aellman Loc: Boston MA

In fact interpretation of ALL forms of art is subjective. If you can't take various points of critical feedback, you're probably doing the right thing by dropping out. No knock on you. I'm not thrilled with negative criticism either. It's a matter matter of having a "thick skin" when it comes to criticism. Sounds like you don't have one, and neither do I.

huntmj

Judges are like referees nobody likes them when they make mistakes but you can't live without them. I used to get upset at their comments but now just ignore them. My club colleagues are a better source of appraisement.
The big problem for me is the inconsistency of judging and the occasional lack of knowledge for example about the detail of the photo.
We also have a few judges who make the same comments about every picture e.g "it should be cropped" together with this parroting about the rule of thirds.

User ID

"Locally" being live peeps with paper prints
as opposed to any sorts of on-line critiques.
Locally for me is Troy NY.

"Salon" is a historical term, generally about
artists gathering around recent works.

User ID

So-called "judges" parroting drool of turds
ought to be chopped into 9 pieces ... so as
to be "better composed" or "composedted".

There's more than enuf parroting here at
UHH ... no need to join a CC for THAT :-(
-

photosbytw Loc: Blue Ridge Mountains

Gotcha

Nigel7 Loc: Worcestershire. UK.

I always remember a competition at my camera club back in 1980. A friend put a mono print in the Novice Section of an impressive statue in London, with a homeless man sleeping on the pavement below it. The judge said the statue made a good photo but get rid of the man on the ground and resubmit it in the next competition. My friend disagreed and stuck with the original at the end of the season, for the Annual Novice competition. A different judge then told him to get rid of the statue as the best photograph was of the homeless man. Again my friend ignored the judge and the following week re-entered the original photo in the Open Annual Competition where he was also competing against the Intermediate and Advanced workers as well as other Novices. He won outright with that judge. Over the last 40 years I have so often thought back to that evening. That's why I now take the photos I want, not bothering about what a judge would think.
That said I am Competition Secretary at that same club and do believe they fulfil a useful role in bringing on those new to the hobby but they are certainly not the be all and end all of photography.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

After a number of competition successful results over the years, I was invited to become a circuit judge in the UK. I ran my own Photographic business, and had a number of high profile clients. A lot of my work was in the Press /Public Relations side of Photography, so my own work was judged before it got out into the wide world of viewing. I had obtained Distinctions with three International Photographic Organisations, so felt confident of my own knowledge / abilities to advise on other peoples work. After fourty years judging Club / National /and International comptitions, I called it a day, when I found club people were cloning images from the internet, and using as their own. Not easy being a 'Good' judge.

one_eyed_pete Loc: Colonie NY

I've been wanting to attend one of the "Salon Nights" at "The Arts Center" but the schedule never seems to fit with mine. I'll bet we know some of the same people too. I've had Nick A and Pilar A-S judge for the SPS a few times.

Bill P

This is silly. Photography is a visual medium. If you need to explain and defend your work, joining a debate team. And prepare to pay for the privilege of defending you photos to the judges. They will have to be there for days.

And if the judges have a different interpretation from yours, good for you. That's what arts all about.

I will argue we have raised generations of people that are too sensitive. I have seen photos entered nito contests that are truly frap. Garbage, trash, whatever. As we used to say, call a spade a spade. I know a college professor who says at the state school where he teaches, he cannot by official policy grade papers with a red pen, because that may make the student feel bad. I think it will serve you better if when you make a mistake you do feel bad. If you feel good about making mistakes, then why try to not make them? If the surgeon removing your appendix slices something else open, or leaves in a sponge, should he feel OK about that?

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

Why I quit competing at the camera clubs. About a year ago, a club posted a photo on their facebook page. At their competition that was judged by 3 people considered to be judges. The photo was a composite of a nice classic car on a two lane curvy back road in the fall. When I saw the image, I immediately identified it as a composite. The car was out of proportion, the wheels were turned the wrong way for the curve of the road. The car shadows did not match the background shadows, and the cut out of the car had many missing areas at the edges. This image was voted as their color print of the month. I can only imagine what the others looked like.

User ID

Good story. Moral: Judges-wise, no point in kissingass.

User ID

Did not know the Art Center held a
Solon night. Various media or what ?

Nick holds salon night on third tues
of each month. About 6:30pm, IIRC.
404 River St. Frame, or mat, is NOT
required [loose prints is the usual].

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Quite right. Both of the judges' suggestions are ridiculous.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

This complaint brings up an important issue to be considered. Any competition or any individual judge can not address the
requirements of all photographers that care to enter competitions or all specializations in photography or any art. All judges can not be expected to be, in this case, a wildlife expert or a zoologist. A judge may critique an image strictly on his or her concepts of composition or any other criteria. In this particular case, obviously, the judge did not understand the natural habitat of the animal in the image, nor the configuration of the cat's tail as it would appear in nature. Certain images have documentary or scientific information or value that should not be altered for artistic purposes. A truly great image MAY have both artistic and documentary attributes.

In a perfect situation, specialized competitions, in this case, wildlife photography, would have a judge or judging panel that is expert or at the very least, familiar with the category. In a camera club with a relatively small membership, this kind of specialization may be unlikely and entrants need to factor theses limitation into their results and not become overly disgruntled.

Some folks on this forum tend to deriede professional competitions as being "cookie-cutter" or too conservative or having a sameness in scoring images. Some professional associations that are comprised of traditional portrait, wedding, and commercial photographers will have standards and judges that reflect the standards, norms, and tradition of these industries. This is not to say that creative, unique or "out of the box" or fine art images will not receive due recognition but this is a possibility.

My feeling on the subject of competitions is simple. They can be meaningful, educational and beneficial if they are taken with the right attitude. They are no place for sore losers, egotistical winners or folks who only accept positive reviews all the time. You have to take the criticisms from whom the come and evaluate them accordingly and sensibly. This business of having to have a "thick skin" is ridiculous- an open mind with common sense is a much better pre-requisite. If, however, "you can't take a punch, don't enter the ring" because if you become devastated, discouraged, angry or combative from any negative review, competitions are not a healthy activity for you. Yes, there will be unfair, uneducated and downright stupid judgments from time to time but in the long run, there will be fairer, reasonable and constructive reviews most of the time.

I am certainly NOT the foremost authority or expert on competitions. I do, however, have a long experience with them as a contestant and judge. In 1958, as an after-school part-time "slave" in a photo studio- janitor and passport-photo expert, and darkroom assistant, I learned my trade through critiques from the boss and all the senior photographers. They insisted that I shoot and enter my prints into pro competitions and attended as many open judgings as I could. I learned to take my knocks and accolades early in life. As a kid, it was fun and games but it retrospect, it was one hell of a learning experience.

Some 62 years later, I still have many critics. I still enter the occasional competition, but that's the tip of the iceberg. Among my OTHER critics are all the clients, art directors, editors, my lovely wife, my kids and grandkids, my in-laws- and it seems the janitor in the building where I have my studio has a keen eye for composition (really- no kidding) and if only our cat could speak! And... if only the criticisms would be confined to my photography. As Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I get no respect"...well sometimes!

aellman Loc: Boston MA

That school policy is one of the dumbest I have ever heard. More of the same: At my daughter's high school they cancelled the prom because kids who couldn't afford fancy prom dresses might feel bad.