APAC has adopted the same Nature – Wildlife definitions as CAPA which were updated on January 1, 2019 by:  Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique (FIAP); the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and The Royal Photographic Society (RPS).

Please note that the following APAC theme definitions, and rules have language that APAC has tweaked from the CAPA version in an effort to better clarify the themes and definitions. These tweaks do not change the fundamental CAPA rules.

THEMES:

Images are permitted to be entered into the Nature category that fall into the following five themes. The subjects listed in the themes below are not exhaustive but serve as examples of subjects that would qualify in the Nature category. Each theme has nearly unlimited subject possibilities.

1. BOTANICAL – ONLY wild plants photographed in their natural environment are permitted in this theme such as: flowers, scrubs, bushes, trees, fungi and algae. 

Human created hybrid plants or “cultivated plants” are not permitted. Cultivated plants are ones that are planted and maintained by humans as opposed to emerging naturally in the environment. 

Wild flowers or plants grown in a botanical garden are accepted in this theme. In cases where a plant species is known to occur in the wild and has been cultivated by humans, the judge will give the image the “benefit-of-the-doubt” and accept the image as meeting the definition of this theme. 

In this theme “Hand-of-man” elements shall not be present, except where those human elements are integral part of the nature story and are 10% or less of total image area.

2. INSECTS, REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS – such as: alligators, ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, crickets, crocodiles, dragonflies, frogs, gecko, hornets, iguana, lizard, mantis, mosquitoes, snakes, turtles, wasps, etc…

In this theme “Hand-of-man” elements shall not be present, except where those human elements are integral part of the nature story and are 10% or less of total image area.

3. LANDSCAPE – subjects such as weather phenomena, geological formations, landscapes, seascapes and natural phenomena, planets, stars and astronomical events. 

No Hand-of-Man elements are permitted in this theme.

4. NATURE – animals under control and feeding by humans. The human connection cannot be obvious here. This includes zoos, game farms, animal preserves, aquariums, etc.  The subjects will include living mammals, birds, marine subjects and arthropods such as spiders, crustaceans and other invertebrates.

No domestic or escaped animals or birds are permitted in this theme (e.g. horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, camels, pigs, chickens, etc…). 

Hand-of-man” is permitted in this theme only if it is deemed as an element of an “adaptive environment” (see definition below) and consists of 10% or less of total image area.

5. WILDLIFE –ONLY living and untamed wildlife mammals, birds and marine subjects. No traditional zoo, open-range zoos, game farms or other areas where animals/birds are restrained or confined and must be living free.

Nature parks are considered natural environments because animals are not in “controlled conditions“.

Wild animals and birds are permitted to have scientific bands, tags or radio collars but no tethers or harness attachment.

No domestic or escaped animals or birds are permitted in this theme (e.g. horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, camels, pigs, chickens, etc…).

No Hand-of-Man elements are permitted in this theme.

HAND OF MAN DEFINITION:

The following examples provide instances of human elements that align with the hand-of-man definition:

Human – no human body or any portion thereof should be visible in the image.

Sky – no human-made elements such as cables, aircraft, light pollution, artificial lights, etc.

Land – any man-made structures, paths, buildings, concrete, man-made stone, telephone poles, fence posts, sidewalks, domesticated or cultivated plants/food, cut grass, or organized and systematic layouts of planted trees should be absent from the image.

Elements – no cut trees, stems, branches, tree stumps, posts, man-made food, objects, or any man-made background should be included.

Sea – no boats, ships piers, docks, posts in the water, or any human-made elements should be visible in the image.

NOTE: Where “Hand of Man” is permissible in a theme it must constitute less than 10% of the total image. In the case of the Nature theme it must ALSO conform to the Adaptive Environment condition below. 

CAPA defined Adaptive Environment – Where “Hand of Man” is permissible in a theme This should constitute 10% or less of the total image and refers to instances where living organisms use man-made structures for nesting, feeding their young, attracting a mate, or consuming a cultivated plant or flower.  Additionally, it includes cases where a human-created structure is utilized for another purpose, such as consuming their prey or food on a human-associated element like a sawed log, fence post, or telephone pole. Just sitting on a Hand of Man object is not considered an adaptation and would not qualify. 

HOW TO GET HELP WITH THE NATURE CATEGORY

This category is the strictest of our categories and the qualifying conditions in each theme can potentially be difficult to interpret for certain images. 

If you are unsure whether an image you have qualifies for this category you may reach out to the following members for assistance. Getting some advice on the suitability of an image for this category can help you not to have an image disqualified by a judge in our competitions. However, if an image is disqualified every effort will be made to notify the maker before competition night. 

The following members have generously offered their time and experience to help you. Please don’t hesitate to send them an email or reach out to them if you feel the need. 

Rob Macleod

Bob Friesen

Doran Aisenstat

APAC Nature Ethics adopted from CAPA:

To promote responsible photographing of species, entrants:

Must not do anything to injure or distress any animals or destroy their habitat in an attempt to secure an image.

Must maintain an appropriate distance from an active nest, and in most cases, avoid them entirely.

Must not bait wildlife to avoid possible long-term impacts.

Must not stress out wildlife by getting too close.

Should learn about the species’ behaviour and the ecology of the area.

Should use appropriate lenses and techniques that minimize stress on wildlife.

You should be a naturalist as well as a nature photographer and you should be especially careful and respectful when photographing ‘species-at-risk’ and threatened species. 

Should consider avoiding the photography of ‘species-at-risk’ altogether. For more information consult the The Canadian Federal Species At Risk Act – Schedule 1 for a complete listing.