SECTION 2:  NATURE

Nature photography documents all natural elements - from microscopic life to vast landscapes - across Earth's environments, including flora, fauna, geology, weather, and celestial subjects, while excluding human cultural elements.



Nature photographs must represent authentic, unmanipulated scenes where subjects are documented ethically, without causing stress or harm to living organisms. Each image should be readily identifiable by experts and free from any evidence of harmful human interference.

ETHICAL STANDARDS IN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY:

• A compelling Nature image must prioritize storytelling while maintaining exceptional technical quality.
• Images from reputable managed environments - such as zoos, wildlife sanctuaries, and ethical nature farms - are acceptable when the subjects appear in natural settings and their welfare is assured.
• Baiting wildlife with food or sound to create photo opportunities is prohibited. However, photography is permitted when animals are receiving legitimate supplemental feeding during harsh conditions, provided the photography is secondary to their care and wellbeing.
• Any method of restricting or manipulating an animal's natural movement - including chilling, sedation, or physical restraint - for photographic purposes is strictly prohibited.
• Photographers working at managed facilities such as zoos, sanctuaries, or rehabilitation centers must verify that these institutions are properly accredited and follow established ethical standards.
• Images of artificially bred plants and animals, domesticated or feral species, and preserved specimens are not permitted. This includes cultivated plants, hybrid species, pets, livestock, and taxidermy specimens.
• Human elements may appear in Nature images only when they are essential to the natural narrative. This includes three specific situations: 
• a) when they are integral to wildlife behaviour (like a bird using a fence post as a perch)
• b) when they are minimal and unavoidable background elements 
• c) when they are scientific markers used for wildlife research and tracking.

USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:

Images created or modified using Generative AI (GEN-AI) technology are not permitted in this salon. Any submitted Generative AI image (in whole or in part) will be disqualified. Entrants are reminded that all parts of the image have to be photographed by the author who is holding the copyright of all works submitted.

ALLOWED EDITING TECHNIQUES:

• Cropping, straightening and perspective correction 
• Removal or correction of elements added by the camera or lens, such as dust spots, noise, chromatic aberration and lens distortion 
• Global and selective adjustments such as brightness, hue, saturation and contrast to restore the appearance of the original scene 
• Complete conversion of colour images to grayscale monochrome 
• Blending of multiple images of the same subject and combining them in camera or with software (exposure blending or focus stacking) 
• Image stitching - combining multiple images with overlapping fields of view that are taken consecutively (panoramas). 

EDITING TECHNIQUES THAT ARE NOT ALLOWED:

• Removing, adding to, moving or changing any part of an image, except for cropping and straightening. 
• Adding a vignette during processing 
• Blurring parts of the image during processing to hide elements in the original scene 
• Darkening parts of the image during processing to hide elements in the original scene 
• Conversion of parts of an image to monochrome, or partial toning, desaturation or over-saturation of colour

Photographs must be in JPEG format, with dimensions 1920x1080 pixels at 300, JPEG compression (if Photoshop used for export): 7-12, file size maximum 4 Mb. Each image must have a unique title. Titles must not include file extensions such as .jpg or .jpeg (or any other camera capture filenames). No title or identification of the maker shall be written anywhere on the face of an image.