contest this 2018...

The Top 3 :

Ending the year on a high note. Congratulations, Raymond! May this contest victory clinch your membership approval. 1st Place gets an extra 10 points, 2nd Place gets 7, 3rd Place gets 5, 4th Place (undisclosed) gets 3, and 5th Place (undisclosed) gets 2 points for the 2018 Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for submitting entries.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED IN OUR 2018 CONTESTS! We appreciate each and every one of you. Of course, the biggest thanks go out to our 2018 Guest Judge RICKY LADIA for the year-long honest critique of the entries. Salute, sir!

Thus ends the last of our monthly contest this year. The only contest remaining is the Focus Portrait Project 2018, which is open only to members. See you again next year as we begin another round of competition!