Themes and Competitions
The Club hosts internal competitions in the monthly themes, and participates in a number of external competitions. This list gives an overview of what is planned for the 2025-26 season. As always watch the calendar for changes.
2025 – 2026 Themes [Internal Competitions]
Growing as a Photographer Through Themes
Many photographers find that projects or assignments keep their creativity fresh. A theme or two in our pocket gives us a gentle focus, encouraging us to notice more, try new approaches, and enjoy the process of making pictures. With a full month to explore, there’s time to practice, experiment, and discover at your own pace. And even if there isn’t time to make new images, even combing through our catalogue, selecting and editing images for the theme can help us grow. Sharing our images—and seeing how others interpret the same theme—reminds us that photography isn’t about perfection, but about curiosity, growth, and the pleasure of learning together.
SEPTEMBER 2025 – Rule of Odds
We begin the season with one of photography’s simplest yet most powerful compositional tools: the Rule of Odds. Three flowers in a vase, five birds on a wire, seven stepping stones across a pond—odd numbers create rhythm, balance, and a touch of movement that even numbers often lack. Look for natural odd-numbered groupings or gently arrange them yourself. Any subject works: landscapes, still life, portraits, or street scenes. The aim is to train your eye to see how numbers change the feel of an image.
OCTOBER 2025 – Autumn Colour Story
Autumn is overflowing with colour and texture—glowing golds, fiery reds, and deep browns. Capture sweeping landscapes or focus on the veins of a single leaf. Try building a photo around one dominant colour, or explore how warm sunrise and sunset light makes autumn’s palette glow. Ask yourself: how do these colours feel, and how can I share that feeling in a photograph?
NOVEMBER 2025 – Wabi-Sabi
This month, we look for beauty in the imperfect. Inspired by the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, seek out what is weathered, aged, or quietly fading—cracked pottery, peeling paint, rusted tools, dry grass glowing in the sun. Wabi-sabi invites us to slow down and notice the character and history in everyday things.
DECEMBER 2025 – Bokeh
With twinkling lights and soft glows all around, December is perfect for exploring bokeh—the dreamy blur that turns points of light into glowing shapes. Use a wide aperture and let your background dissolve. Try photographing candles, holiday lights, or sunlight through trees. Bokeh isn’t just blur—it’s a way to add atmosphere, softness, and mood.
JANUARY 2026 – The Object Tells a Story
Ordinary objects can hold extraordinary meaning. A pair of worn boots, a chipped teacup, or a broken toy can all suggest a bigger story. Arrange your subject in a still life or capture it as you find it. Ask: what does this object say about its history or its owner? This is an exercise in slowing down and letting objects speak.
FEBRUARY 2026 – Nature in Black and White
Stripping away colour helps us notice form, texture, and light. This month, focus on the natural world in black and white—leaves, branches, waves, or wings in flight. Experiment with contrast and tone. Don’t just desaturate—work with conversions that bring out depth and mood.
MARCH 2026 – Edges of the Day (Golden Hour & Blue Hour)
Some of photography’s most beautiful light comes at the edges of the day. Golden hour—the warm glow after sunrise or before sunset—adds softness and richness. Blue hour—the cooler light just before dawn or after dusk—creates mood and mystery. Plan ahead, notice how shadows stretch and colours shift, and let the light set the tone.
APRIL 2026 – Found Faces
This playful theme is about pareidolia—the tendency to see faces in unexpected places. A tree knot that looks like it’s winking, a car that seems to smile, or a building with “eyes.” Keep watch for faces in clouds, rocks, fences, or everyday objects. Once you start looking, personalities seem to appear everywhere.
MAY 2026 – Reflections & Mirrors
Reflections offer endless creative possibilities. Shop windows, still ponds, shiny cars, or mirrors can all create layers, symmetry, or distortion. Combine what’s in front with what’s behind, or frame a subject within its reflection. Whether crisp or abstract, reflections encourage us to see familiar things in new ways.
JUNE 2026 – A Creative Take (Multiple Exposure, ICM, Motion Blur)
This month we let go of sharpness and embrace creative expression. Try techniques like multiple exposure, intentional camera movement, or motion blur. Blend images, pan with moving subjects, or simply let colour and shape blur into painterly forms. The goal isn’t perfection but discovery—see what happens when you loosen the rules.
JULY 2026 – Minimalism
Minimalism is about saying more with less. Create images that are clean, uncluttered, and purposeful. Use negative space, strong lines, or simple shapes. Photograph a lone tree, a single shell, or a tiny figure in a wide landscape. Restraint can be powerful—see how little you need to make an impact.
AUGUST 2026 – Nature in the City / Urban Nature
Even in the heart of a city, nature finds a way. Look for plants or animals interacting with human-made spaces: a flower pushing through pavement, ivy on a wall, or a bird on a streetlight. Be sure to include some sign of the built environment—that’s what tells the story. Urban nature shows resilience and coexistence, reminding us that nature is always nearby.
External Competitions
As a club, we enter several external competitions each year, and all members are encouraged to submit images for consideration, with a jury selecting the final entries. Competitions aren’t just about scores—they help photographers grow by encouraging you to select images you truly value, polish them for presentation, and see how they stand alongside the work of others. Even beginners benefit: the process builds editing skills, sharpens artistic judgment, and pushes you to experiment and stretch beyond your comfort zone. Constructive feedback and comparison provide fresh perspective, and many find that competitions spark new ideas, higher standards, and a deeper appreciation for storytelling and composition.
Watch your email for detailed instructions for each competition as it opens for submissions. As always, check the calendar for updates.
CAPA Pacific Zone Challenge [September 2025]
This is an open theme competition, and all submitted images must have been captured in the Pacific Zone. This competition welcomes a variety of subjects such as animals, birds, insects, landscape, nature, people, domesticated animals and wildlife and can include altered reality images.
CAPA Monochrome [Fall 2025]
Monochrome photography challenges us to look past colour and focus on light, shadow, texture, and form. Entrants are invited to show how contrast and composition can strengthen a subject’s impact through compelling monochrome imagery.
Themes:
Candid Person(s): Unscripted moments of everyday life—street scenes, cultural gatherings, or daily interactions—captured naturally rather than posed.
Natural Surroundings: The beauty and drama of our environment—landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, weather, geology, or celestial events. Human elements may be included if they add scale or story.
Dramatic Contrast & Shadows: Strong interplay of light and dark through low-key, silhouette, or selective lighting. Subjects may include people, architecture, or natural forms.
Nostalgia: Images that evoke the past—weathered places, vintage objects, or composites that bridge old and new.
FRDC *Click* Photos of the Fraser [ February 2026]
Since time immemorial, the Fraser River basin has shaped the history, environment, industry, and cultures of this region. From the Rocky Mountains to the Salish Sea, the 1,375 km stretch of the Fraser River is home to almost 3 million people, each with their unique views of the river. *Click* Photos of the Fraser aims to bring together a collection of these points of view and invites photographers to submit photographs that capture the life of the river and the basin
North Shore Photographic Challenge [Spring 2026]
The North Shore Photographic Challenge is Western Canada’s premier competition, open to non-AI entries from individual photographers and clubs across BC and Yukon. With an open theme, subjects may range from landscapes and portraits to abstracts, architecture, wildlife, and more. The Challenge culminates in a Gala on Zoom, Saturday, March 7, 2026, featuring a showcase of entries, judges’ commentary, and the announcement of results.
Crescent Beach Invitational Black & White Print Competition [Spring 2026]
This is a competition with a long history. The subject is open. The images will must be true black and white - no toning. This competition offers an opportunity to hone your skill in making fine art B&W prints.
CAPA Canada My Country [Spring 2026]
This annual event celebrates the diversity of people and places across Canada. This year’s focus is on the individuals who call Canada home and the landscapes that define our nation. There are two themes:
Landscape: From the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Far North, showcase Canada’s natural and human-made wonders.
People: Capture Canadians in daily life—street scenes, workplaces, gatherings, formal settings, and community spaces.