CHOOSING YOUR AWARD PHOTOS

For each award winner, you'll need to upload 2 good photos.

You'll do this via the photo-upload form. You'll have the opportunity to confirm/change your photos before submitting them, but it's a good idea to have your award-winner's photos all picked out before you start the entry process.
 

PHOTO REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL AWARDS:

• Your image must be a JPG, PNG or GIF file.
• If possible, your photo should be at least 400 px wide/tall, and preferably larger. (Bigger is definitely better!)
• Please, no files larger than 5 MB.
• If possible, we'll need two photos for each award: one in vertical ("portrait") orientation and one in horizontal ("landscape") orientation.
  
• Photo should be in focus with a clutter-free background.
• The winner should be alone in the photo.
• If possible, the winner's age in the photo should be appropriate for the award category (i.e. please don't upload a kitten photo for a top Alter win, unless you absolutely don't have any other photos of that cat).
• Junior Exhibitor photos may be provided by parent/guardian only. (Uploaded JE photos will appear in all award presentations and on the TICA NW Winners website.)

PHOTO ORIENTATION (VERTICAL / HORIZONTAL)

• If possible, please provide both a vertical ("portrait") and horizontal ("landscape") photo of your winner. (This gives us more flexibility when laying out the award booklet, award Powerpoint presentation and winners' website.)
• For most awards, a vertical photo will work best (but please send a horizontal photo as well).
• For a "Best in Category" award (Best Cat, Best Kitten, etc.), we really need both a good horizontal and a good vertical photo. Based on past years, we'll use the horizontal one for the website and the Powerpoint awards presentation, and the vertical one in the awards booklet.

photo tips

Tips for taking photos yourself

• Use a smartphone! Most of today's smartphones have great cameras built in -- and most are lot easier to use than many "dedicated" cameras.
• Use good lighting. Make sure there's enough ambient light!
  • Turn off the flash -- it will give your cat "headlights," and will probably also wash out the photo.
  • Try turning on all the lights in the room; if that isn't enough, try bringing in additional lights. Taking photos during the day can also be helpful.
  • Avoid "backlighting" (a bright light behind your subject). You'll end up with just a silhouette, or at best, with a dim cat shape surrounded by light... artistic, but not what you need for a virtual cat show.
• Make sure the background isn't cluttered. Some places that can work well include a stairway, a cat tree, the sofa, or even the middle of the floor.
• Use a long mylar teaser wand toy to direct your cat's attention. (This probably won't be necessary if your winner is a Junior Exhibitor.)
  • A very long teaser wand -- at least 3 feet long -- can be extremely useful to encourage your cat to look at you, look to the side, or even to stay on that nice,  uncluttered, well-lit cat tree. If your teaser toy isn't long enough, tape a regular teaser wand to a long (lightweight) stick, such as a dowel or the rod from an old fishing rod.
  • A wand with mylar or smooth plastic strands is a good choice. Mylar's great because it's shiny and easily catches the cat's attention, but if they grab at it, it just slips between their claws. We've found that fabric, tulle, fleece and stuffed toys are poor choices because the cat's claws snag easily in it, which can be a real pain when you're trying to direct their attention for a photo.
• If possible, get someone to help you with your in-home photo shoot. Two people can much more easily move/grab/reposition/chase the cat, run the teaser toy, reposition the cat, and take photos at the same time.
• If you have multiple cats who all want part of the action (that Mylar teaser toy can be very compelling!), try setting up your "photo studio" in a separate room with a door. Once you've got the lighting right and the background decluttered, evict everyone but the cat you're photographing (and your helper!), and close the door.