Print Competitions: A Good Way to Learn!
Friday, July 15th 2011 @ 12:14 PM (not yet rated)
Last night (July 14, 2011) Miriam and I had the pleasure and privilege of judging the July print competition for the Portland Metropolitan Photographers Association (PMPA). We both love judging as judges get to see the prints closer than anyone else (and yes, we love looking at photographs still!) and of course, the judges get to opine on them ... and yes, clearly, we love that part of it too!
We also appreciate the privilege of judging. Implicit in being asked to judge is the recognition that the one being asked is both capable of creating and recognizing fine images AND worth listening to when they discuss the elements that go into creating a fine image. We don't take that lightly. Especially as it is the competition process that brought Miriam and I a LONG ways towards where we are today as photographers.
The accompanying image is my first print that won any award in a professional competition ... it was the "Best Teen Boy" print the year that I entered it in the Professional Photographers of Oregon print competition, back in the mid-80's. My how time and fashions (let alone music!) fly and change! The title was taken from the Dire Straits tune that was just out and topping the charts, and seemed VERY appropriate for this image: "Money For Nothing ... ". This young rocker was quite a player ... and though the guitar in the image was one of mine he had several of his own.
I've come so far in so many ways since I composed this image. And a great part of that journey has come in the challenges of selecting images suitable for competition against other photographers whom I knew and respected, and learning how to prep those images for best effect, only to have them fall short of the goal ... and go back to start over, learning to be better at ALL parts of the craft again for next year.
The self-examination of one's own craft and of one's choices while creating images are both necessary to one's development as an artist. And last night, as at any judging, some of the images were entered by those whose skills and image-creation sensibilities are still forming, some were by those whose skills are coming along nicely but not quite "there" ... and a few were entered by those with that amazing combination of "eye" during the original 'capture' moment and an understanding of how to turn that capture into a stunning two-dimensional image for the viewer to feast upon.
The judge's role is to help the photographers (wherever they are along the way) to keep moving forward, either by encouraging/informing comments or by the simple effect of a score that is ... disappointing ... compared to what some other images get. And therefore spurs the creator to make better-scoring images for next time. And at times, wonderful times, to reward an outstanding effort with the recognition of an outstanding score.
And the judge's pleasure is when those few images explode into view, for which the eye and the mind find rapture and some deep emotional connection. In those moments (and yes, we had a few last night!) I may have to pause momentarily to clear that sudden excess emotional connection from my eyes and voice, in order to speak clearly. To comment on the wonders of the image in front of me, to thank the maker of that image for the great gift it is to our process, and to inform the newer photographers present just what it is about that image that is ... special.
It is those moments that I live for "as a judge". To ALL photographers of the PMPA who entered last night, and to those who chose to invite Miriam and I to join peer and long-time friend Sandy Sahagian in judging, thank you! It was a pleasure and an honor to be there, and to participate in that marvelous evening!
