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Diana Rozenshteyn

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San Diego County Fair Photography Exhibition 2025 – My First Submission

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This year, I took a big leap and submitted my work to the Photography Exhibition at the San Diego County Fair for the very first time—and I’m absolutely thrilled to share that three of my seven submitted images were accepted into the show! These images are currently on display at the Del Mar Fairgrounds as part of the 2025 exhibition, which runs until July 6th.

This was a deeply meaningful moment in my photography journey. When I dropped off my framed prints, one of the organizers mentioned that only about a third of the submitted works were accepted—with over 1,200 images on display in total. So for me, just being part of this exhibit feels like a win.

San Diego County Fair Photography Competition - San Diego

A First-Time Participant's Experience

I attended the artist reception on the fair’s opening day, when the winners were announced. Although I didn’t win any ribbons, it was incredibly inspiring to see the range of work and talent represented. It was also eye-opening to observe what kinds of images were chosen and what aesthetic preferences seemed to stand out across categories.

For example, in the Flowers category, where I had an image entered, most of the selected works were single light-colored flowers on dark backgrounds, with a dramatic or studio-like feel. My own floral work tends to lean more toward natural light, soft-focus textures, and vintage tones—so it was a great learning experience for what to consider next time.

In the Cell Phone category, the winning images were beautiful and high quality, but many seemed to be formally composed shots rather than spontaneous or candid captures. Personally, I think the power of cell phone photography lies in those unexpected moments we’re able to catch when we least expect it—because we have our phones with us all the time.

I also wanted to share this experience because when I was preparing to submit my entries, I found it surprisingly difficult to get a clear visual sense of what kinds of photographs had been accepted or awarded in past years. The fair only publishes PDF files listing the selected and winning entries, and aside from the occasional social media post or scattered photo online, there isn’t much visual history of the exhibition itself. So, for other photographers who might be curious or considering submitting in the future, I hope this post provides a helpful glimpse into what the experience is like and what kinds of imagery were included.

A Note on Framing and Presentation

Another important lesson I learned in preparing my prints for the fair was about framing and composition. The exhibition requires that all finished, ready-to-hang entries be exactly 16” x 20”, regardless of the printed image size. This means that if your subject fills the entire frame of your photograph, it can be extremely difficult—or even impossible—to crop the image to fit those dimensions without losing key compositional elements.

Next time, I’ll be more mindful about leaving a little margin around the subject when composing images I might want to submit. That way, I can adjust the crop later if needed without sacrificing the creative integrity of the piece.

Also, while I used matting and borders this time around, I noticed that in the exhibit, images printed at full 16x20 without matting tended to stand out more and presented a bit cleaner and more modern. I may experiment with that approach next year.

The Cost of Participation

One thing I didn’t fully anticipate going into this experience was how expensive it can be to participate in the San Diego County Fair photography exhibition. The entry fee is $20 per image, with a maximum of 20 submissions allowed per person. That means just submitting the full 20 images would cost $400 upfront, before any of your work is even accepted.

If your images are accepted, there’s an additional cost: you must have each image printed, mounted, and ready to hang at exactly 16” x 20”. Depending on your printing and framing method, that can easily add another $30 or more per piece—making full participation a significant financial investment.

This structure inevitably creates a disparity: photographers who can afford to submit more images—and produce high-quality mounted prints for all accepted pieces—are at an advantage. More submissions mean more chances for selection, and better resources can lead to more polished presentation.

While I understand that the fees help cover administrative and exhibition costs, I think it’s important to acknowledge how these costs can discourage talented photographers who may not have the budget to compete at the same level. It's something I hope the organizers consider more carefully in the future, especially if their goal is to showcase a wide and diverse range of creative voices.

My Submitted Images

I submitted a total of seven images across five categories. Here are all of them—with a note on the ones that were selected:

🌽 Division 1203: Color Nature – Flowers Category

🌿 Division 1203: Color Nature – All Other Plants & Trees

📱 Division 1204: Cell Phone – Class 015

🌊 Division 1202: Color – Waterscapes, Seascapes, Waterfalls

🌅 Division 1206: Color or Black & White – Abstract

Final Thoughts

Being part of this exhibition reminded me that progress in creative work isn’t always measured by ribbons or awards. Sometimes, it’s about showing up, putting your art into the world, and learning from the experience. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and grateful to share my photography with the broader San Diego community.

Thanks for reading—until next bloom! 🌼
Diana

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