Photographing your project

The photographs included with your entry are your chance to show the judges just how amazing your project is. For the best results, we recommend having a professional photographer capture your project whenever possible.

However, we know that isn’t always possible, so if you are shooting your project yourself, you may find the following tips helpful.

1. Use a quality camera. Mobile phone cameras are getting better all the time, but skip the cell phone and use a digital camera with a resolution of at least 8-10 megapixels.
2. Use a tripod. This will keep the camera steady and straight.
3. Make sure the light is coming from behind you, not in front of you. Shooting into direct light will obscure the details of your project.
4. Watch out for reflections if your project includes any glass or metal surfaces.
5. Use the Rule of Thirds when composing or cropping your photo. The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. Place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines to make your photo balanced and enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. This is because people’s eyes naturally go to these intersections, not to the center of the shot. A good technique for room scenes is to position the floor along one of the horizontal lines.

Last but not least, be sure to download the photo release form and have it signed for each entry.