Participants:
All images must be taken during the specified tournament dates, on the specified tournament ranch, by a registered participant. All images must be taken by a digital SLR camera, through a camera lens, in RAW format. No image may be cropped more than 30%. Any image editing must be global. A single frame, a single exposure equals one image. Only cosmetic adjustments to images are allowed.
Digital manipulation is only acceptable if limited to cleaning (dust), levels, curves, color, saturation and contrast work, applied to the image as a whole. Masking sections of the work, compositing, multiple exposures, layers and the use of multiple channels are not allowed. No major element may be removed using any technique legal or illegal. Each Photographer must personally take total responsibility for the outcome of the submitted image.
All participants are required to follow the rules and regulations of their ranch and may be required to sign a ranch “release” in order to participate in the tournament. Any ranch rules or regulations found to be in violation of local, state, or federal laws are unconditionally invalid and void for the tournament.
ICF requires all Participants to use extreme caution to protect the health and survival of the subjects being photographed. Under no circumstance is any animal to be harmed in any way for the purposes of photography. All participants are specifically prohibited from handling any dangerous animals including but not limited to poisonous snakes, spiders, carnivores, or any animal that might be capable of harming any person.
Any images of wildlife species that all judges agree look stressed will be disqualified.
Images of animals subjected to restraint of any kind shall be labeled as controlled subjects as part of the submission. This will not reduce any scores unless the subject is obviously stressed.
Small Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish and Invertebrates may be carefully restrained for purposes of taking the photograph, provided the subjects are released unharmed and where they were found. Birds and larger (larger than rats) Mammals may not be trapped or restrained.
Reptiles and Amphibians must be maintained at ambient (between 70 & 85 degrees) temperatures. No artificial freezing of any animal is allowed. Cooling is allowed to a low temperature of 70 degrees only.
All restrained subjects must be released. All local, state, and federal laws pertaining to wildlife must be observed at all times and take precedent over tournament rules.
