So here it is, Merry Christmas…
Now that I’ve got that song stuck in your head (if it wasn’t already), I’ll add a few notes about last Tuesday’s meeting.
The early session from David was another very well attended one, and I’m sure was very valuable and appreciated. Unfortunately I was not able to take in much of it myself as I was busy setting up.
The 3rd PDI competition was also very enjoyable, at least from my point of view. The judge gave a great deal of valuable and insightful feedback on each image, and my fear that we might run out of time proved largely unfounded. There has been quite a bit of discussion on the mailing list about whether we should be limiting the number of entries further to make for a more relaxed evening without forcing the judge to rush, and I believe most if not all respondents seem to be in favour of doing so – I have to say I agree.
A couple of comments about the competition – firstly, image titles. The title that you give your image can have quite an impact on how the image is perceived – even if the judge does not consciously react to it, they almost certainly do subconsciously. It’s not uncommon for a judge to double check on the title of an image when deciding what the intent of the photographer might have been. Image titles like IMG_2351 might get a bit of a laugh, but it really is worth the time to think of a title that will steer the judge in the right direction. For nature competitions, it is strongly encouraged (our rules say “should” rather than “must”) to use the subject’s species as the title, and to avoid any frivolous or jokey titles. Some judges may not care, but others will deduct marks for inaccurate or vague titles.
Secondly, please remember that the judge is an unpaid volunteer that we have specifically asked to come to our club to critique and rank our images. It’s a very difficult task, and inevitably there may be times where we feel so positively about our own images that we lose sight of just how strong the competition is at times, and just how subjective the appreciation of photographs can be. You may remember in the knockout competition recently there was not a single head-to-head where everyone in the audience agreed on which deserved to go though, and many cases were split very close to 50:50. If the judge does not like your photograph quite as much as you had hoped, it can be disappointing, but they have every right – indeed, they have an obligation – to express their own opinions. While it is understandable to be disappointed when an image does not do as well as hoped, it is not acceptable to let that spill over into disrespect – for the judge, the club, and fellow competitors. I spoke to the judge after the competition to apologise on behalf of the club for what I observed last week, and I hope it will not be repeated.
Back to more positive things – it’s been a great start to the season, and now we are all off for a well-earned break. As I said on Tuesday, according to our publicity material these next two weeks are the 2 that are NOT included in our “50 weeks of creativity” claim – but that doesn;t mean you have to take a break from photography (unless you want to!) You SHOULD however take a break from BPS meetings, as if you turn up on either of the next two Tuesday’s you’ll find the hall sadly deserted. Parking might be easier though…
I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year, and look forward to seeing you at the New Year’s party on January 6th. There will be no Vocal Point newsletter next week.
Richard