Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
Are you a member of a camera club? Do your clubs do monthly competitions?
I'm getting really frustrated with mine, the last one we had judged was last Thursday, the theme was 'Texture'. At the beginning of the year we are given a little card with the months on and the theme for each month e.g November- Natural History, December - Texture etc etc, that is all, no guidelines, no specific requirements, it is left to our interpretation.
Last Thursday was the worst results I've got in 2 years, I normally have at the very least one print on the winning board, this time not only did I have none, but my photos were verbally ripped to shreds during the judging, to the point the judge came over to me at the end and said "What is going on with your photos Anna?????"
Where did I go wrong? It seems I was too creative for their likes. The thing is my club is made up of elderly men whose idea of photography is stuck somewhere in the mid 70's, they are all about technical perfection, imagination or creativity holds no place in good photography. If you add a texture it's 'been fiddled with' and dismissed, HDR practically gives them seizures.
They award first place to the most dull, boring banal photos simply because they are 'pin sharp' throughout and technically perfect having had no editing done on them at all.
There is a small group of us that feel the same way as me and I feel a revolt coming on soon, for instance 2 of the committee members have been asking for an 'abstract' theme for years, every time they mention it it's shot down in flames because abstract is not a proper subject for photography, apparently.
So, back to the texture disaster, I took 'texture' to mean a photograph of something with texture and i would photograph it in my own style, to my own tastes.
The judge (our Chairman) hated all 5 of my images for the same reason, which was due to, in his words, "something going wrong with the focusing, just a small part is in focus, it's all out of focus round the edges, you need to get a grip on the focusing, this is really awful" etc etc
What he didn't realise was that I love differential focus, I always use something around f2 so I can get bits blurred out, it's what I like, I did it on purpose.
When I told him that he said "A texture shot should be all in focus, you should have used f22"
Where are the rules that state this?????????
I am just so fed up with it, I'm not saying my shots deserved to be on the winners board but they didn't deserved to be accused of being badly taken with no knowledge of focusing, when the opposite was the case!
So what are your clubs like? Are they as weird about technical prowess over creative vision?
Sorry, this has turned into a slight rant lol
Here are a few of the photos he ripped to shreds:
Judges opinion: This one has texture but has a slight yellow cast in the sky which is just utterly appalling apparently.
My opinion: It shows texture and the yellow 'cast' was applied to give a warm golden feel of sunshine in keeping with the golden field.
Judges Opinion: The focusing has gone wrong, why is it all out of focus round the edges?? Learn how to focus.
My Opinion: It shows the texture of the mushroom, the blurring at the sides was deliberate, I don't think the texture at the sides is essential, I think the blurring adds interest and focuses the eye on the texture at the front. It shows texture as required.
Judges Opinion: Again the focusing has gone wrong? What is it with this bad focusing?? It should ALL be in focus!
My Opinion: The focusing draws attention to the texture on the frog's head, it's not necessary to see the rest, it shows texture as asked for.
As I said, I'm not saying they are amazing photos that should have won, but I don't think they should have been dismissed for being taken in a different style whilst still providing what was asked for, some people submitted photos of landscapes !!
Yes, it's brewing, there's about 4 or 5 of us that are feeling stifled, one of them will be taking over as President in Jan and has plans for changes even if it means setting up a sub group for people who want to explore a more creative side to photography, which is just ridiculous that we should have to do that in a photography club!!
I got 3 of my photos accepted into the Beyond Group national exhibition this year, one of which got a commended. The Beyond Group specialise in more creative photography, it's enough to send some of my club's members into a seizure.
Well, I didn't get a look in at our exhibition this year, but I got 2nd and 3rd in the public vote. The same photos scored extremely well at a comp a few weeks later, whereas the 3rd place judged image and one of the highly commended got the lowest scores of the night.
Shows me that judges' opinions are highly personal and you shouldn't let it bother you one little bit.
Maybe suggest a macro competition of giant sunflowers taken at an oblique angle, with you judging their ability to get full image depth of field sharpness - that might prove the point! Oh, I like your photo's above by the way, especially the frog!
Quote: weird about technical prowess over creative vision?
In a word, yes.
Its a case of conform or be dammed with many clubs although there are some that give a longer rope.
I have heard of many stories similar to yours which is pathetic. Over the pond they tend not to be so concerned with tiresome technique.
There was a period in the UK when independent groups flourished with very few remaining, LIP being a successful survivor.
Its been many a year since I belonged to a local club and don't see me stepping through the door of one now.
I know but when all the judges are 60+ and obsessed with technical precision and have an old fashioned out look on it all, the chances of anything a bit 'out there' winning are very low, so I end up curbing my enthusiasm as it were, and entering photos which don't appeal that much to me but what they would like, when I do enter personal favourites of mine they get slated.
I came 1st in the public vote at our exhibition this year.
It's all so contradictory and frustrating.
Ken, the Beyond Group was set up by an ex member of my club because she felt the same way as me, that creativity was actively frowned upon. Google them, they are quite interesting.
Vetcameraman, in my PF I have a photo of a field of sunflowers, it got criticised for only having the flower at the front in focus because, guess what? ALL the flowers SHOULD have been in focus. Sheesh.
Anna first off, if you are exploring your own style and vision on the world you are going to find times when people say wow and comprehend you view and times when it will whistle straight past them and be met with Why? How? but you should have. Its life. Also I detect that there is a grey scale of balance of art and science in photography. where I live there is an art group as well as a photography group. Find out of there is also an art group near you as they may well be more receptive to some of your images.
I detect photography has an appeal to many conservative (small C), as such to that audience there are perceptions as to what is required in terms of sharpness and colour fidelity. My camera club uses random judges, as such we get different views. Some love to see something new and anything that makes them stop and think is good and gets positive praise. Others go for more classic approaches. And as such I have had one image picked as best of the night and in another situation with a different judge came last.
Life in clubs also goes through cycles, the question being do the people at the club add stimulation and make you think about new ways of looking at/taking photo's or even just provide a social outlet. If not, then it is not working. In my club we have people with a variety of styles. As such it is best to enjoy those styles and I feel it wrong for them to approach you about problems of focusing etc. Rather we view them as choices. If everyone took the same photo how terrible. I enjoy seeing the work of people who see the world differently from me as it makes me stop and think.
If you like my feedback is, the Frog pretty well works as your photo makes the texture stick out
Thanks Bri 
I think what I will do, as an experiment, is upload the photos I enter into our monthly comps to my PF on here and write the judges comments in the description and see the difference.
Next week we have the first part of our annuals with an outside judge so I'll do those ones.
The thing is, I am very competitive and I want to win and each time I am left feeling confused as I just don't 'get' what it is they want, because the ones they pick as winners usually make me go "HUH???"
Foe example, one of the winning photos for the texture comp was a straight forward photo, printed badly on photo quality inkjet paper of a figurine in a museum.
Quote: all the judges are 60+ and obsessed with technical precision and have an old fashioned out look on it all
The only way to change that mind-set is to break up the status quo, and bring in "regime", which will have some interesting fall-out. Looking at your PF you seem to approach it creatively from an artists rather than technical perspective. You could view taking "technically perfect" images as a challenge, which it may well be as that is not what you naturally seem to do.
Starwman, i agree with you, I was actually quite upset when he accused me of bad focusing and not knowing how to control aperture etc, he had totally missed my whole take on the subject.
Bri, that sounds like what has happened to me, I focused on the texture, not the leaves around the frog and mushroom, but he just didn't 'get' it. In the end they will just make everyone take bland boring pictures set to their standards.
One of my favourite photos I entered into a comp with an outside judge was one of my son with a rat on his head entitled 'Ben' as the theme was films.
The judge ridiculed it because A) Why was there a MOUSE on his head and B) Just calling it Ben was really stupid, who is Ben, the boy or the mouse?
I have never had anyone so totally not understand what the whole photo was about.
Quote: You could view taking "technically perfect" images as a challenge, which it may well be as that is not what you naturally seem to do.
Lol, nothing like breaking it to me gently 
No, you're right, I have had an artistic upbringing and background, to me photography is an extension of that, I'm more interested in getting a message across or the aesthetics of the final image, that's probably wh I'm struggling in a club environment, or at least MY club, I'm sure there are plenty out there that don't mind more artistic photos.
Add a Comment
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.
Login or Join Now
New to ePHOTOzine? Join ePHOTOzine for free!
Join Our Free Newsletter
Awards
Current Competitions
foliopic 'Movement' Competition
1st May 2012 - 31st May 2012
This month's competition theme is 'Movement' which can be interpreted in a number of ways. You could photograph an animal running, a person walking or a car speeding...Featured e2 Photo
Featured Directory Listing
May's Photo Month
Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.
Interact
Photography Gallery Photography Forums Recent Forum Activity Members' Meetings Members' BlogsSearch ePHOTOzine
Having trouble or would like to make a suggestion? Create a report
Calibrate your monitor so you can see 16 different shades.
ePHOTOzine © 2001 - 2012 Magezine Publishing | Contact Us | Site Map | Top