SECTION 4:  OPEN MONOCHROME

Monochrome photography challenges entrants to see beyond color, focusing on the interplay of light, shadow, texture, and form to create compelling visual narratives. This section invites entrants to demonstrate their mastery of tonal range, contrast, and composition through black and white imagery that strengthens rather than diminishes their subject's impact.

A monochrome image must fall into one of these two categories:

1. A purely greyscale image using only black, white, and shades of grey
2. A greyscale image that has been uniformly tinted with a single color across the entire frame (such as sepia, red, or gold toning)

An image is NOT considered monochrome if it:

• Has selective colour toning in different areas
• Includes spot colouring or partial colourization
• Uses multiple tints or tones across different parts of the image. Such images that mix colours or toning effects is not considered a monochrome and will be disqualified.



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:

• On-Camera - Utilizing on-camera features and settings for image enhancements such as focus stacking and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
• Post Processing – All traditional editing features are permitted, conversion to black & white, content-aware editing, double exposures, composite images, dodging and burning, focus stacking, HDR (High Dynamic Range), long-exposure blending, and vignette. For AI tools, only masking, sharpening, noise reduction, and image upscaling are permitted.
• Background - A background you have photographed or created, as long as they are your original work and properly integrated into the final image. 
• Colour With Brush Tool – The brush strokes must be applied manually by the entrant, and no pre-made brushes or automated tools (e.g., AI-generated effects) are permitted. This ensures that the creative process is entirely the entrant’s work.
• Sky Replacement – Permitted provided that the replacement sky was captured by the entrant submitting the image.

EDITING TECHNIQUES THAT ARE NOT ALLOWED:

• Images that are entirely generated electronically with no photographic origin.
• Adding external elements (e.g., stock images, clipart, or AI-generated components) to a submitted image, unless all elements are entirely created by the photographer 
• Generative AI Content Fill, Remove and Expand.
• Brushes that include shapes, textures, or effects not created by the photographer (e.g., pre-made brushes of birds, snowflakes, or other designs).
• Photograph must not contain any decorative elements like frames, borders, pin-lines, or mats. This includes the edges and markings of scanned film. When the frame is integral to the captured image, for instance a window frame or door frame that has been captured by the camera, these elements are permitted
  
  

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.