7 Tips on How NOT to Choose Competition Photographs

Elines

Elines

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Chris
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I recently received this from the Secretary of my local photo club. It was sent for information/consideration and I am passing it on in the same vein.

It is from 'Simon' on http://www.filmphotoacademy.com/

"I have been involved with national and international exhibition judging for years. Each year I look through 1,000's of images for selection in exhibition. Here are some hot tips on how NOT to choose images for competition and exhibition entry.

1) COMMON PHOTOS:

All judges have seen a gazillion photos of Rannoch Moor, Bamburgh Castle, The Bothy, Iron Man contests, Venice masks, Selfridges Birmingham, steam railways in the snow or at night and the British Library. Oh yes, dog racing, remembrance, bikes with the zoom filter as well.

If you really want to submit another one – please try and say something new, if nothing else, don’t put your tripod in the previous photographer’s spot. We’ve seen it before!

2) CREATIVE EFFECTS:

Using a push button filter on Photoshop does not make an image “creative”. We are all old hands, we know exactly which filter you’ve used and it is not creative, new or clever.

Spot colour on monochrome images is very, very old fashioned.

Really bad cut and paste montage and layering is very obvious.

3) MOTION BLUR:

Actually I like motion blur on the right image, but I can tell you now, it won’t get accepted, so don’t bother.

4) WIDE ANGLE:

Apart from a personal thing that just way too many shots are spoiled by shooting too wide, the whole nearly fish-eye look – especially on portraits – is tired, tired, tired.

5) GRABSHOTS OF FOREIGNERS:

Preferably kids with dirty faces. Just because they are foreign and you had an interesting holiday that is not an excuse for a poor grabshot of some poor native person.

6) VERY COMMON TITLES – MEANS VERY COMMON SUBJECTS:

The following word lists are the top 20 phrases entered over years of exhibitions:

watching
concentration
abandoned
memories
bluebell wood
red kite
sisters
robin
walking the dog
waiting

misty morning
low tide
lady in red
tulips
solitude
reflections
red squirrel
morning mist
holly
contemplation

7) VERY COMMON WORDS IN TITLES – MEANS VERY COMMON SUBJECTS:
And here are the top 40 words in titles:

winter
light
blue
morning
tree
water
storm
autumn
mist
beach

grey
sunset
time
street
waiting
evening
sea
walk
lady
bridge

misty
girl
wood
old
home
snow
tide
last
sunrise
window

walking
dawn
man
young
trees
reflections
boat
sand
loch
ice

CONCLUSION

Competition entries need to be different, but not too different. By their very nature they select for a median. But please, before you submit, please look to see if you are doing something new or just re-treading the same old ground. "
​

I have not changed it except that:

  • - the original had the lists in columns (and I don't know how to do that on TP)
  • - I have corrected the numbers where necessary.

:exit:​
 
Ramalama said:
So that's just about everything ruled out then......except car light trails :banana:
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And graffiti?

Never have understood why people like this. You wouldn't consider a photo of the Mona Lisa worthy would you - so why is graffiti fair game?
 
I have some issues with this:

Elines said:
3) MOTION BLUR:

Actually I like motion blur on the right image, but I can tell you now, it won’t get accepted, so don’t bother.​
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So all motion blur is bad.. always? If someone LIKES it when used well, why say don't bother? So if Tom Woods entered a competition at this camera club, he wouldn't make the first round? Brilliant.



Elines said:
6) VERY COMMON TITLES – MEANS VERY COMMON SUBJECTS:
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Are they judging the image, or the title?

My advice is.. don't use titles... unless it's for a whole body of work... but even if a crap title was used, it wouldn't alter my opinion of the image. I'd comment on it if the title wasn't doing the image any favours, but why dictate what titles they give their work?


Elines said:
CONCLUSION

Competition entries need to be different, but not too different. By their very nature they select for a median.
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So average then. "They select for a median".... dear lord.... LOL

To win, it has to be average. Brilliant. Why not TOO different? Why not? This is what I hate about camera clubs. They promote mediocrity. They'll pan you mercilessly if you take something too mundane, and they'll be just as negative about anything that challenges them. In other words.... our way, or the highway. That will encourage innovation... yeah.


Elines said:
But please, before you submit, please look to see if you are doing something new or just re-treading the same old ground. "
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..but not TOO new please.... we're stuck in our ways :)
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Ramalama said:
So that's just about everything ruled out then......except car light trails :banana:
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Thats what I thought, not a lot of subjects left...........:(
 
Chris think you need to reply with what David @Pookeyhead has said, totally ridiculous I understand they don't want thousands of entries of the same building etc. But they are not a Photo Club in my eyes clearly your not allowed to have artist merit in this club/academy. :punch:

Basically the judges don't want any photos better than they can take.
 
Well if you google photo competition winners you may be surprised to find many winners that have broken those rules :naughty:
 
Yes - can't say I'm surprised at the reaction.

For me the big turn off was 'they select for a median'.

In practice at the few club competitions I have entered I have seen eg a selective colour image get 2nd or 3rd so the view on that is certainly not universally and blindly applied.

Probably more interestingly ..... we had a talk from a bloke who has won international photo competitions and he made the point that when he enters his (international) prize winning images to a local club competition he gets low scores. In fact once he achieved some kind of club record for the lowest scores in several categories.

For myself, I will continue to enter club competition because I have had some constructive feedback on how they could have been better. The next competition is specifically for people to re-enter two previously submitted images, amended (if desired) in line with the judge's comments. And I will be resubmitting one without any amendments because I like it just the way it is.

(I still don't 'get' graffiti shots though:))
 
I no longer enter camera club competitions because I don't shoot enough new stuff. And while i know what David is getting at, there is a certain aesthetic amongst camera club photographers that is different to what I would call contemporary photography for lack of a better expression. Try to enter something like you'd see in say BJP and it would baffle many judges. That said, i was quite surprised how well some of my urbex stuff (not that it's groundbreaking or avant garde in any way) did as it's not something you see much, if any of, in club, regional or international competitions (possibly because most of the people who do enter aren't as young or as daft as me and would prefer not to explore mongy old cotton mills).

I agree with some of what is in the original post, the shots of African kids in Botswana is getting tired now. We recently had a showing of images from one of the national salons, and there were about 15 of them, all very well done, all pretty much the same. The same has been done in India, Nepal and other areas as well.

And my other beef is the 'creative' composites with the head of someone from the Whitby Goth Festival and a churchyard in the background. They always do well and are normally well executed, but haven't we seen enough of them now?
 
The OP illustrates yet again how many club judges are stifling originality and creativity and stereotyping photography styles within clubland. Listen to constructive criticism, of course, take advice and filter it through your own senses, but most of all take photographs you like and stuff the "experts".
 
Yikes. My entry to POTY Feb competition contains 3 of the most common used words. And it was shot with a wide angle lens.

Hopefully it's different but not too different :) such as maybe a....ummm....median entry :thinking:
 
Tintin124 said:
Chris think you need to reply with what David @Pookeyhead has said, totally ridiculous I understand they don't want thousands of entries of the same building etc. But they are not a Photo Club in my eyes clearly your not allowed to have artist merit in this club/academy. :punch:

Basically the judges don't want any photos better than they can take.
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Yellowbelly said:
The OP illustrates yet again how many club judges are stifling originality and creativity and stereotyping photography styles within clubland. Listen to constructive criticism, of course, take advice and filter it through your own senses, but most of all take photographs you like and stuff the "experts".
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Couldn't agree more, I am fairly new to photography and haven't seen it all before and don't know what's all been done. I will do motion blur and car light trails and I have only just found out how to do Bokeh effects too, I also like lens flair occasionally, so I'm sorry if I upset anyone :-P
 
In a competition each image should be judged on the image, and that alone.

If that image is of a clichéd subject and/or with a clichéd style or effect then so be it. If that happens to be a colour popped steam train in the snow with a very strong vignette called 'Misty Morning Reflected Train' and happens to be a striking image then so be it. ;) :LOL:

If you are taking pics of the most clichéd of scene or subject but get it in the best light from the best angle and PP'd to get the best out of what was recorded but something similar had been seen before, should that be dismissed out of hand? :thinking:

I suppose if you are given an idea of what judges were looking for then you could tailor your entry to their tastes if winning were that important. I would just rather enter images I was totally happy with and not possibly make compromises to win a competition. (not that I enter too many competitions;)) I doubt that I would be happy about a win if I had to change an entry too much, or even enter an image which I thought wasn't my best because it had more chance of winning.

For some though a win would trump all other considerations. :rolleyes:
 
Competitive photography has always seemed a bit pointless to me.

This reinforces my prejudice.

But I guess it motivates some, and there's no harm in that.
 
Never enter any kind of comps and the OP post underlines why I dont, I also find photography clubs very strange, of the few that I have attended I found the only thing to stand out was equipment envy and the 'look I have a £14000 lens'
 
The way I see it - you submit stuff to a competition (eg, or otherwise put it on public display) because you like it and are (say) proud of it and want other people to see it or give a reaction to it (or something).

If a judge happens to like it then that is a bonus.

Likewise if he (and does usually seem to be a 'he') can suggest some way of changing it which you agree with and can learn something from, then that is a bonus too. If you don't agree with them, then you just ignore them.
 
Steve Purcell said:
....................... I also find photography clubs very strange, of the few that I have attended I found the only thing to stand out was equipment envy and the 'look I have a £14000 lens'
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Can't say that I have picked up on that at the one I have started going to (Melton Mowbray).
 
I have found most judges who view images at camera club competitions are critiquing the images on their own viewpoint and not on the merits of the image itself. As someone said, if the critique is constructive then by all means take it on board, but if not then just ignore it, after all its your image and if you like it, it matters not what others think.
 
Steve Purcell said:
Never enter any kind of comps and the OP post underlines why I dont, I also find photography clubs very strange, of the few that I have attended I found the only thing to stand out was equipment envy and the 'look I have a £14000 lens'
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Then you've been to the wrong clubs. At ours in Maidenhead - which is large and thriving, I should say - people seem almost disinterested in the hardware side of it. A camera is a box for capturing and counting photons, that's all. Hard to get excited by that.
 
Judging in the large external competitions is a massive task as they often have several thousand images to go through. From what I've been told, each image is projected for around 6-10 seconds (don't quote me on that figure), a score is given, and then the next one and so on for several hours. You'll find that images that stand out quickly and have a lot of immediate impact do well.

I've judged a big print competition locally and I tried to put my own photographic preferences aside so as to remain objective from a subject matter perspective, which wasn't easy. Things like wildlife shots I found hard as I know nothing about the genre so had to go on if I thought it was a decent photo.

Judging prints was easier than digital images as you can out them next to each other and have a good look, more so than on a screen.
 
Judging, hmmm, how is it someone is selected to be a judge and someone else not, after all every singe person on the planet has a different view of what is "good" about a photo and what is not, i personally know what i like but that doesn't make me a good judge, nor does it make it a "good" photo, if i "like" a photo someone can come along and criticise what i like about said photo because they have a different perspective, are looking for something different, and the exact same applies to the next person, he can pick to bits what the previous person said based on what he likes or thinks makes a "good" image.

So saying all that, surely its the judge selection panel who will have the most input into who will be the competition winners as they are the ones who select the judges based on what they think the Judges will "like" or not.

Yes/No
 
All rather funny and pertinent, regardless of competitions.
 
Some advantages (for me anyway) of entering a club competition that I forgot to mention are.....

...you get the opportunity to be a judge yourself and compare your image with those of others, and also to decide which YOU think is best.
 
All sounds BS to me, the person who wrote those rules is probably over the hill and thinks they're still 'in with it' and just because they're in with a clique, feels they can act like a dictator. That's not a proper judge, that's someone who's up their arse

To be honest, enter images you love creating or mean something to you.

I agree with the originality bit, but if you pigeon hole stuff with what and not to do too much that's when creativity suffers. Just get out there, shoot and if the competitions like it, then that's a bonus!
 
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I don't have any issues with camera clubs or their competitions. I am an active member of a local club and do regularly enter their comps. I enter in order to gain some constructive critique of my images from a much more experienced person than myself, with a view to learning and improving. In recent times though, it would seem I've fallen foul of the OP's guidelines .... Having entered an image called "Misty morning walk" which featured a dog, a shot of Bamburgh Castle, a shot of a Red Kite (hugely difficult to get decent images of!) and others with trite or hackneyed titles or subject matter.

The point is that, to me anyway, I am looking at my subject and doing something new (for me) even if our poor judge has seen zillions of pics of Bamburgh Castle. He may have, but I've only been there once and took loads of images whilst I was visiting. Why wouldn't i? Judges need to remember that we are all where we are with our photography ... Some experienced people and many of us who still have a lot to learn.

I my experience with club comps, judges look at work presented in the context of it being produced by enthusiastic amateurs with a range of levels of knowledge and experience who are doing their best .... And award marks accordingly. I have yet to experience one who was unkind or unfair: even the most amateurish efforts generally receive some form of positive comment (along with suggestions for improvements).

So I think comp judges do a valuable job if comps are entered in the right spirit. Ok, I admit that if I see one more image called "Low tide mist at Bambugh" I might start to rethink, but for now, I'll remain a fan of club comps for all the good they do in encouraging improvement in both technique and creativity.
 
Elines said:
For myself, I will continue to enter club competition because I have had some constructive feedback on how they could have been better. The next competition is specifically for people to re-enter two previously submitted images, amended (if desired) in line with the judge's comments. And I will be resubmitting one without any amendments because I like it just the way it is.
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i have become dissillusioned with entering club competitions i understand that you like to get constructive feedback but you can get totally different feedback about the same image from 2 judges, i honestly think a judges actually tries hard to find something wrong with an image.
 
billozz said:
................... you can get totally different feedback about the same image from 2 judges, ....................
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That's fine with me - I can have differing views to consider in deciding what - if anything - I do about it
 
I entered a local photography competition for "Gloucestershire at it's best" and deliberatly did nt do the cliche Gloucester Docks shot.....instead I submitted this:


Cheltenham's Holst Statue Colour by kennysarmy, on Flickr

You can guess what won the competition...yes, a click shot of Gloucester Docks, that was nt even that good...

The point being, you cannot second guess what someone will pick to win a competition......
 
Seems easy to me. Find out the competitions he judges and enter one he doesn't.

Simples!!!!!!!!!:banana:
 
I suppose it all boils down to .... 'Why do you enter a competition?'

And I guess that it is something along the lines of ...

.....Because I hope I will win, but only with something that I think is pretty good

(and if it doesn't win - and I don't agree with the judge's reasoning for not selecting it - then it's his/her loss, not mine)
 
With regard to point 1 (common photos) then I'd suggest the problem isn't with the submissions, it's that the judge has become jaded through judging too many competitions. Maybe he needs to take a break.
 
The term 'Camera Club' encapsulates all thats wrong. It's a photography club for goodness sake. It's all about the image or should be. If you're a judge and you're not interested in steam trains or red busses you're hardly likely to choose one of these images as a winner. Conversely, if your out and about and stop to pat a dog on the head and it turns around and bites you, you're predispostion or contextual bias is going to kick in and you're unlikely to choose that well exposed, well lit and well focused image either.....
 
Interesting ... Just a tip ... What you would submit for your photoclub distinctions are different from salon photography. Vice versa ... so don't expect the same results. Your examination photos might not make it to being accepted while 15 accepted photos might not get you your associate or fellowship.
 
Vince1551 said:
Interesting ... Just a tip ... What you would submit for your photoclub distinctions are different from salon photography. Vice versa ... so don't expect the same results. Your examination photos might not make it to being accepted while 15 accepted photos might not get you your associate or fellowship.
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Thanks - speaking for myself I have absolutely no intention whatsoever to enter an exam/seek qualifications for photography:).

I'm pleased to say IO left them behind years ago:)
 
Elines said:
Thanks - speaking for myself I have absolutely no intention whatsoever to enter an exam/seek qualifications for photography:).

I'm pleased to say IO left them behind years ago:)
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Ultimately just have fun shooting !! :D


…........…....................................
Fellow of some photo club;Probably an exhibitor as well;Collected some stars & never gonna reach the galaxy-damn you inflation;
If I pressed an eject button on your photo in a comp, don't hate me. You can judge me but I'm still gonna eject you anyway :P
 
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