ORGANISER

Himalayan Camera Club, Siliguri, INDIA

AFFILIATION

FEDERATION OF INDIAN PHOTOGRAPHY (Affiliation No: FIP/2026/141)

CONTACTS

Salon Chairman:              Mr. Subrata Kar, EFIP, EFIAP

Salon Secretary:              Mr. Dwiparna Kumar Datta, MFIP (Nature), EFIAP/g, ARPS

Email Address:                 himalayancameraclub@gmail.com

Salon Website:                 www.himalayancameraclub.com

Webmaster Name:          Pixelclash

Webmaster Email:           raju@stintsolution.com

 

SECTIONS

Five Digital Sections
[A] Open Colour (C)

[B] Open Monochrome (M)

[C] Nature (N)

[D] Theme 1 (Portrait) (C/M)

[E] Theme 2 (Macro Photography) (N)

 

NUDE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THIS SALON

 

CALENDAR

Closing Date:                                  25^th November 2026
All Judging Completed By:           13^th December 2026
Score Reports Sent By:                 17^th December 2026
On-Line Gallery Posted By:          15^th January 2027
SDAS:                                              20^th January 2027

Awards Mailed By:                         28^th February 2027

 

FEES

Single Section: Rs 200.00, 2 to 3 Sections: Rs 350.00, 4 to 5 Sections: Rs 450.00

Discounted price for FIP Recognised Clubs: Rs 350 per member (All Sections) Minimum 5 members.

 

BANK DETAILS

Current Account Number:                        44071135018

Account Holder’s Name:                          Himalayan Camera Club

Name of Bank:                                           State Bank Of India

Branch:                                                         NBU Campus Branch

IFSC Code:                                                   SBIN0002096

 

JURY TEAM

Dr. B. K. Sinha, MFIAP, EFIAP/p, ARPS, GMPSA, AIIPC, ESFIAP, Hon FIAP, Hon FIP, Hon FIP (N)

Adit Agarwala, FRPS, EFIAP/d1, EFIP, FAPU, Hon.FIP, Hon.YPS, GPA.PESGSPC,

Manasi Deb Sarkar, GFIP, EFIAP/g

Abhijit Dey, FFIP, EFIAP, Hon.IUP

Santosh Kr. Jana, EFIAP, MFIP (Nature)

 

Section-wise Jury Team

Open Colour

Manasi Deb Sarkar

Adit Agarwala

Santosh Kr. Jana

Open Monochrome

Dr. B.K.Sinha

Adit Agarwala

Manasi Deb Sarkar

Nature

Dr. B. K. Sinha

Santosh Kr. Jana

Abhijit Dey

Portrait

Manasi Deb Sarkar

Abhijit Dey

Adit Agarwala

Macro Photography

Dr. B. K. Sinha

Santosh Kr. Jana

Abhijit Dey

 

AWARDS (Total 78 Awards)

Best Club Award (Minimum 10 Members)           :               A Trophy + Rs. 10000.00

2^nd Best Club Award (Minimum 10 Members)     :             A Trophy + Rs. 8000.00

3^rd Best Club Award (Minimum 10 Members)      :             A Trophy + Rs. 6000.00

 

The Best Club Awards to be awarded to the clubs with the highest number of total acceptances in divisions of the Salon. In case of a tie, it will be awarded to the clubs with the highest number of points from all the sections in this Salon. In case of a tie, the club who won the most awards shall be declared the recipient.

 

Best Male Entrant Award (As per FIP rules)                 :             Medal + Rs 2000.00

Best Female Entrant Award (As per FIP rules)             :             Medal + Rs 2000.00

FIP Medal                                                                     :             1 per section

HCC Gold Medal                                                            :             1 per section

HCC Silver Medal                                                          :             1 per section

HCC Bronze Medal                                                        :             1 per section

Chairman’s Choice Medal                                             :             1 per Section

FIP Ribbons                                                                  :             4 per Section

HCC Ribbons                                                                 :             4 per Section

Best Environmental Portrait Award (Portrait)              :             Medal + Rs 1000

Best Landscape Award (Colour/Monochrome)             :             Medal + Rs 1000

Best Creative Award (Colour/Monochrome)                 :             Medal + Rs 1000

Best Still Life Award (Colour/Monochrome)                 :             Medal + Rs 1000

Best Mammal Award (Nature)                                      :             Medal + Rs 1000

Best Bird Award (Nature)                                             :             Medal + Rs 1000

Best Wild Action (Nature)                                            :             Medal + Rs 1000

Best Insect (Macro)                                                      :             Medal + Rs 1000

All the Medals will be sent via post.

 

CATALOG

PDF downloadable from website www.himalayancameraclub.com by exhibitors.

SALON RULES

1. The salon is open to all photographers in INDIA. It is organized under the patronage & approval of FIP.
2. There are 5 sections. Entries are limited to only 4 images (digital files) per section, i.e., 20 number of Images in Total.
3. Digital files will be projected without any change by the organizers.
4. Awards will be mailed by registered post with proper reasonable care, but we will not be held responsible for any damage, loss or theft.
5. Organizer reserves the right to reproduce selected entries in the catalogue, press and project publicly.
6. Submission of entries implies acceptance of all conditions of the Salon.
7. All the work must be entirely the work of the exhibitor on photographic emulsion or digital file. Images may be altered either digitally or otherwise by the maker and artwork or computer-generated graphics by the maker are allowed provided the photographic content is predominant and only in Open Sections of the Salon.
8. The decision of the Panel of selectors is final and binding, no further appeal will be entertained.
9. All jury members and salon committee members will not participate in the salon.
10. Each image must have a unique title with maximum 35 characters. File name should be as you would want it to appear in the catalogue (same as title name). Untitled or No title images will not be accepted.
11. All Paid Entrants will receive online PDF CATALOGUE.
12. All Acceptances are eligible for statistics applicable to FIP DISTINCTION.
13. ENTRIES WILL NOT BE JUDGED WITHOUT ENTRY FEE and Entry will be disqualified for judging.
14. The Author must accept the conditions of the salon.
15. Entrants must fill out an Online Entry Form and submit entries online at himalayancameraclub.com
16. The images, jpgfiles, can be uploaded directly on our website. Digital Images must be in a compressed [JPEG] format with a maximum size of 1920 pixels horizontal x 1080 pixels vertical and a resolution of 300 DPI, regardless of portrait or landscape orientation. The maximum file size must be less than 2 MB.
17. The Exhibition will be conducted in accordance with the rules of FIP.

 

ACCEPTANCES AND AWARDS

Judging Method
The judging will be done by remote online judging. An award session will be held on-line by the judges viewing the images together.

• An entrant’s images will not be presented to the judges consecutively. An entrant’s four images will be distributed throughout four rounds of judging in that section. Distribution of images will be in the same round order as submitted by the entrant. At no stage will a judge be able to view all the entrant’s images together.

EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS

Pictures created by artificial intelligence are not allowed in this salon. All parts of the image must be photographed by the author who is holding the copyright of all works submitted. Offenders will be sanctioned for life!

Images accepted in previous HCC Salons, or images considered by the organizing committee to be substantially the same, are ineligible for entry in any of the sections.

FIP DEFINITION OF DIVISIONS AND SECTIONS

PID Colour Definition:

The subject matter is unrestricted for PID images in separate colour and monochrome section. All elements of the image must have been shot by the author.

“Pictures created by artificial intelligence are not allowed in this salon! All parts of the image have to be photographed by the author who is holding the copyright of all works submitted. Offenders will be sanctioned for life!”

All parts of the image including graphics must be photographed by the author holding copyright of his submitted works. Use of some filters available on net is permissible. Same images either colour or mono in two different sections of the same Salon will result in disqualification for both the images.

Monochrome Definition:

An image is considered to be Monochrome only if it gives the impression of having no colour (i.e. contains only shades of grey which can include pure black and pure white) OR it gives the impression of being a greyscale image that has been toned in one colour across the entire image. (For example, by Sepia, red, gold, etc.)

Nature Photography definition:

Nature Photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality.

1. Human elements must not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves.

2. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible.

3. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible.

4. Techniques that add, relocate, replace or remove any element of the original image, except by cropping, are not permitted. Conversion to infrared, either by digital technique or by original technique is not allowed. Stitching of two or more image is not permitted.

5. Complete conversion to grey scale Monochrome is allowed but without partial or complete toning.

6. It is perfectly legal to remove dust, flares or digital noise. Minor global colour / tone correction is OK as long as it is not selective and the final image looks natural but not dramatic. Dodge and Burn tool is for you only but use it judiciously. Selective darkening of background is prohibited. Techniques like panning, slow shutter speed or in-exposure zooming are part of your creativity. Use of filters like Polarizers and NDs are ok.

7. Drone Photography in the National Parks of India is illegal except with prior written permission from the concerned authorities. Drone images of Wild animals will be disqualified.

8. Welfare of the subject is extremely important. Use of live bait is totally prohibited. Relocated nest is a big NO NO and jury members should not award Nest images. Images entered in Nature section meeting the Nature Photography Definition above can have landscapes, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and extant organisms as the primary subject matter. This includes images taken with subjects in controlled conditions, such as zoos, game farms, botanical gardens, aquariums and any enclosure where the subjects are totally dependent on man for food.

Portrait Definition: Portrait photography is a style of photography that focuses on capturing a person's appearance, personality, mood, or expression. The main subject is usually one person, though it can also include couples, families, or groups.

The goal of portrait photography is not just to show what someone looks like, but to tell something about who they are.

Common types of portrait photography include:

Traditional portraits: The subject looks directly at the camera, often in a studio.

Environmental portraits: The person is photographed in a place that reflects their life or work, such as an artist in a studio or a chef in a kitchen.

Candid portraits: Natural, unposed moments that capture genuine expressions.

Lifestyle portraits: Relaxed, everyday scenes that tell a story about the subject.

Creative or fine art portraits: Use unique lighting, poses, costumes, or editing for artistic effect.

Good portrait photography often emphasizes:

• The subject's face and eye.
• Appropriate lighting
• A pleasing background
• Composition and framing
• Natural or expressive poses

For example, a close-up photo of a smiling child, a business headshot, or a bride's wedding portrait are all examples of portrait photography. The purpose is to create an image that represents the person in a meaningful and visually appealing way.

This section will be judged in accordance with the rules as laid down in the Open Colour/Open Monochrome  Section Rules of FIP/FIAP. 

Macro Photography Definition: Macro photography is a photographic technique used to capture extremely close-up images of small subjects, revealing details that are difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye.

The subject is typically photographed at life-size or near-life-size reproduction, so small details such as the texture of an insect's eyes, the surface of a flower, or the intricate patterns on an object become prominent in the final image. 

Examples:

• Insects and spiders
• Flowers and plants
• Water droplets and tiny natural details

In simple terms: Macro photography makes the small world look big.

This section will be judged in accordance with the rules as laid down in the Nature Section Rules of FIP/FIAP.