Judging

[Mike Farley]

I have to admit that I have rather lost it with judges. Yes, I appreciate that it is not an easy task, giving instaneous feedback on a range of images which is helpful and meaningful. In fact, I would go further. It is extraordinarily difficult to do well, which accoounts for why I have seen even highly acclaimed judges make basic errors. Example from a national standard judge: "I am dismissing this shot because I do not think that the action portrayed is spontaneous". Eh? What I have found is that I rarely come across judges whose comments are beneficial in pointing out ways I can improve, particularly when it comes to the aesthetic side of things.

So it was with interest when I came across this article on David Candlish's blog about how to approach judging. I do not know what they teach on judging courses, but I do hope it is along the lines of what Dave is suggesting. I have always had reservations about the value of competitions, but if the majority of judges adopted such methods I might be persuaded of the value in participating in them.

http://davidcandlish.photography/news/2 ... or-judging

Dave says that there is another article in the works and I am looking forward to its publication.