Club Competition Entries

owenn01 wrote: IanC wrote: I don't know what the judge's background is. I am assuming he/she is a photographer, but I don't know what genre. The point I was trying to make was no matter how good the entries are if they don't appeal because of the judge's own interest they may not do well. Ian Hi Ian, By way of defending Club Judges, if the Club has selected then from a local or Regional accredited list then they will be up to a particular standard - by that, I mean they should not show any great degree of individual bias (though it is human nature to like what one specialises In I guess) and will demonstrate a good grasp of photographic standards and skills etc. They usually tend to also have some RPS Accreditation as well. You shouldn't worry too much about this for the moment! I did think of trying to become one myself but the amount tf time needed to train; show you are of a 'standard' and then get out to Clubs that need you wasn't compatible with working for a living! Good luck and best regards, Neil.

Thanks Neil. I'm not too worried about the judge. I have no great expectations just yet. I'm hoping to submit two or three pictures of a good standard. The judge's feedback is more important than winning (unlikely!). The club is affiliated to various regional bodies so I'm certain the judge will be impartial. I'm going to see if I can re-shoot #2 this afternoon. If not, I may look for something else to submit, or just go with #1 & #3. It's all good experience and the comments from fellow Dyxumers has already been very helpful and useful. Yes, back to work for me too tomorrow.

Ian

Ian, I think if you crop from the bottom just above the windows of the nearest building and from the left just to the right of the two big air conditioning fans/condensors I think you'd be left with a pleasing picture.

The judging finally took place on the 29th September and as promised here is my feedback.

The club guidelines state a maximum of three entries, but on this occasion the judge agreed to look at up to six, so I submitted a further three. I felt they were just making up the numbers. Sixteen photographers submitted a total of 69 pictures. Here are the three additional pictures.

#1

4_Pithead Winding Gear through a Dirty Window by Ian Chapman, on Flickr
#2

5_An Exhibit at the Catalyst Museum by Ian Chapman, on Flickr
#3

6_The Queen Visits Merseyside by Ian Chapman, on Flickr


Firstly of the three pictures some of you were kind enough to provide feedback for they all scored more or less the same. The swans and Liverpool waterfront scored 16 out of 20 and the Warrington rooftops scored 15. The scores on the night ranged from 14 to 20, with most being in the 15-16 range. 20 was rge top mark. The feedback I received on here about the plumage on the swans was spot on. The judge felt there was not enough detail, but despite my efforts to improve the swans there isn't any detail on the RAW file so I went with it as it was.

Unsurprisingly as predicted by everyone the rooftop picture didn't do too well. It only scored 15 despite my changes. Interestingly the judge did tend to like landscapes where there were view blockers to the left and right which my original picture had in the two towers. Knowing judging can be subjective I wonder if it would have done any better than my revised picture? I accept there wasn't much central interest though.

I had to smile at the comments about the Liverpool waterfront. The judge firstly said he liked the picture and the amount of water was exactly right, He added that was inspired to try the shot for himself so went and tried to copy it, but his effort wasn't as good as mine. That comment made my night.

Of the three 'extras' I submitted one scored my lowest mark, 14 placing it in the bottom with 5 others In hindsight I should have included a little more of the barrel to tell more of a story. The pithead winding gear scored 16 and the judge felt it couldn't be improved on because of the size and location of the winding gear in relation to the window.

The biggest surprise was what I thought was my weakest picture scored my highest mark, A 17. It was my picture of the Queen Victoria cruise ship. That was despite the sky showing what appeared to be grain or noise whilst the rest of the picture was praised for being sharp and interesting. Probably down to my poor post processing. I tried to use the burn tool to enhance the sky but obviously failed.

I had no illusions of winning, but I did enjoy the taking part and value the feedback both from those on the forum who commented and the judge on the night. Thank you again for all those who offered wisdom and advice. I am not disappointed and did better than I expected. A great learning opportunity. Now for the next competition.

Ian

owenn01 wrote: Hi Ian, Good on you! I like the three extra images - the pit head one I could see what you were trying to show with that and I think a '16' is about right. The high mark for the liner is justified - yes; there is noise in the sky granted, but I think the crispness of the liner outweighs that and you have a very generous lead-in from the light along the water to help you as well. If I'm honest (I hope I usually am!), then 15 through to 17's is what I would expect to be a 'normal' night for me at the local club - a lot depends on the judge (clearly) and whether they are brave enough to properly distribute the scores. If there were some 11/12's and then one or two 19/20's then that's a good outcome and distribution of marks, especially for a first go - seems you sit middle to above middle which is fine (someone could come along and give a completely different range of marks after all!). Where issues arise is when a judge looks at these 'off the cuff' and gives a 19 or 20 early on, then there is a series of absolute brilliant images later on which makes everyone feel a little uncomfortable... You now need to keep us updated on future submissions and marks - oh; the demands of Club photography (which reminds me - I have to do 2 submissions before Friday for our first league competition!). Take care and keep up the good work! Best regards, Neil.

Thank you Neil,

I was perfectly happy with the outcome. I didn't have any expectations and if my extras had all received the lowest score it wouldn't have come as a surprise. The three I originally asked for comments for did as I expected. They were ordinary photographs that all the previous comments helped me to improve where possible.

On this occasion the judge had been able to look at the entries in advance so had already scored them. I do think a broader range of scores would have been better, unless possibly all the entries were of a similar standard? As I enter more competitions I will no doubt find out. Pleased to hear from another club photographer. An experienced one too. Thank you for the praise and encouragement. Good luck with your entries. I'm already thinking about my next competition. Entries will need to be submitted soon and judging will be two weeks later.

Kind regards,

Ian