Q: I registered to the course, what now ?

If you have registered and paid, just make sure to check your email a few days before the course. Don't forget to check your spam folder if you don't see our email. Our instructor will send you specific instructions about the course directly to your email (exact address, directions, what you have to bring with you, etc).If you have registered but not paid yet, please make sure to transfer the payment or pay at any post office as soon as possible. This is how you can secure your spot in the course.

Question 1

Is my camera suitable for your courses?

Accepted Answer

Any camera that allows you to select shooting mode (P/A/S/M) is ok for the courses (except of mobile course of course). The generation, brand, or sophistication of the camera is irrelevant. It can not be a compact pocket camera.

If you only have a compact or phone camera, we can arrange you a proper camera during the course. Please select "I need a camera" during the checkout so that we can reserve one for you.

Question 2

What are the activities of Swiss Photo Club ?

Accepted Answer

Here is a summary of our activities, in Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Zurich and Stuttgart. Feel free to contact us if you have additional suggestions.

Group and private photography courses
Local photography competitions and exhibitions
Practice workshops
Photography trips in Switzerland and abroad
Workshops and conferences with famous Photographers
Studio and equipment rental
… and the list goes on

Subscribe to our email list if you’d like to hear more.

Question 3

Where do the courses take place ?

Accepted Answer

The exact location of each course is different – either at our school, at the studio of the instructor or a central meeting place in the town.

Feel free to get in touch with us if the exact location of the course is important for your registration. Also, most of the time when you click on the registration button for your course, you will see more details including the exact location.

Question 4

What equipment do I need to bring ?

Accepted Answer

Generally if you are coming to our photography course, you should bring your digital SLR or mirrorless camera with batteries fully charged, memory cards and at least one lens. Having said that you are welcome to bring as much equipment as you like.

If you are coming for an edit and software course (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc..) you should bring your laptop with the charger and some photos saved on your laptop or on an external hard drive.

For other specific courses, the list of equipment is generally written in the course description. After you registered, please don't hesitate to contact us or your instructor to know exactly what you will need.

Question 5

Are they any breaks and refreshments ?

Accepted Answer

We realize that maximum time anyone can focus on a subject is about 45 mins. So we will give a break about every hour to let you rest and digest all that you have learnt.

Please note that we don’t provide food for lunch, however there will be plenty of tea, coffee, water, biscuits, and so forth available free of charge.

Question 6

What are the payement methods ?

Accepted Answer

When you register for a course, you can choose to pay by credit card, bank transfer or in the post office.

If you’d like to pay by bank transfer, you can make it either by e-banking or from any post office (takes one day to reach us):

E-Banking (1 day)

Account owner: Swiss Photo Club

Address: Rue Henri-Christiné 5, 1205 Geneva

IBAN: CH77 0483 5144 2006 1100 1

BIC / Swift: CRESCHZZ80A

TWINT

Use the QR code in this following page to pay by TWINT:

https://shop.swissphotoclub.com/twint/

Question 7

Which camera equipment do you recommend for a beginner ?

Accepted Answer

This is a question we receive a lot, so we created a full article for this. Check our new camera & photography equipment guide for Switzerland.

Question 8

I registered to the course, what now ?

Accepted Answer

If you have registered and paid, just make sure to check your email a few days before the course. Don't forget to check your spam folder if you don't see our email. Our instructor will send you specific instructions about the course directly to your email (exact address, directions, what you have to bring with you, etc).

If you have registered but not paid yet, please make sure to transfer the payment or pay at any post office as soon as possible. This is how you can secure your spot in the course.

Question 9

Reschedule or Cancel my registration

Accepted Answer

Please see the relevant section in our terms and conditions page.

Question 10

What happens if I'm late or miss a course ?

Accepted Answer

We start classes promptly and keep to stated hours, please try to arrive 10 minutes earlier to prepare your camera and all the gear that you have.

If you are running late or can not find us, please let us know and call us at the phone number you have in your confirmation email.

If you find out that you can not make it on the day, we would appreciate if you notified us as soon as possible. If you wish we can try to make some alternative arrangements for you.

If you would like to cancel your attendance, try to give us enough notice we can offer you a full or partial refund. Please see our refunds and cancellation policy.

Question 11

What happens after I buy the gift voucher?

Accepted Answer

After your payment, you should receive the voucher in PDF format within a few minutes. You can now print this voucher or email it to the recipient.

The recipient can then use the code on the voucher to register to any of our upcoming classes.

Question 12

How do I use my gift voucher code ?

Accepted Answer

You should enter the code on your voucher at the final payment screen of the registration process. It will count as payment.

Question 13

Can I upgrade my voucher ?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Just choose your course as normal and enter your code in the checkout. This will get you a reduction in the price equivalent to the value of your gift voucher. Then you can pay the difference in whichever method you prefer.

Question 14

What if the price of the course increases?

Accepted Answer

If there is change of price in the type of course of your gift voucher, the value of your gift voucher will change accordingly.

So your gift voucher will remain valid regardless of any price change.

Question 15

Are the vouchers refundable?

Accepted Answer

Gift Vouchers and course bundles are not refundable, partly or fully (also mentioned in the terms and conditions). They are not transferrable to anybody else other than the mentioned recipient.

The recipient can use the amount assigned to the gift voucher as a discount, to register for a more expensive course.

If you used your voucher for a class that has been postponed, you get your credit back and you can use it for the new date or a different class or course.

Question 16

Which languages will the workshops take place?

Accepted Answer

Unless otherwise stated in the course description, the group conversations will be in English. However some of the trips are in German or French, so please check the trip description carefully.

In any case, our instructors are all at least bi-lingual, so they will be able to help you in your own language. Please check before registration if you do not feel comfortable in English.

Question 17

Cancellation policy for trips

Accepted Answer

If for some reason you can’t make it on the trip, please email us ASAP by simply sending an email to hello@swissphotoclub.com.

The following conditions apply to cancellations and booking changes for the trip:

Up to 90 Days: 20% of the price is held as cancellation
89 – 31 Days: 50% of the price is held as cancellation
30 – 0 Days: 100% of the price is held as cancellation

Tickets are not for resale.

Question 18

Are there any requirements to join ?

Accepted Answer

No. The application is open to everybody who have the passion for photography and learning. This trip is for beginners as well as for pros because we believe that we all have different talents and we can all learn from each other. Even though, a basic knowledge of photography is highly recommended.

Question 19

What happens after my application?

Accepted Answer

Once we receive your payment, we will get back to you with a short survey or a call to get to know your preferences for language and accommodation. As the trip gets closer, we will keep in touch with you again to confirm the trip, introduce the instructors, update you on the progress and communicate the full program.

Question 20

Shared room: Can I select who I will stay with ?

Accepted Answer

For shared rooms, we strongly recommend that you book with somebody you already know and are comfortable to share the room with.

If you book a shared room alone, that means you accept to share your room with any other participant regardless of gender or age.

With individual booking of a shared room, your booking can only be confirmed if there is another individual shared room reservation with us. Otherwise, depending on the time and availability, you have the option to upgrade to a private room reservation.

Question 21

Can I upgrade from shared room to private room later?

Accepted Answer

If you decide to upgrade to private room, the conditions depend on the timing of your decision, pending of course on the availability.

Before the trip: Possible by paying the price difference at the time of your decision (e.g. if you bought an early bird ticket but decided to upgrade during normal prices, you pay the difference at normal prices).

After the trip has started: If you decide to upgrade during check-in, if there is room available, you will have to pay the price difference plus 20% of your original payment as penalty.

Question 22

Will there be other people ?

Accepted Answer

No. This trip will be organized by and for Swiss Photo Club only.

Question 23

Questions regularly asked

Accepted Answer

Children:

Your children must be at least 16 years old to join.

Pets:

We want to offer the best conditions to all the participants. That’s the reason why the pets are unfortunately not accepted.

Allergies and/or food intolerances:

We take seriously your allergies/ intolerances. You should let us know about everything when we’ll contact you.

Additional photo equipment:

We have a partnership with great photography manufacturers. If you need to buy photo gear for your trip, do not hesitate to contact us and we will send you a quote (hello@swissphotoclub.com).

Question 24

How about travel insurance ?

Accepted Answer

There is no insurance included in the weekend photography trip. Please make sure you have health, travel and accident insurance coverage.

Question 25

What happens in case of emergencies ?

Accepted Answer

We will ask you to give us a way to get in touch with a contact person of your choice before the trip.

You and your beloved ones can contact all of us during our trip and our team back in Geneva and Zurich.

In case of any special allergies or medical treatments, we highly recommend to contact your doctor before applying for the trip.

Swiss Photo Club does not provide any insurance.

Question 26

How can I pay ?

Accepted Answer

You can either pay via:

Credit Card (fastest/prefered option)
Bank Transfer (bank details – purpose: name sept trip)
Invoice (send us an email with full name and billing address)
Cash at any post office

If you’d like to pay by bank transfer or in a poste office, you can our bank details below:

E-Banking (1 day)

Account owner: Swiss Photo Club

Address: Rue Henri-Christiné 5, 1205 Geneva

IBAN: CH77 0483 5144 2006 1100 1

BIC / Swift: CRESCHZZ80A

Pay at Post Office (2 days)

To pay at any post office, you can use the red payment slip and use our bank details below:

Account owner: Swiss Photo Club

Account number: 80-500-4

Address: Rue Henri-Christiné 5, 1205 Geneva

Bank: Crédit Suisse

Question 27

What to bring ?

Accepted Answer

Photography equipment for landscape and night photography (body, lenses, tripod, filters, strap, batteries, sd cards, flash, etc.)
Laptop with Lightroom or Photoshop for the editing session (optional)
Warm clothes according to weather conditions

You will get a recommended packing list with your welcome information

Question 28

Is there a specific theme for each event?

Accepted Answer

Unless specifically stated, we do not have a specific theme per event. You can submit any photo as long as you are the owner.

However, as we prepare the exhibition, we group the big photos based on theme, to create harmony for visitors.

Question 29

Can I submit photos taken with a phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can submit any photo taken with any camera.

We do not care about which camera or lens you use, we care much more about the emotions you can create with your photo.

Question 30

Why do I have to pay to join the competition?

Accepted Answer

In this event, we physically print your photos and exhibit them in a real prestigious gallery. It is not an online event.

Your payments cover the costs of printing, gallery rental, personnel, organization, and prizes.

Question 31

How many photos can I submit?

Accepted Answer

There is no limit to the number of photos you can submit, but most participants submit between 3-5 photos.

Question 32

How can I prepare my photos for submission?

Accepted Answer

The photos that you send should be in jpg format, in one of the standard ratios (3:2, 4:3, 1:1, 4:5, 2:1, 3:1), in the highest resolution that you have out of the camera, with a size less than 50MB.

You can use any image editor (e.g. Lightroom, Photos, Capture 1, Luminar, GIMP, etc) to crop and export your photos in these criteria. We recommend using Lightroom Classic.

We also recommend using software like Jpeg Mini to reduce the file size.

You can check our article about our recommended photography software.

If you don't have an image editor, you can also use an online service for resizing. Some examples as of writing this article:

Question 33

I get an error message when submitting photos. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

First of all, we are sorry if you have any issues submitting your photos. Please check and try the following first:

Check your browser: We have some issues with the old versions of Safari. If this is your case, you can try with Google Chrome or Firefox.
Make sure the files are in jpg format, each of them should be less than 50MB
Try different payment methods

If these don't work, you can simply send your photos to us by email to hello [at] swissphotoclub.com using a service like https://swisstransfer.com with the photo titles. Then we will upload them for you and send you an invoice by email.

Question 34

Is it free to visit the exhibition?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the exhibitions are open to the public and anybody can visit and vote for their favorite photos in person.

Question 35

How does public voting work?

Accepted Answer

During the opening hours of the gallery, every visitor will be handed a card with a security vote that they can use to cast their votes for their favorite photos.

We ask for the top 3 photos: #1 choice gets 3 points, #2 choice gets 2 points and #3 choice gets 1 point. On the closing day, we add up all the points, complete our checks, and then present the winners.

Only the actual visitors are allowed to vote.

Online voting, sharing codes, voting for the same photo more than one time, and excessive "friends and family" votes are not permitted.

If we detect any irregularities with the votes for a specific photo, all the votes for that photo will be counted as invalid and the photographer will be disqualified from the event.

We want to ensure a fair competition for all participants, so let us know if you discover any irregularities.

Question 36

I cannot visit the exhibition, can I vote online?

Accepted Answer

Only actual visitors are allowed to vote for their favorite photos.

Question 37

How does the jury selection work?

Accepted Answer

The jury is made up of our photography instructors who volunteer to vote for the submissions. Every instructor goes through each photo and rates them from 1 to 10.

We send the following instructions to the jury to rate each photo:

When evaluating submissions, prioritize artistic capability over technical skills.

Focus should initially be placed on the concept (idea), followed by an assessment of execution (technical aspects, composition, etc.).

1-3 points: Bad concept, bad execution
4-5 points: Boring / not original concept but good execution
5-7 points: OK concept, great execution
8-10 points: Great concept and great execution

After the jury voting deadline, we add up the votes from each jury member to determine which photos will be printed in big size.

Question 38

When will I know if my photo is selected for big print?

Accepted Answer

After the submissions are closed, we need about two weeks for our jury to go through the photos and cast their votes.

After the jury voting is finished, we will communicate the results through our newsletter. You can also check the awards event page from time to time.

Question 39

How can I pick up my photos after the exhibition?

Accepted Answer

You can collect your photos on the last day of the exhibition (finissage) just after the winners are announced. You can also send someone to collect your photos for you.

If you can't come at that time, you'll also receive our newsletter with different dates and times options to pick up your photos in person after the exhibition.

If you can't collect your photos at all, you can order a postal delivery here.

Question 40

How can I benefit from the 50% discount for photo submissions?

Accepted Answer

The 50% discount for photo awards submissions is only available to our previous students who joined a paid class or joined one of our trips.

It does not apply to those who joined a free class or participated in a previous contest.

Question 41

I live outside Switzerland or Germany. Can I participate ?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We welcome all international enthusiasts to participate in all of our services, including the photography competition, trips, and courses. There are no restrictions based on where our users live.

Question 42

Can I change a photo after submitting it?

Accepted Answer

You can only replace a submitted photo with a higher resolution or improved version if there was a mistake during submission.

However, changing the photo entirely is not allowed.

Question 43

Can I come to the exhibition even if I did not participate?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The exhibition is free and open to everyone. We recommend coming on the evening of the vernissage to enjoy a festive atmosphere and conversations with your local photography community. While you're there, take the time to look at all the photos. Get inspired and remember to vote for your favorites.

Question 44

Do I keep the copyright to my photos?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You keep all your own intellectual property. We may share your photo on Instagram if you include your account name in your submission, and we will put winning photos on our website. Photographers featured this way are always credited, which boosts your recognition and visibility. Photos of the exhibition may also be used in advertising. If you have concerns about the way your photo is used, send us a message.

Question 45

Can I submit images created with AI?

Accepted Answer

No. Although editing with Photoshop, Lightroom, and other similar programs is allowed--and so is digital art created from photographs--we do not accept images using generative AI, either in whole or in part. We thank you in advance for your honesty.

Question 46

Can I participate with my own prints?

Accepted Answer

For the SPC Photo Awards competition, we print all the photos ourselves the same way to ensure a consistent look and a level playing field.

However, if you already have prints, we recommend to booking an Artists Corner. This way your prints will get maximum exposure with our visitors. Click here to learn more.

Question 47

Accepted Answer

First of all, you never know :) SPC Photo Awards is not only about winning — it is about sharing your artistic vision and work, connecting with a community of fellow photographers, and experiencing the joy of seeing your work exhibited in a gallery. Every participant contributes to the creative energy of the event, and we’d love to see your perspective included.

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