I started running photo shows very shortly after joining the hobby and used to love doing so. Back when I started most shows were run through Photobucket and I ran free shows on an almost monthly basis, I developed my own points based system for judging and even became the photo show coordinator for Model Horse Love Forum at one point.
But then things happened and I had to stop. A full time law degree, continual problems with photo bucket and a wedding meant I couldn't quite approach photo show hosting with the same enthusiasm. Now I still run the occasional show but it is worth noting that even a photo show series such as Popular Votes Photoshows that I don't have to judge still requires a good amount of my time to run. Running a photo show is great fun, but it is time consuming and you have to be prepared to make that commitment.
That said if you want to give it a go then by all means try, as long as you actually run and judge the show most people will be happy so don't worry too much about making mistakes. The great thing about online photo shows is that they can be run pretty easily for free and small shows will only take a few hours to set up and then judge.
But then things happened and I had to stop. A full time law degree, continual problems with photo bucket and a wedding meant I couldn't quite approach photo show hosting with the same enthusiasm. Now I still run the occasional show but it is worth noting that even a photo show series such as Popular Votes Photoshows that I don't have to judge still requires a good amount of my time to run. Running a photo show is great fun, but it is time consuming and you have to be prepared to make that commitment.
That said if you want to give it a go then by all means try, as long as you actually run and judge the show most people will be happy so don't worry too much about making mistakes. The great thing about online photo shows is that they can be run pretty easily for free and small shows will only take a few hours to set up and then judge.
If you enter a lot of photo shows running one can be a great way to give back to the community
Where to Host?
The first decision you are going to need to make is about where and how you are going to host your show. This will be dependent on various different factors. The questions below should help you narrow down the best way to host your show:
How much time do you have to spare?
Are you going to charge for entries?
What type of shows do you regularly enter?
Do you have access to social media?
How large will your show be?
Who do you want to encourage to enter your show?
Time
All photo shows take time but some formats can be more time consuming to run than others. Online shows run through image hosting sites or Facebook groups will require you to set up albums, this can be an incredibly slow and tedious process particularly if you have a slow internet connection. Remember you will also need to make album covers for each album. Smaller shows run through email entries or social media pages may take less time to set up.
Postal shows don't require you to spend hours setting up albums but will require you to be continually organised throughout the show. You will need to make sure the photos are organised by class as they arrive (envelopes are good for this) and that you contact each entrant to tell them their pictures have safely arrived. Posting all the pictures back to everyone also takes time and a trip to the post office.
Judging is one of the most time consuming aspects of running any show. If you are short on time you could think about using a popular voting system. However, this does require some time to set up and you will also need to make sure that there are people who will actually vote.
Cost
If you are going to charge for entries, to try and raise money for charity etc. then this could effect the method you use to host your show. You will want to get as many entries as possible but probably also appeal to older hobbyists who may be able to pay entry fees with more ease than younger ones. If you make people jump through too many hoops to enter they may be less inclined to do so particularly if they are having to pay. Running a show through something like a Facebook group will also exclude people, so you could think about running the show through various different formats to encourage more entries.
Experience
My biggest piece of advice to you is to run the same type of show that you are used to entering. For your first show you don't want to be having to get used to a new system or learn how to use a new website or piece of software as well. If you normally enter shows through Facebook groups then run a show through a Facebook group, if you normally enter postal photo shows then run a postal photo show.
If you are already entering that type of show then you will know what is involved to make it run smoothly and you will also know what works and what doesn't. Your own experience is your best guide in helping you put together a show that others will enjoy.
Social Media
If you don't have access to Facebook then you obviously cannot run a Facebook photo show! Equally if you don't use Instagram then you can't run one through Instagram. Most social media sites take some getting used to so I would avoid anything you are not experienced in using for your first show.
Size
Some formats lend themselves to larger shows better than others. I feel that any large show is probably best run through either a Facebook group, image hosting site or as a postal show. Smaller shows with may one or two classes could suit something like a Facebook page, email or Instagram competition best.
Entrants
Different methods lend themselves to different hobbyists. Of course there is huge cross over but as a general rule if you want to encourage newcommers Instagram or Facebook are good systems to use but if you want to appeal to the more old school hobbyist then a postal show or a Facebook group show may be better. This is just a bit of a generalisation and most shows will want to encourage a broad breadth of entrants, but if you are running a newcommer show think about where hobby newcommers are.
As a final note there is absolutely no reason why your show cannot be run over several different formats. I did this with my grand photo show and it worked well. I allowed entries through Facebook, Instagram, Email and post and received entries in all these formats. When it came to judging I saved the entries into albums on my computer and then judged from there (obviously the postal ones I just organised and looked at at the same time as the digital ones). I wanted everyone to have a chance to enter. It is worth noting that even using this incredibly varied format I still got asked by someone if they could put their entries into a YouTube video and send over that! The lesson being that you won't be able to please everyone, there is always going to be someone who doesn't like the method you've chosen. Don't let this put you off.
How much time do you have to spare?
Are you going to charge for entries?
What type of shows do you regularly enter?
Do you have access to social media?
How large will your show be?
Who do you want to encourage to enter your show?
Time
All photo shows take time but some formats can be more time consuming to run than others. Online shows run through image hosting sites or Facebook groups will require you to set up albums, this can be an incredibly slow and tedious process particularly if you have a slow internet connection. Remember you will also need to make album covers for each album. Smaller shows run through email entries or social media pages may take less time to set up.
Postal shows don't require you to spend hours setting up albums but will require you to be continually organised throughout the show. You will need to make sure the photos are organised by class as they arrive (envelopes are good for this) and that you contact each entrant to tell them their pictures have safely arrived. Posting all the pictures back to everyone also takes time and a trip to the post office.
Judging is one of the most time consuming aspects of running any show. If you are short on time you could think about using a popular voting system. However, this does require some time to set up and you will also need to make sure that there are people who will actually vote.
Cost
If you are going to charge for entries, to try and raise money for charity etc. then this could effect the method you use to host your show. You will want to get as many entries as possible but probably also appeal to older hobbyists who may be able to pay entry fees with more ease than younger ones. If you make people jump through too many hoops to enter they may be less inclined to do so particularly if they are having to pay. Running a show through something like a Facebook group will also exclude people, so you could think about running the show through various different formats to encourage more entries.
Experience
My biggest piece of advice to you is to run the same type of show that you are used to entering. For your first show you don't want to be having to get used to a new system or learn how to use a new website or piece of software as well. If you normally enter shows through Facebook groups then run a show through a Facebook group, if you normally enter postal photo shows then run a postal photo show.
If you are already entering that type of show then you will know what is involved to make it run smoothly and you will also know what works and what doesn't. Your own experience is your best guide in helping you put together a show that others will enjoy.
Social Media
If you don't have access to Facebook then you obviously cannot run a Facebook photo show! Equally if you don't use Instagram then you can't run one through Instagram. Most social media sites take some getting used to so I would avoid anything you are not experienced in using for your first show.
Size
Some formats lend themselves to larger shows better than others. I feel that any large show is probably best run through either a Facebook group, image hosting site or as a postal show. Smaller shows with may one or two classes could suit something like a Facebook page, email or Instagram competition best.
Entrants
Different methods lend themselves to different hobbyists. Of course there is huge cross over but as a general rule if you want to encourage newcommers Instagram or Facebook are good systems to use but if you want to appeal to the more old school hobbyist then a postal show or a Facebook group show may be better. This is just a bit of a generalisation and most shows will want to encourage a broad breadth of entrants, but if you are running a newcommer show think about where hobby newcommers are.
As a final note there is absolutely no reason why your show cannot be run over several different formats. I did this with my grand photo show and it worked well. I allowed entries through Facebook, Instagram, Email and post and received entries in all these formats. When it came to judging I saved the entries into albums on my computer and then judged from there (obviously the postal ones I just organised and looked at at the same time as the digital ones). I wanted everyone to have a chance to enter. It is worth noting that even using this incredibly varied format I still got asked by someone if they could put their entries into a YouTube video and send over that! The lesson being that you won't be able to please everyone, there is always going to be someone who doesn't like the method you've chosen. Don't let this put you off.
Choose a format for your show that you are experienced with
Writing the Class List
At the bottom of this page are some free downloads including schedules and class lists that you can use to help you run your own show. The below article is similar to that published on our 'Running Your Own Live Show' article as the principles are essentially the same!
The length of your class list will depend on a lot on the format of the show you are running. Below is a brief guide as to how different formats suit different types of show:
Facebook Group - Large
Facebook Page - Small
Instagram - Small
YouTube - Small
Image Hosting Site - Large
Postal - Large
For your first show I wouldn't be too ambitious with your class list. Remember you are most likely going to have to judge the whole thing and this can be quite time consuming, particularly if you are not used to judging! Be sensible and realistic and don't be too over ambitious. There is plenty of time for running huge shows, but your first show is not it.
The Sections
The first decision you need to make is the sections you are going to have. Most shows have four main sections:
Breed
Colour
Performance
Fun
These are then quite often split up by finish, as a general rule if you are going to run different sections for finish then you should include:
Original Finish (OF)
Custom Finish (CM)
Artist Resin (AR)
Craft, Toy, Foundation (CTF)
You can of course split this down further by adding sections such as Commercial Resin & China, Artist China and splitting CTF into Bendy and Plastic. For your first show I wouldn't be too ambitious, maybe start with the four basic sections and have them open to all makes and finishes? Or pick one of those sections and then split into finishes.
The Classes
For breed classes the classes will be split up by the breed of the horse. You will need to make sure you cover all types of models. When writing a class list it is best to start with the following classes and then add others in afterwards:
Youngstock & Foals (or if you intend to split this class up 'Other Youngstock')
Fantasy & Decorator
Donkey, Mule & Exotic
Other Purebred Horse
Other Purebred Pony
Partbred Horse
Partbred Pony
Note that in the above you could literally show every single breed or type of model, so if you start with that nothing will have been forgotten! Even if you forget to say add Thoroughbred they can always go in Other Purebred so it isn't the end of the world.
If you have photo shown before you should have a decent idea of what classes are full and what aren't. It is an unwritten rule in the UK that sections start with Arabian and that's always a good starting spot. Classes such as Thoroughbred, Warmblood/Sport and the american stock breeds are always quite full so you could think about splitting these down further if time allows.
Most shows will run the same class list for sections of the same size as this helps prevent confusion, that said different sections will have different 'full' classes so you could always adapt this to fit the section. A specialist section such as Animal Artistry should have more finessed classes based around what moulds are actually available.
So what about performance and colour? Well basically start in exactly the same way. For performance I would always start with:
Other Performance
Scene
Other English
Other Western
Those four classes will cover all things so you can then start to put more specific classes in. I think it is always a good idea to have both an English Ridden and a Western Pleasure class but apart from that you are free to put in what you think would work best at your show.
With colour the two classes I would start with are:
Fantasy/Decorator
Other Colour
Again that covers every single colour so you can start to add more unique colours from then onwards. Other Dilute is always a good class to have as well as it takes things like cremellos out of Other Colour. But it really depends on how many entries you think there will be and how much you want to split the classes up.
If you have decided to have a fun section then throw your rule book out of the window (please don't actually throw the device you are reading this on out of a window that won't end well) and have some fun! Things like 'Other Animal' 'Mare and Foal' 'Funniest Picture' are all common choice but have fun with it. If your show has a theme then think about how you could theme your fun classes to suit.
It is a good idea to number your classes and make sure that if you are running a show that requires you to create albums on say Facebook or an image hosting site you do these in the order of your schedule.
The length of your class list will depend on a lot on the format of the show you are running. Below is a brief guide as to how different formats suit different types of show:
Facebook Group - Large
Facebook Page - Small
Instagram - Small
YouTube - Small
Image Hosting Site - Large
Postal - Large
For your first show I wouldn't be too ambitious with your class list. Remember you are most likely going to have to judge the whole thing and this can be quite time consuming, particularly if you are not used to judging! Be sensible and realistic and don't be too over ambitious. There is plenty of time for running huge shows, but your first show is not it.
The Sections
The first decision you need to make is the sections you are going to have. Most shows have four main sections:
Breed
Colour
Performance
Fun
These are then quite often split up by finish, as a general rule if you are going to run different sections for finish then you should include:
Original Finish (OF)
Custom Finish (CM)
Artist Resin (AR)
Craft, Toy, Foundation (CTF)
You can of course split this down further by adding sections such as Commercial Resin & China, Artist China and splitting CTF into Bendy and Plastic. For your first show I wouldn't be too ambitious, maybe start with the four basic sections and have them open to all makes and finishes? Or pick one of those sections and then split into finishes.
The Classes
For breed classes the classes will be split up by the breed of the horse. You will need to make sure you cover all types of models. When writing a class list it is best to start with the following classes and then add others in afterwards:
Youngstock & Foals (or if you intend to split this class up 'Other Youngstock')
Fantasy & Decorator
Donkey, Mule & Exotic
Other Purebred Horse
Other Purebred Pony
Partbred Horse
Partbred Pony
Note that in the above you could literally show every single breed or type of model, so if you start with that nothing will have been forgotten! Even if you forget to say add Thoroughbred they can always go in Other Purebred so it isn't the end of the world.
If you have photo shown before you should have a decent idea of what classes are full and what aren't. It is an unwritten rule in the UK that sections start with Arabian and that's always a good starting spot. Classes such as Thoroughbred, Warmblood/Sport and the american stock breeds are always quite full so you could think about splitting these down further if time allows.
Most shows will run the same class list for sections of the same size as this helps prevent confusion, that said different sections will have different 'full' classes so you could always adapt this to fit the section. A specialist section such as Animal Artistry should have more finessed classes based around what moulds are actually available.
So what about performance and colour? Well basically start in exactly the same way. For performance I would always start with:
Other Performance
Scene
Other English
Other Western
Those four classes will cover all things so you can then start to put more specific classes in. I think it is always a good idea to have both an English Ridden and a Western Pleasure class but apart from that you are free to put in what you think would work best at your show.
With colour the two classes I would start with are:
Fantasy/Decorator
Other Colour
Again that covers every single colour so you can start to add more unique colours from then onwards. Other Dilute is always a good class to have as well as it takes things like cremellos out of Other Colour. But it really depends on how many entries you think there will be and how much you want to split the classes up.
If you have decided to have a fun section then throw your rule book out of the window (please don't actually throw the device you are reading this on out of a window that won't end well) and have some fun! Things like 'Other Animal' 'Mare and Foal' 'Funniest Picture' are all common choice but have fun with it. If your show has a theme then think about how you could theme your fun classes to suit.
It is a good idea to number your classes and make sure that if you are running a show that requires you to create albums on say Facebook or an image hosting site you do these in the order of your schedule.
When writing a class list it is best to start with the 'other' classes and then add in the more detailed ones. That way you will always ensure that you haven't missed anything weird, such as this champagne cob!
Preparing for Opening
An example of an album cover from my Grand Photoshow a few years ago
Good preparation before you open and run your show is really important. It will save you time later and give your entrants the best possible experience. Organisation and good time management really is the key to a well run photo show.
Writing the Schedule
Once you have your class list you will need to put together a detailed schedule. This will give the entrants all the information they need to enter your show. It is important to make everything clear in advance, including any fees or return postage charges so entrants know exactly what they are getting into.
Your schedule should include:
Dates
There are two dates needed for your schedule the opening date and the closing date. The opening date is the date on which you open for entries, the closing date is the date on which you close for entries.
I think around a month is a good time for a show to run, a little longer for a postal show. You need to give people plenty of time to enter but if you leave it open for too long then they may forget to enter at all! A close deadline does help give people a little push.
Entry Cost
Tell your entrants how much it will cost to enter your show, even if it is free to enter. If you are running a free postal photo show make sure to include information about fees to return photographs. Equally if you are going to charge for the shipment of any prizes make sure to include this.
Maximum Number of Entries
You have three options here:
Class Based Entry Limits
Show Based Entry Limit
Unlimited Entries
Class based entry limits will mean that entrants can only enter a certain number of photographs per class (for example 6). I think between 3-6 is a good number. For a small one class show one entry per person may be reasonable.
Show based entry limits mean that the entrant can only enter a certain number of photographs but can enter them in any class they like. For example if the maximum number of entries was 50 I could enter 50 into the Arabian class or one into every breed class (assuming there were 50 breed classes). This method has the appeal that it is good for those who have very specialised collections but you can end up with some very large classes!
Unlimited entries are an option but they can lead to really big classes. Some people show self control, some people don't.
If you are charging for entries you may want to charge on a graduated system with increasing fees for more entries.
Photograph Information
Tell your entrants what information you need for each picture. A good basic example is:
Horse's Name : Breed/Performance Discipline : Finish : Gender : Owner's Name
How to Enter
Tell your entrants how to enter your show. If you are running it through a Facebook group or Image Hosting Site put a link to this in the schedule and include any relevant passwords.
Make sure to include all the information they need in order to properly enter your show, don't leave anything out as this will cause confusion and people will be reluctant to go chasing information.
Contact Information
Include your own contact information so that entrants can contact you if they have any questions or queries regarding the show.
Show Rules
You will need to include a list of rules for your show. Below are some rules you may want to think about including:
Entry Limits
Entries without the required information will not be accepted
You must have taken the photograph yourself
You must own the model in the photograph
No digital editing of pictures
Entries will not be accepted in any way other than those listed
Prizes are non-exchangeable
Entrants are responsible for postage to receive prizes
No more than one horse in each photograph in breed and colour classes
Horse's should be shown without tack in in hand classes, headcollars and stallion sets are OK
The judge's decision is final
Riders are mandatory in all performance classes with the exception of scene where not appropriate
No deleting of other people's photographs
Poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated
Class List
Include your class list (preferably numbered) so that entrants know what classes there are to enter
Class Explanations
I think it is always a good idea to give the entrant as much information as possible in advance. With this in mind including class explanations and a list of where you want certain breeds should help the entrant in entering the show.
Preparing Albums
If you are running your show through an image hosting site or a Facebook group you will need to prepare the albums for entrants. Each album will usually need an album cover (most of these sites require you to upload a picture in order to create an album). I think it is always good to specially create images with the section and class name on. Colour coding them by section can also be helpful.
There are several ways in which you can create an album cover:
Edited Photo
Digital Painting
Screenshot
Edited photos can look really good but as they are higher quality they can take longer to upload, you will of course also need editing software that allows you to add text. A digital painting or picture is a good option but again can be time consuming and requires software to do it, a higher quality image will also take longer to upload. My preferred method is a screenshot because the image is low res and quick to upload on a slower internet connection. I use Microsoft Publisher and create the album cover, I then use the Snipping Tool to 'snip' the image on the print preview screen and save it. I then edit the text and do that again. It is reasonably quick to do and the images are quick to upload.
Upload your albums in reverse order, starting with the very last class. Give each one the appropriate title:
Class Number : Section : Class Name
e.g. 2. OF Thoroughbred
Some sites like Facebook will mess your albums up and put them in a weird order but at least you can start with them organised!
If you are running a postal show then you will need to organise the pictures as they come in. Create a spreadsheet with entrant names, any fees paid and their return address (make sure to be GDPR compliant and get their permission to keep this). You can then mark in entries as they arrive and contact the entrant to let them know you have their pictures. I prefer to organise the pictures into envelopes, I label each one with the class number, section and class name and keep them all in order. When pictures arrive I then sort them into the relevant envelopes.
Advertising Your Show
Once everything is prepared and ready you can start to advertise your show! You will want to get as many entries as possible so think about the different ways in which you can encourage people to enter. Obviously if your show is run through a specific site then that is where you are going to get most of your entries from but don't be afraid to advertise in other places to. It is worth advertising your show a decent amount of time in advance but not too long in advance as people will want to start entering as soon as possible.
Here are some ideas for places you could advertise your show:
Hobby Facebook Groups
Facebook Page
Instagram
YouTube
Model Horse Sales Pages
Hobby Publications
Your Own Website
Your Own Mailing List
Hobby Forums (Blab, MHL etc.)
When advertising make sure to give people enough information that they can know that the show is right for them. This should include where the show is being held, the dates and any specialisms (for example a breed only show) or if it is open to all makes and models. If you are wanting to raise money for charity include this information as well.
You are now ready to launch your show! Make sure to do a post online when your show opens (particularly if you are running it in a group) to remind people to enter.
Writing the Schedule
Once you have your class list you will need to put together a detailed schedule. This will give the entrants all the information they need to enter your show. It is important to make everything clear in advance, including any fees or return postage charges so entrants know exactly what they are getting into.
Your schedule should include:
Dates
There are two dates needed for your schedule the opening date and the closing date. The opening date is the date on which you open for entries, the closing date is the date on which you close for entries.
I think around a month is a good time for a show to run, a little longer for a postal show. You need to give people plenty of time to enter but if you leave it open for too long then they may forget to enter at all! A close deadline does help give people a little push.
Entry Cost
Tell your entrants how much it will cost to enter your show, even if it is free to enter. If you are running a free postal photo show make sure to include information about fees to return photographs. Equally if you are going to charge for the shipment of any prizes make sure to include this.
Maximum Number of Entries
You have three options here:
Class Based Entry Limits
Show Based Entry Limit
Unlimited Entries
Class based entry limits will mean that entrants can only enter a certain number of photographs per class (for example 6). I think between 3-6 is a good number. For a small one class show one entry per person may be reasonable.
Show based entry limits mean that the entrant can only enter a certain number of photographs but can enter them in any class they like. For example if the maximum number of entries was 50 I could enter 50 into the Arabian class or one into every breed class (assuming there were 50 breed classes). This method has the appeal that it is good for those who have very specialised collections but you can end up with some very large classes!
Unlimited entries are an option but they can lead to really big classes. Some people show self control, some people don't.
If you are charging for entries you may want to charge on a graduated system with increasing fees for more entries.
Photograph Information
Tell your entrants what information you need for each picture. A good basic example is:
Horse's Name : Breed/Performance Discipline : Finish : Gender : Owner's Name
How to Enter
Tell your entrants how to enter your show. If you are running it through a Facebook group or Image Hosting Site put a link to this in the schedule and include any relevant passwords.
Make sure to include all the information they need in order to properly enter your show, don't leave anything out as this will cause confusion and people will be reluctant to go chasing information.
Contact Information
Include your own contact information so that entrants can contact you if they have any questions or queries regarding the show.
Show Rules
You will need to include a list of rules for your show. Below are some rules you may want to think about including:
Entry Limits
Entries without the required information will not be accepted
You must have taken the photograph yourself
You must own the model in the photograph
No digital editing of pictures
Entries will not be accepted in any way other than those listed
Prizes are non-exchangeable
Entrants are responsible for postage to receive prizes
No more than one horse in each photograph in breed and colour classes
Horse's should be shown without tack in in hand classes, headcollars and stallion sets are OK
The judge's decision is final
Riders are mandatory in all performance classes with the exception of scene where not appropriate
No deleting of other people's photographs
Poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated
Class List
Include your class list (preferably numbered) so that entrants know what classes there are to enter
Class Explanations
I think it is always a good idea to give the entrant as much information as possible in advance. With this in mind including class explanations and a list of where you want certain breeds should help the entrant in entering the show.
Preparing Albums
If you are running your show through an image hosting site or a Facebook group you will need to prepare the albums for entrants. Each album will usually need an album cover (most of these sites require you to upload a picture in order to create an album). I think it is always good to specially create images with the section and class name on. Colour coding them by section can also be helpful.
There are several ways in which you can create an album cover:
Edited Photo
Digital Painting
Screenshot
Edited photos can look really good but as they are higher quality they can take longer to upload, you will of course also need editing software that allows you to add text. A digital painting or picture is a good option but again can be time consuming and requires software to do it, a higher quality image will also take longer to upload. My preferred method is a screenshot because the image is low res and quick to upload on a slower internet connection. I use Microsoft Publisher and create the album cover, I then use the Snipping Tool to 'snip' the image on the print preview screen and save it. I then edit the text and do that again. It is reasonably quick to do and the images are quick to upload.
Upload your albums in reverse order, starting with the very last class. Give each one the appropriate title:
Class Number : Section : Class Name
e.g. 2. OF Thoroughbred
Some sites like Facebook will mess your albums up and put them in a weird order but at least you can start with them organised!
If you are running a postal show then you will need to organise the pictures as they come in. Create a spreadsheet with entrant names, any fees paid and their return address (make sure to be GDPR compliant and get their permission to keep this). You can then mark in entries as they arrive and contact the entrant to let them know you have their pictures. I prefer to organise the pictures into envelopes, I label each one with the class number, section and class name and keep them all in order. When pictures arrive I then sort them into the relevant envelopes.
Advertising Your Show
Once everything is prepared and ready you can start to advertise your show! You will want to get as many entries as possible so think about the different ways in which you can encourage people to enter. Obviously if your show is run through a specific site then that is where you are going to get most of your entries from but don't be afraid to advertise in other places to. It is worth advertising your show a decent amount of time in advance but not too long in advance as people will want to start entering as soon as possible.
Here are some ideas for places you could advertise your show:
Hobby Facebook Groups
Facebook Page
YouTube
Model Horse Sales Pages
Hobby Publications
Your Own Website
Your Own Mailing List
Hobby Forums (Blab, MHL etc.)
When advertising make sure to give people enough information that they can know that the show is right for them. This should include where the show is being held, the dates and any specialisms (for example a breed only show) or if it is open to all makes and models. If you are wanting to raise money for charity include this information as well.
You are now ready to launch your show! Make sure to do a post online when your show opens (particularly if you are running it in a group) to remind people to enter.
Good organisation is the key to a successful photo show
During the Show
One of the great things about photo shows is that during it there is actually very little to do. This is your down time, the calm before the storm so to speak and your chance to relax a little. In fact when I run shows I normally put this time over a busy period (such as exams, deadlines or a heavy work period) because I know I won't have to do much!
That said depending on the type of show you are running there are a few things that you will have to do whilst your show is going on.
Checking Entries
It is worth checking on a reasonably regular basis that everyone has entered everything into the correct place. This is usually an issue with online photo shows, particularly those where people have to upload into albums. Check periodically that everything has the right description and that pictures are in the right album. If they aren't contact the entrant to let them know they need to move or amend things.
Answering Questions
You will probably be asked a few questions whilst your show is running. Most of these will focus on where horses should go and can be pretty easy to answer. It is worth posting these answers publicly (maybe in a FAQ file) so that other entrants can see them and not ask the same question twice. Be patient and appreciate that no matter how much information you give people and how many times you answer the same question someone will always ask it again.
Filing/Sorting
If you are running a show through email or post then you will need to sort entries as they arrive. Either save these into digital albums with the class title as the album name or file them into envelopes. Keeping on top of this will save you time at the end of the show when you are also going to be spending a lot of time judging.
Make sure to acknowledge entries as they come in so entrants know that you have their pictures. This will also reduce people chasing and save you time.
Encouraging Entries
Continue to advertise your show as it is running and remind people about the closing deadline. Many people will leave entries until the last minute and will benefit from a little prod to remind them to get their entries in.
When your show is closed make sure to do an announcement to let people know that the show is now closed for judging and you will not be accepting any more entries.
That said depending on the type of show you are running there are a few things that you will have to do whilst your show is going on.
Checking Entries
It is worth checking on a reasonably regular basis that everyone has entered everything into the correct place. This is usually an issue with online photo shows, particularly those where people have to upload into albums. Check periodically that everything has the right description and that pictures are in the right album. If they aren't contact the entrant to let them know they need to move or amend things.
Answering Questions
You will probably be asked a few questions whilst your show is running. Most of these will focus on where horses should go and can be pretty easy to answer. It is worth posting these answers publicly (maybe in a FAQ file) so that other entrants can see them and not ask the same question twice. Be patient and appreciate that no matter how much information you give people and how many times you answer the same question someone will always ask it again.
Filing/Sorting
If you are running a show through email or post then you will need to sort entries as they arrive. Either save these into digital albums with the class title as the album name or file them into envelopes. Keeping on top of this will save you time at the end of the show when you are also going to be spending a lot of time judging.
Make sure to acknowledge entries as they come in so entrants know that you have their pictures. This will also reduce people chasing and save you time.
Encouraging Entries
Continue to advertise your show as it is running and remind people about the closing deadline. Many people will leave entries until the last minute and will benefit from a little prod to remind them to get their entries in.
When your show is closed make sure to do an announcement to let people know that the show is now closed for judging and you will not be accepting any more entries.
Remind people to enter throughout the show - many will leave things to the last minute and require reminding.
Judging
Judging is one of the most time consuming elements of running a photo show and is a big commitment. Unlike with live shows you will often have to judge the photo show yourself and won't be able to rely on others to help you. You need to give careful thought to how the show is going to be judged prior to running it and make sure you have plenty of time to do so.
There are three main ways in which you can judge your show. You can do it yourself, you can invite someone else to do it (or several people) or you can do it by a popular vote system.
Judging Yourself
This is the most common method you see used for photo shows. Judging yourself is good as it doesn't require you to rely on other people but does take up a lot of your time. If you are running a show it is important you take responsibility for your own judging and don't assume you can rely on other people.
How you judge a photo show will depend a lot on your own personal preferences but there are two main elements to judging any photo show picture:
The Horse
The Photograph
Both of these do interact in some way, a poor quality photograph will make it hard (if not impossible) to properly judge the horse, equally the photograph can be as stunning as possible but if the horse does not look realistic the image itself will not look realistic.
What you need to remember is that you are aiming for realism, both in the photograph and the model. The horse should have good conformation and be to breed standard. It should also be in good condition as far you can tell. If the entry is a performance entry you will want to look at the fit of the tack, the adherence for any rules or regulations and the positioning of the rider. When it comes to the photograph the same is true, the picture should look realistic and show off the horse to the best of its ability. The image above of the Mini Whinnie is a pretty good example of a very poor photo show picture. The lighting is awful, the picture is dark and the model has quite visible scratches. If you enter shows a lot you should have a good idea of what other people place an will have developed your own eye for spotting a well put together horse and picture.
Guest Judges
Some shows choose to use guest judges. It may be that a few of you are running a show together and each judging a different section or you may have invited someone to judge a class or the whole show. This will really depend on the size of the show. Asking someone to judge a 100 class photo show is a bit much but inviting a hobby expert to judge, say a one class show for customs, may be more appealing.
Make sure you are polite and already have a reasonable relationship with the person you are asking. It is also worth thinking about rewarding any guest judges appropriately (maybe with a small model or a piece of tack)? as a thank you for spending their time judging your show.
Popular Vote
Judging a show by popular vote is an appealing prospect but don't imagine it doesn't require you to do any work! You will still have to write up the results and move images around if you have a championship. The main problem with this method is keeping control of people and what they do. For example if you require people to 'like' images to vote you need to make sure that they don't do this before judging starts. Equally you may find that the show becomes more of a popularity contest than a fairly judged competition if people start encouraging others to vote for their images. Put rules in place to deter this behaviour and be prepared to ban or remove people's entries if they do not comply.
Points?
When I used to run very regular photo shows I started to judge them using a points based system. I scored negatively awarding one point for every flaw in the horse and photograph and 5 points for every serious flaws. I could easily have made the system more nuanced with different points for different levels of flaws.
This was a little time consuming to do but it made judging championships easier. The champions were awarded to the horse's with the lowest points, that meant that 1st & 2nd from an individual class could end up as Supreme and Reserve Supreme which is unusual. I made it clear to entrants that that was how I was judging.
Best Horse & Best Photograph
You may want to award two extra awards for your show, for best horse and best photograph. Whilst most classes will be judged on a combination of these points these awards would be judged solely on their category. This means that the Best Horse could be part of a very poor picture and the Best Photograph could be include a pretty poor horse. These are fun extra awards and can be nice to give.
There are three main ways in which you can judge your show. You can do it yourself, you can invite someone else to do it (or several people) or you can do it by a popular vote system.
Judging Yourself
This is the most common method you see used for photo shows. Judging yourself is good as it doesn't require you to rely on other people but does take up a lot of your time. If you are running a show it is important you take responsibility for your own judging and don't assume you can rely on other people.
How you judge a photo show will depend a lot on your own personal preferences but there are two main elements to judging any photo show picture:
The Horse
The Photograph
Both of these do interact in some way, a poor quality photograph will make it hard (if not impossible) to properly judge the horse, equally the photograph can be as stunning as possible but if the horse does not look realistic the image itself will not look realistic.
What you need to remember is that you are aiming for realism, both in the photograph and the model. The horse should have good conformation and be to breed standard. It should also be in good condition as far you can tell. If the entry is a performance entry you will want to look at the fit of the tack, the adherence for any rules or regulations and the positioning of the rider. When it comes to the photograph the same is true, the picture should look realistic and show off the horse to the best of its ability. The image above of the Mini Whinnie is a pretty good example of a very poor photo show picture. The lighting is awful, the picture is dark and the model has quite visible scratches. If you enter shows a lot you should have a good idea of what other people place an will have developed your own eye for spotting a well put together horse and picture.
Guest Judges
Some shows choose to use guest judges. It may be that a few of you are running a show together and each judging a different section or you may have invited someone to judge a class or the whole show. This will really depend on the size of the show. Asking someone to judge a 100 class photo show is a bit much but inviting a hobby expert to judge, say a one class show for customs, may be more appealing.
Make sure you are polite and already have a reasonable relationship with the person you are asking. It is also worth thinking about rewarding any guest judges appropriately (maybe with a small model or a piece of tack)? as a thank you for spending their time judging your show.
Popular Vote
Judging a show by popular vote is an appealing prospect but don't imagine it doesn't require you to do any work! You will still have to write up the results and move images around if you have a championship. The main problem with this method is keeping control of people and what they do. For example if you require people to 'like' images to vote you need to make sure that they don't do this before judging starts. Equally you may find that the show becomes more of a popularity contest than a fairly judged competition if people start encouraging others to vote for their images. Put rules in place to deter this behaviour and be prepared to ban or remove people's entries if they do not comply.
Points?
When I used to run very regular photo shows I started to judge them using a points based system. I scored negatively awarding one point for every flaw in the horse and photograph and 5 points for every serious flaws. I could easily have made the system more nuanced with different points for different levels of flaws.
This was a little time consuming to do but it made judging championships easier. The champions were awarded to the horse's with the lowest points, that meant that 1st & 2nd from an individual class could end up as Supreme and Reserve Supreme which is unusual. I made it clear to entrants that that was how I was judging.
Best Horse & Best Photograph
You may want to award two extra awards for your show, for best horse and best photograph. Whilst most classes will be judged on a combination of these points these awards would be judged solely on their category. This means that the Best Horse could be part of a very poor picture and the Best Photograph could be include a pretty poor horse. These are fun extra awards and can be nice to give.
Judging is very subjective and as long as you don't make any silly errors (such as placing Woodland Splendour here first in Paint Horse) your entrants should be happy
Results and Prizes
Once you have judged your show you will need to write up the results.
The Results
Most shows will have placings of 1st - 6th place (although you could go down to 10th place or further if you like).
You could then have a champion for each section choosing the best picture from all the 1st place images.
You may then want to have a Supreme Champion for the whole show choosing the best image from the champions.
When writing up your results make them clear and in order. Using a word document or similar is a good idea as it will help you organise them. I prefer to put the horse's name and then the owner's initial as not everyone likes their full name being disclosed.
Write your results up and judge in good time and then announce them to entrants. If you are sending out prizes or need to return photographs this should also be done in good time. Don't make people wait too long for their results.
Prizes
You don't have to offer any prizes at all if you don't want to. I regularly run a photo show series where the only prize is really the honour of winning and it still gets lots of entries.
If you are running a free show one good option is downloadable certificates. These can be made pretty easily on your computer and can be quite attractive. People can fill them out with their horse's information (or you can do this) and they can then save them onto their computer or print the out if they wish.
Printed certificates are a good option for postal photo shows although obviously do cost money to get printed. This is a good option also if you have charged an entry fee for your show.
Other prizes such as rosettes, trophies and things like model horses can also be issued. If you are charging people for your show then it will be a good idea to issue some form of physical prize, at least for champions, as most people will expect this.
The Results
Most shows will have placings of 1st - 6th place (although you could go down to 10th place or further if you like).
You could then have a champion for each section choosing the best picture from all the 1st place images.
You may then want to have a Supreme Champion for the whole show choosing the best image from the champions.
When writing up your results make them clear and in order. Using a word document or similar is a good idea as it will help you organise them. I prefer to put the horse's name and then the owner's initial as not everyone likes their full name being disclosed.
Write your results up and judge in good time and then announce them to entrants. If you are sending out prizes or need to return photographs this should also be done in good time. Don't make people wait too long for their results.
Prizes
You don't have to offer any prizes at all if you don't want to. I regularly run a photo show series where the only prize is really the honour of winning and it still gets lots of entries.
If you are running a free show one good option is downloadable certificates. These can be made pretty easily on your computer and can be quite attractive. People can fill them out with their horse's information (or you can do this) and they can then save them onto their computer or print the out if they wish.
Printed certificates are a good option for postal photo shows although obviously do cost money to get printed. This is a good option also if you have charged an entry fee for your show.
Other prizes such as rosettes, trophies and things like model horses can also be issued. If you are charging people for your show then it will be a good idea to issue some form of physical prize, at least for champions, as most people will expect this.
Make sure you allocate time in advance to judge your show so that you can ensure everyone gets their results in good time
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If you experience ANY issues with these files, such as corruption, dodgy links, dead links etc. please contact us immediately. At the time of upload there were no issues that we were aware of.
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Sample Photo Show Schedule
This is a large photo show with sections for OF, CM, AR & CTF (breed) as well as a performance and fun section. | ||
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Sample Photo Show Class Lists
These class lists can be used in your own schedule. Includes large and small breed classes, colour, performance, fun and Animal Artistry | ||