What is F3C?
F3C stands for the Florida Camera Club Council, a nonprofit, umbrella organization of approximately 50 local camera clubs in our state, including The Villages Photography Club. As a member of The Villages Photography Club, you are eligible to join F3C for free and take part in judging competitions and various educational events offered.
To join, visit the F3C website at www.f3c.org and click on the Membership tab at the top. It may take a few days to get approved. Be sure to use your full name and not a nickname, and indicate The Villages Photography Club is your affiliate.
Judging Competitions
Digital and print competitions are held three times a year. There are five categories, each judged separately: color, mono, creative, documentary and interpretive. Ribbons are awarded as follow: Blue or Outstanding for the top 5% of scores, Red or Excellent for the next 5%, White or Notable for the next 5% and Yellow or Honorable Mention for the next 10%. Images receiving a ribbon during the year in the three triannual competitions are automatically entered into an end-of-year competition.
Complete rules and regulations, including more detailed explanations of categories, are given on the F3C website at www.f3c.org. Click on the Competition tab at the top and be sure to watch the video which has helpful instructions for entering.
Educational Opportunities
F3C has teamed up with Hunts Photo to offer monthly webinars covering various photography topics. There is generally a nominal fee and registrations are done via the Eventzilla Ticket website.
F3C has also begun compiling Image Review Videos after each competition in which certified judges select and review images from the competition and offer suggestions to improve them. These videos can be found at www.f3c.org under the Resources Tab
A yearly highlight is the two-day conference, usually in March, with well-known instructors conducting workshops. Again, all information about upcoming conferences can be found on the F3C website.
Our club will send out email notices and reminders about the current judging competitions, upcoming webinars, and other F3C news. In addition, our club’s F3C representative, Veda Eddy, will help answer any questions you might have. You can contact her at vedaeddy@thevillages.net.