Over the years I have been an active member of several photographically orientated clubs and societies. I have found these groups very useful places to learn and develop my photography, but I do find myself frustrated with the comments that many competition judges make about all of the work they are judging, to the extent that I no longer go to competition judging events, although I do enter the competitions.
This wee at the Society that I currently attend, they had critique evening where we were all asked to bring along two images for projection in the format that the society uses for competitions, i.e. the finished image must be 1400 pixels wide by 1050 pixels high, if your image is in portrait format you are expected to increase the canvas width with a plain black in-fill.
Most of my studio work is photographed against a black background, so the first comment when my first photo was shown was “It’s a pity it’s in the middle of the frame”! So after it was explained that this was a portrait format presented as per competition rules there then came the comment that should put a white key line around the edge of the photo, fair point so I will take it on board, but to my surprise the original comment was stated at least once more!
As the general discussion about my image continued I was taken by the interpretation of the image as presented, one person queried why I had not shown the full length of the chair that the model, ERosanne, was sat on. I pointed out that the studio floor was heavily scuffed and it was easier for me to crop it out, then another jokers said you could have put down some black paper!!!!!!!!! The studio I was using for the shoot was huge, and as it was new year I there were no shops open for me to go and purchase said paper, as more comments were emerging from the assembled multitude it dawned on me that the members of the Society I belong to are all Camera Club Judges in the making.
The photo as presented
The photo as it was taken
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