Whuff Loc: Marshalltown, Iowa

Last night I sat in on a camera club I'm thinking of joining and there was a competition. As we all viewed the photos, 3 judges had devices in hand to score each photo on technique, composition and interest. All was well and good and at the end of the digital section the scores were tallied and there was a tie. The judges then used the devices to choose one or the other of the photos and a winner was chosen with 2 votes to 1. Still all well and good. The competition continued with prints using the same system to score the prints. When that portion was over winners were announced for prints and there were several ties. Instead of using the same system to break ties the judges now seemed to abandon the devices and would ask each other "What do you think?" If one judge had a strong opinion the others would just say "Okay, I'll go along with that." In one case IMHO there was a photo that was way better in every way than the other, but the winner was selected because one judge liked photos with red in them. RED! If that was the only criteria for winning it would seem to me that every entry would have red in them. And so it went for all the ties. It made me reconsider joining. Does this happen at other camera clubs?

Walt

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Walt, I can't speak to the method of judging photos, but at my local camera club (the largest in four adjacent counties), it is obvious that the club is controlled by the senior members, and junior members with minimal talent, but good technical skills (myself included) are treated with disdain and disrespect. I have gone to two meetings. At both, I was welcomed by one person (the same lady each time) and then forgotten. When a friend of mine, a highly successful professional photographer from another part of the state was visiting the area, he went to a meeting. He was treated like what he seemed to be, a demure young visitor from out of town; he wasn't even offered a cup of coffee (neither was I). After he left (I was told by an acquaintance who has been a member for more than twenty years but seldom attends anymore), someone recognized his name in the guest register, and the leaders were quite upset that he was no longer there. He later told a mutual friend they phoned him the next week, apologized and invited him back. You can guess his response!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I think that's why they call it a club.
When it comes down to it, they hit you over the head. :roll: :lol:

Sadly enough, any competition can be thrown to one or another due to a lot of obscure reasons.
If there to learn something you can't find on your own, that's one thing.
But if you go there for the competitions... well be ready for a lot of heart aches.

I am sorry you got a strong dose of reality. Maybe you can see around the BS and find the merit of the prospective club?
(Friends, mentors, and the like)

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Isn't it interesting that clubs that meet in pavilions or halls or their own headquarters tend to be less friendly and helpful than those who meet in coffee shop back rooms, public libraries and private homes?

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Walt, Maybe the club doesn't have a protocol for ties, so they didn't know what to do. You could join and fix the system.
Walt, my club is a PSA club and they are pretty regulated. There are also 3 judges with devices. When there is a three-way tie for first, though even a two way tie is rare, there are simply 3 first place winners and there are NO second or third places awarded, but there would be a 4th and a 5th and so on along with honorable mentions. And how many places there are depends on the number of entries.
When we have a visiting judge, always a pro, and sometimes a biggie, such as Suzi Eszterhas, there is only one judge, and her word would definitely be final.
A long time pro should easily be able to spot a good foto, and yes, they are swayed by what they feel is important to them. Maybe you will get lucky, because you both like red!! :lol: We have had visiting judges whose style was so unacceptable, that it was obvious the they will NEVER be invited back. In the meantime, you treat them with dignity and thank them for their services.
My club works hard at being a good club. I don't always agree either, but I have two choices, accept the decisions of others, GRACIOUSLY, or step up and help make the decisions!
Walt, just join the club, if it doesn't work to your satisfaction, hopefully the next one won't be worse! :lol: :lol:
SS

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Here in the UK, I did over fourty years on the judging circuit. For club evening events, I would comment/advise on each piece of work, and award marks/place 1..2..3 however the club wanted. At National/International event judging, where two thousand entries could be the norm, there would be three judges with scoring machines ie. 'Silent Judging'. The first viewing would be a quick in/out from the tally of the three scores. After that, a closer look at the top scorers would be made to determine the awards. Only once in an International judging did one judge TRY to over-influence his personal likes on myself and the other judge.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

I'm at the lower end of the competitive scale, but once or twice I've heard that a splash of red can just add a bit of snap to a picture. Think calender shots of tourist sites (castles / historic houses etc.) and a a fair few will have a member of the public with a red coat / tee shirt / dress etc. (Doesn't work in Autumn though when plenty of red can be found).

mainshipper Loc: Hernando, Florida

Please elaborate on the "devices" you are referring to. I manage the digital competition at our local club in Florida and our two judges pre-score the 60-80+ entries we get at each competition and then combine their scores ahead of the meeting. As each entry is shown at the competition meeting, they make relevant (hopefully) comments and a scorer announces the score and whether the entry is a "merit" winner in a particular division (novice, intermediate, advanced). It works pretty well although it does not follow any particular discipline like PSA.

Your comment regarding a judge who likes "RED" is funny because I cringe every time I hear one of our judges use the term "like (or not like)" as he assesses a particular entry. I'm no judge but believe overt personal opinion has no place in the judging process.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Strange. Maybe that was a "senior" judge, and the others didn't want to offend him. As for the device, I've never heard of that. Why use judges at all? Just have that device decide the winners.

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

An image that doesn't do well in one event might win the next, just due to the individual judge's personal "likes". And, I don't think that you can eliminate the "like" component from the judging. Its not something a robot can do, a human must perform this task. And, we all have different opinions as to what is good or great.

h1h1d4mje

I go to the local camera club to learn what I can and forget about the competitions,

mainshipper Loc: Hernando, Florida

We try to do both in our club but you should understand that competition is the major focus in most clubs which isn't so bad as I believe it pushes people to improve.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'm totally unfamiliar with photo competitions, but I don't see how you can eliminate "like" from judging.

nikonkelly Loc: SE Michigan

Whuff, over the past 15 years, I have been in three different camera clubs, two of which I have been president of. I have never seen such a thing happen... nor should it. To discuss an image, after you have voted is good and right, but not before you have pressed the button. if you are a regular member of a club, you can often see images that look like so and so's and you can just about always tell who the maker of that image is... to me, that sounds like what happened at this club last night... and that is not fair. If you have other clubs in your area, you would be well to check them out... if there are no others, then you need to make a choice to join or not. but joining a club is very helpful to your learning process... often even if the judging is tainted... but you need to be comfortable with the club and then to trust them.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Most camera clubs do competition. The club I belong to shows and critiques images at each monthly meeting, but there's no competition. They are just critiqued so we can improve.