Seeking Photos for the 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst Calendar!

Your photo could be featured (kind of like this) in our 2024 calendar!

CALLING ALL AMHERST and WESTERN MASS PHOTOGRAPHERS

We are once again seeking photo submissions for our annual Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. From our ever-changing cloud canopy to our beautiful valley, with endless trails and side roads, wide open spaces, quiet ponds, and woods (lovely, dark and deep), there is so much to explore.

As in past years, our 2024 calendar will once again feature monthly photos taken by 12 different photographers. And you don't have to limit yourself to Amherst locations - we are accepting photos taken across the Pioneer Valley and Western Massachusetts. 

So now is your chance to share your favorite scenes with calendar fans far and wide! Start flipping through your photo collection – or grab your camera, take to our scenic highways, byways and trails, and make some new memories. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Submission Guidelines

The deadline to submit is Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 11:59 pm. Submissions can be emailed or uploaded via your Google Drive to CloudsAmherst@gmail.com. Please enter "HITCA 2024 Calendar Photo Submission" in the subject line. Submit your highest resolution version. 

Please include the following for each photo you submit:

• Where the photo was taken and what scenic feature is depicted (please indicate if your location is Kestral Trust conserved land)
• Who is in the photo, unless it's a crowd scene or taken from a distance
• Photographer's name
• Your contact information

If your photo is selected, you will be asked to provide additional information, including a written comment about your photo to be included in the 2024 calendar.

All submissions must be taken in Western Massachusetts. Priority will be given to photos showing locations in Amherst, other sites across the Pioneer Valley, and Kestral Trust conserved land locations. Your photo should evoke the seasons and the intersection of life and weather. In addition to those qualities, if your photo also captures one or more of these themes it will get special consideration:

• Unique renderings of iconic local landmarks (natural attractions, university/colleges, museums, popular scenic destinations, etc.)
• Conservation areas, including Kestral Trust conserved lands
• Clouds formations and weather phenomena (over or around the Pioneer Valley)

Click HERE for additional tips on submitting winning Head in the Clouds Amherst photos. Keep in mind that we cannot consider photos that are low resolution, low quality, or that contain inappropriate material. Ideally your image should be at least 300 PPI, and we will not consider images below 200 PPI. (If in doubt, send your photo to us, and we will let you know.) You can see our 2023 calendar, here. 

We welcome landscape oriented, color photos by professionals and amateurs. And we’re also counting on friends of Head in the Clouds re-submitting photos you’ve already sent to us over the year - don't assume your photo is being considered just because you sent it to us at some other point in the past or we posted it to Facebook or the blog. You can submit as many photos as you like.

If your photo is selected for the 2024 calendar, you will receive a free calendar and reduced rates on any additional calendars you opt to purchase. All net proceeds from 2024 sales will be donated to the Kestral Land Trust.  

Tips on Submitting Winning Photos for the Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar

2018 Calendar Cover Photo (by Joshua Wolfsun)
* This photo met just about every criteria for a featured photo:
- local landmark (the Amherst Common)
- seasonal (snow on the ground, winter feel)   - clouds
- captures a familiar location in a unique way

The response to our call for photos has been growing each year, and it's a thrill to open every email and be treated to such a wealth of beautiful local scenes. We've been told more than once that each year's calendar is even more exquisite than the last!

Although we receive plenty of really imaginative and beautiful submissions, for a variety of reasons many are not quite right for this calendar. So as you are considering what photos to submit, please keep these pointers in mind: 

1. Photos must depict Western Massachusetts, with special consideration given to photos of Amherst and the Pioneer Valley. In recent years, about half of each calendar's photos have shown Amherst locations, with the rest capturing other scenes across Western Mass. This means the odds of your photo being selected are better if it depicts an Amherst scene.
2. Tell it slant. In the context of photography, we refer to this line from a poem by Emily Dickinson, "Tell all the truth, but tell it slant," to describe capturing an image from an unexpected angle or using light and shadow to create visual interest and tell a story. Essentially, we look for photos that add a unique perspective or twist to a shot that makes it more interesting and compelling. For example, to "tell it slant" while doing a landscape of a barn, take a creative approach to framing and composition - experiment with different angles and vantage points to create an unusual or unexpected perspective. Consider how to use clouds as a backdrop for the barn, exaggerating their size or creating a dramatic effect. Alternatively, use the clouds to play with contrast and shadow, creating unique patterns of light and dark across the landscape. 
3. Diversity of scenes. We like to show different aspects of the local area, and this year special consideration will be given to photos that include The Homestead, The Evergreens, Lilacland, or Sweetser Park “A Poetic Dialogue” silhouettes. We receive many more landscapes (farms, ponds, trails, etc.) than photos of tourist destinations, historic landmarks, colleges/universities, etc. Your chances of being included increase if you are able to capture a landmark in a "tell it slant" way.
4. Evoke a season. Every calendar features three photos for each season. Our April and May featured photos will be more springlike, while October will be a fall scene. Because we receive many more fall photos than any other season, your odds of being selected increase if you submit a variety of seasons. Spring and winter are almost always underrepresented. 
5. Weather and clouds are a plus. Even though we are "in the clouds," we do not require all the featured photos to have clouds, and ideally the photo won't be just clouds (though we routinely break this rule for an outstanding or otherworldly cloud photo.)
6. Main subject should be the place. People and pets in the photo are fine as long as they aren't the focus. No portraits, close ups of groups of people, or crowd shots. The main subject needs to be the setting around any people or pets. Since the first calendar ten years ago, less than a handful of photos with people have been featured.
7. Avoid extreme close-ups. While close-ups can be beautiful, they usually don't convey a sense of place. We routinely reject close-ups of flowers, insects, birds, and trees. For example, instead of sending us a close-up of a lilac branch taken at Lilacland (which doesn't say "Amherst" - it could have been taken anywhere), pull back on that shot to show lilac bushes blooming against the hill and the art gallery beyond. 
8. Check out our calendars from past years, and consider ways to vary the subject: 2024 Calendar; 2023 Calendar; 2021 Calendar; 2020 Calendar; 2019 Calendar; 2018 Calendar; 2017 Calendar; 2016 Calendar; 2015 Calendar; 2014 Calendar 
9. Landscape orientation. Due to the layout of the calendar, your photo submissions must be landscape orientation (photo is wider than it is tall). Photos in portrait orientation (photo is taller than it is wide) will not be considered. 
10. Go easy on Photoshop. As you will see when you look through past featured photos, we strongly prefer realistic renderings of nature. By all means, use photo-editing to get the best out of your shot, but please stop before you turn an otherwise good photo into a super-saturated, surreal, color-soaked extra-terrestrial planet. In general, less is more when it comes to color adjusting, exposure, contrast, and saturation. We do know that some phone cameras colorize photos automatically - if that's the case, we can help you undo what's been done. Photos that are AI generated will not be accepted.

In general, every featured photo will have viewers seeing and feeling our local area in the photos. It's not necessary that the places featured be recognizable, but the photos should convey a feel for Amherst and Western Massachusetts, the nature around us, the sky, or those locations anyone passing through might recognize or feel drawn to visit. One of the greatest compliments we get is when former residents tell us this calendar makes them feel like they are home again. 

Can't wait to see what you have. Full guidelines on submitting photos can be found here.