The Louisville Photographic Society

LOUISVILLE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS

             Amended & approved by the membership:  Feb 13, 1991;  Mar 11, 1992;  Mar   9, 2005;  Nov 12, 2008, Oct. 14, 2009

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE 1.  NAME:  The name of this organization shall be the Louisville Photographic Society.

ARTICLE 2.  PURPOSE:  The purpose of this Society shall be to aid and benefit, by mutual cooperation, photographers of Louisville and vicinity, and to make available to other people of the community an opportunity to view our members work.

ARTICLE 3.  MEETINGS:  Meetings shall be held as directed in the By-Laws.

ARTICLE 4:  AMENDMENTS:  The Constitution may be amended by a vote of the majority of members present at any regular or special meeting, provided the call for said meeting shall have specified the proposed amendment(s).

BY-LAWS

 ARTICLE 1.  MEMBERSHIP

 Section I:     Any person interested in photography shall be eligible to submit an application for membership in the Society.

Section II:  Annual dues for family members (all those living under one roof) or for students  shall be determined by the vote of the Board of Directors. Dues are payable by January 1.  Any member in arrears after January 1 will not be eligible to vote or compete until dues are paid.  Dues for new members joining after January will be prorated based on a 10-month year.  Dues are non-refundable.

Section III:  The Board of Directors, by majority vote, shall have the power to deny membership privileges to any member for conduct deemed not in the interest of the Society.

Section IV:  Honorary membership may be granted by majority vote of the Board of Directors to an individual deemed worthy.  Honorary members will receive the bulletin, and may attend all meetings or activities.

 ARTICLE 2.  MEETINGS

Section I:  At the regular February meeting of the Society, election of Officers and Board Members shall be held, in addition to the transaction of other business.

Section II:   Regular meetings of the Society shall be held at such times and places as the Board of Directors shall decide.

Section III:  One fourth of the membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at all meetings of the Society.

Section IV:  Each member present at any meeting of the Society shall be entitled to vote.

ARTICLE 3.  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section I: The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers, the retired President and Treasurer, and five  (5) Elected Directors.  Each member of the Board of Directors shall serve for a term of two years, or until his/her successor has been elected.

Section II:  The Board of Directors shall have the power to perform all executive duties pertaining to Society affairs.

Section III:  At least sixty (60) days prior to the February meeting, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee, which shall meet and nominate candidates for the Society's Officers and Board of Directors.  A slate shall then be prepared containing the names of the candidates to be presented at the February meeting.  Any member present at the meeting can also make nominations from the floor, provided prior acceptance by the nominee has been obtained.

 ARTICLE 4.  OFFICERS

Section I:  The officers of the Society shall consist of President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, the Secretary and the Treasurer. The Officers shall hold office for a period of two years or until their successors have been elected.

Section II: The President shall preside at all regular meetings of the Society and the Board of Directors, and shall be the Executive Head of the Society, and shall be an ex-officio member of all standing committees of the Society, and shall perform such other duties as the Board of Directors shall direct.  The President shall appoint such Committee Chairs as are necessary for carrying on the activities of the Society.

Section III:  The First Vice-President shall be in charge of public relations for the Society, and shall also see that a program or speaker is provided for the regular club meetings.  It shall be his/her duty to promote the presentation of the work of society membership throughout the Louisville area, and in the event of the absence of the President, to preside at the regular monthly meeting.

Section IV:  The Second Vice-President shall be in charge of photographic competitions of the Society, including obtaining a judge for club competitions.  It shall be his/her duty to promote interest in photography among the membership, and to aid and assist members with photographic problems.

Section V:  The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings of both the Society and Directors, and shall take and record the minutes of such meetings.  The Secretary shall have charge of such bonds, papers and other property of the Society, as the Board shall designate, and shall perform all the duties incident to the office as required by the By-Laws or the Board of Directors. 

Section VI:  The Treasurer shall have custody of such securities and funds of the Society as the Board of Directors may assign.  The Board of Directors must approve expenditures of more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00).  The Treasurer shall collect Society dues and shall keep proper books or records, showing all monies received and disbursed and all assets and liabilities of the Society.  These books should at all times be open to the inspection of the Board of Directors.  The Treasurer shall furnish the President with a list of members more than 90 days delinquent in payment of dues, and upon approval of the Board of Directors, shall drop such members from the roster.  The President shall appoint an auditor at the direction of the Board of Directors.

Section VII: Vacancies occurring in any office during the year shall be filled for the unexpired term by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.  In the absence of or the inability of the Secretary or Treasurer to perform his/her duties, the Board of Directors shall delegate his/her power and duties to some other member selected by the Board.

Section VIII:  The President may appoint chairpersons as needed to form committees to serve the best interests of the Society.  If such chairperson is not a member of the Board, he/she may, at the invitation of the President, attend meetings of the Board as an ex-officio member.

Section IX: Upon the death of a member of the Society, the Treasurer shall make a twenty dollar ($20.00) remembrance to a charity of the decedent's family choice.

Section X:  The By-laws may be amended or added to by a vote of the majority of the members present at any regular or special meeting of the Club, provided that the membership has been notified either by mail, e’mail, or by verbal announcement given at least 25 days prior to the meeting where the vote is to occur.

RULES FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

A.  GENERAL RULES

 1.  There are three separate regular monthly competition divisions:

·        Color Prints

·        Monochrome Prints

·        Digitals (digital slides)

Separate competitions for a Novice Division, an Advanced Division, a video division, a slide division or any other division which is approved by the board of directors may be held.  Rules governing these competitions shall be provided by the Board of Directors. 

 2.  Only Members in good standing may enter competitions.

 3.  Each entry for competition must have been under the control of the member-entrant at the time of exposure.  In addition to all work performed by the entrant, specifically allowed for use in preparing an entry are: Commercially developed slides which have been scanned to digital files or printed, negatives, commercially printed photographs, commercially mounted prints and laser prints.

 4.  a. In regular competitions (Color Prints, Monochrome Prints, and Digitals) each member may submit up to two (2) entries in each division each month, with a maximum of six entries for any one competition

     b. In special competitions such as videos, the presentations must be pre-scheduled.  Such special competitions must be approved by the Board of Directors.

     c. For competitions in such divisions as novice or advanced, the eligibility requirements, the number of entries, and the awards given shall be determined by the board of directors.

5.  In regular competition, the subject of the entry must conform to the assigned category.  The Judge will reject any entry not conforming to the category. 

6.  No entry which has ever received an award in competition in the Society’s competitions (1st, 2nd ,3rd, or Honorable Mention) can be re-entered in any  monthly competitions of the Society.

7.  The same photo may not be entered in more than one category on the day of a competition. (E.g.., a color print may not also be entered as a monochrome print, or a digital print on the same day.) “Same photo” means an identical shot, - one having the same content and composition. An enlarged or reduced copy may also not be entered on the same day.

8.  Different photos taken of the same subject from different angles, and photos involving movement of the subject or the passing of time are permissible, both as multiple entries on the same day, and as variations on a photo that has previously won points. 

9.  Crops of entries which have previously won are not allowed to be entered, nor are any other photos made by adjustments to winning entries.  Once a photograph has won points, no part of the negative, print, slide or digital file may be entered again.

10. Slide “sandwiches” used for scanning, or print or digital layering are permissible as long as all the elements in the photos and slides are the original work of the member.

11.  Adjustments to photos such as those done in the dark room, developing process or with computer “photo manipulation” programs are permissible. This would include adjusting contrast or color, burning, dodging, sharpening, blurring, etc. However, adding items supplied by computer programs (such as a flower, the moon, etc.) is not permitted.

12.  Manipulation of a photograph to the extent that it no longer resembles a photograph is not allowed, except in the digital division, where creative expression is permitted.

13.  An entry form must be filled out for every entry and turned over to the Second Vice-President before the competition begins.

B.  SPECIAL RULES

 1.  Prints  (Color and Monochrome)

        a.  Prints cannot exceed 16 inches on one side and 20 inches on the other, though they may be presented in either horizontal or vertical manner.

        b.  All competition prints must be mounted on 16' x 20" mounts.  Mats may be used to enhance presentation.  

        c.  The title and the entrant's name should be on the upper left-hand corner of the back of the mount.

        d.  Monochrome prints may be toned.

        e.  Hand-colored prints will be judged in the color print division.

 2.  Slide rules (in the event that a competition is offered.)

        a.  Size of Slides accepted:  2" x 2" mounts.  Mounts may be plastic, cardboard or glass and must be in good condition.

         b.  Identification of Slides: 

·        With slide upside down (projection position,) and viewed from the smooth side opposite emulsion, the owner's name should be printed on the top of the mount. (The slide may be reversed if desired, but it is not recommended because of focus difficulties.)

·        On the bottom, the title should be printed. 

·        In the top right-hand corner, a dark spot or tab must be affixed to properly orient slide for projection. 

·        When the slide is projected the spot will be in the upper right corner, toward the lamp.  See Diagram.

 3.   Digital Entries

         a. Size:  Photos must not exceed 1024 ppi on the longest side.  They may be smaller than that.  Photos shown with the long dimension displayed vertically will be somewhat smaller when shown on a digital slideshow due to the nature of the computer.

         b.  Resolution:   A files must not exceed 120 ppi and must not exceed 1MB per photo entered.

         c.  Format:  A files must be in the JPG Format.  No other formats will be accepted for entry.

         d.. File Names:  Submissions must be named by the following method.  No other names or variations will be accepted.

1.  A three digit number signifying whether it is your first or second submission for the competition. (i.e. 001, 002.) 

Followed by a dash (same as a hyphen or a minus sign.)

2.  A six digit number that corresponds to your first, middle and last initials, where A = 01 and Z = 26. Example: Betty Ann Palmer’s initials are BAP so her number would be 020116, where 02 = B, 01 = A, and 16 = P.  If you do not have a middle name, use the numbers 00.

                      Followed by another dash (same as a hyphen or a minus sign.)

3.  A four digit number indication the month and year of the competition (mmyy). For example, Sept. of 2006 would be 0906.

                      Followed by another dash (same as a hyphen or a minus sign.)

4. The SHORT name of the photo with no spaces in the name.

                                                                                          EXAMPLE OF A FILE NAME:

                    Betty Ann Palmer’s first digital photo for the Sept. 2006 competition, which she named "Pretty Photo"  would be submitted as:        001-020116-0906-PrettyPhoto

         e.  Submissions:  Digital entriess must be received at least two weeks before the meeting when they are to be judged. They may be brought to the meeting the month before,
                      or e'mailed to:    DigEntries@louisvillephotographic.org.  Entries not received by the deadline (two weeks before the meeting at midnight) will not be accepted. 

C.  RECEVING OF PRINTS

1.  The Second Vice-President will receive entry forms with all necessary information recorded.

2.  The Second Vice-President will check entries for the correct identification markings, and will exclude those incorrectly marked until the owner corrects them.

3.  Entrants should place their own prints on the display rack and slides.

4.  All due care will be exercised by the competition committee in the handling and judging of all entries.  However, the Society cannot assume responsibility for loss or damage to entries.

 D.  THE JUDGE SELECTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 1.  If possible, judges should not be Society members.  They should be qualified by training or experience in photography.  However, in an emergency, the Second Vice-President may select two (2) judges from the membership, and they will work in concert.  Judges must not have entered in the division in which they are judging.

 2.  The judge may select First, Second, Third places as well as up to three (3) Honorable Mention awards in each Division.  The selections will be recorded for cumulative point awards.

 3.  In the event there is only (1) entry in any regular monthly division, the entry will be included in the annual judging.  The judge at the regular meeting will determine if the entry merits an award for points.

E.  JUDGING PROCEDURE FOR COMPETITIONS

 1.   All entries must be in their proper place before the meeting begins.  The presiding Officer shall remind members so that there is a reasonable time to follow regular entry procedure.  After the judging has begun, no further entries will be accepted.

2.   The Second Vice-President or his/her duly appointed delegate shall preside over the judging procedure, and he/she shall enforce the rules.  It shall be his/her responsibility to inform the Judge of the Category and the awards which are to be made.  The Judge, and ONLY THE JUDGE, is authorized to exclude any entry, no matter the opinion of any Officer or other member of the Society.

3.   Prints should be judged on the display frames if possible, and digital entries should be judged as projected on a screen.

4.   The Judge should not mark on submissions, nor be informed of any entrant’s name until judging has been completed.

5.   Decisions shall be made solely by the Judge.  No one else is authorized to comment or otherwise exert influence before or during the judging procedure.

 F.  MONTHLY AWARD POINTS:

1.   Points will be awarded to entries each month as follows:

                        First Place -12 points,  Second Place - 8 points. Third Place - 5 points, Honorable Mention - 2 points

 G.  YEARLY AWARDS

 1.  The Competition Year is January through December.

 2.  At year end, all entries which received a First, Second, Third or Honorable Mention recognition during the monthly competitions will be collected and submitted to a qualified outside judge.  Digital entries that have received First, Second, Third or Honorable Mention recognition during the monthly competitions will be compiled by the club member who is in charge of digital entries during the year and presented for judging at the same as the slide and print entries.  The judge will select a First, Second, Third, and up to three Honorable Mentions from each of the digital, slide and print divisions. 

 3.  Awards will be made as follows:

        a.  As determined by year-end judging:

            1.  First Second, and Third in each of the digital and two print divisions, plus any other division authorized by the Board.

        b.  As determined from yearly activity:

            1.  The top three high point winners for the year in each of the digital and two print divisions, plus any other division authorized by the Board. 
                 The points awarded during each monthly competition will be totaled to determine the highest total for each of these divisions.

            2.  Club Service

4. Club Service Awards

        An award or awards may be given in recognition for service to the Society.

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