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Judging Standards |
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"The best judge is the
one who gives the medal to my image" |
| If authors are honest with themselves
this statement expresses a universal feeling. Judging is an expression of
opinion, based on photographic knowledge and understanding, influenced by
cultural, social and emotional factors in the judges` experience.
Therefore a complex combination of artistic awareness, photographic
appreciation, technical knowledge and exhibition experience is brought to
bear on his/her task as a judge or evaluator. |
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| Neither experience nor the
possession of expensive equipment makes a good photographic critic. The
good judge is a responsible, articulate person who can give fair unbiased
judging. The trained evaluator has an innate sense of design and pictorial
composition. He/she is appreciative of new ideas, realising that
flexibility and creativity are important and should be encouraged in all
art forms including photography. Such an evaluator is a sensitive person
who, in judging photographs, offers all possible help and encouragement to
the author. When required to comment on a poor picture, the evaluator
wraps the criticism in cotton wool so as not to cause embarrassment or
resentment. Not only does he/she suggest ways of improving the picture,
but makes a point of calling attention to the things the author has done
especially well. This will not only help the audience to appreciate good
photography, but also the author who frequently does well without
realising why. |
| A creative judge is not
bound by traditional rules, knowing that they should be regarded as
guide-lines only and used with plenty of "two-way-stretch". He/she may
admire border-to-border sharpness but mechanical perfection is not the
only criterion for a good picture, as out-of-focus areas often add a
fascinating dimension to the overall pictorial quality. |
| A stunning nature shot
should not be dropped solely because the "python's eyelashes" cannot be
counted. If sufficient excitement and action is shown, this could override
the sharpness. |
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| An evaluator will recognise
good composition as a comfortable balance of colour, line and mass within
the frame of the picture. The judge’s eye must like or be intrigued with
what it sees and must not be tempted to leave the scene. Close cropping
may be valuable but open space sets the mood of a picture. Beauty does not
always observe the rules. Remember that creativity, within the bounds of
good design, is a vital ingredient for impact. |
| Every judge has his/her own
tastes, and these tastes should not influence the scoring. |
| Authors generally do not get
upset by the honest opinion of a qualified judge, but tend to resent the
inflexible adherence to "rules" which must be applied with wisdom and
sensitivity. A more objective definition of a good judge might be "someone
whose opinion is trusted". |
| Photographs are judged for
many purposes and it seems appropriate that different systems have
developed. Selecting pictures for an International salon is quite
different to choosing the picture of the evening at a club night. With
salon judging the idea is to select about 20% to 25% of the total entry
for public exhibition and the accepted group should comprise the best and
most interesting pictures entered. This will depend on the overall entry.
If the overall entry has a low standard, then the acceptances are
generally also of a low standard. |
| The objective of club
judging is to score the picture on its pictorial merit. To accomplish a
reasonable separation when judging club pictures, an ideal scoring system
should have five scoring levels. This is done on an electronic scoring box
with numbers 1 to 5. |
| No award = poor image
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| Bronze award = fair image
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| Silver award = average image
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| Gold award = good image
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| COM = excellent image
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| The pictures are then judged
by saving on an impact basis and the pictures can then be discussed in
relation to the award. It is very difficult to discuss a picture in depth
prior to giving it an award without influencing the other judges. |
| Scoring should be on a
majority basis e.g. 5 5 3 = COM, i.e. the majority of two fives overrules
the single 3 (Silver). In some cases, where scores are controversial, it
may be necessary to average the scoring e.g. 5 3 2 - 10 divide by 3 = 3
points, i.e. Silver award. |
| Always try to obtain the
services of a visiting judge from another club. This ensures unbiased
outside opinion. It will also alleviate any ill feelings that may develop
amongst members due to assumed wrongful judging by fellow club members. |
| We must at all times realise
that an attempt is being made to allow a numerical value to a very
subjective art form and there are bound to be many differences and
grievances. At least it forms a basis for comparison on a competitive
basis and, after all, clubs are very much concerned with the competitive
aspect of photography. |
| At all times remember that
the opinions of judges will differ. This often helps to improve your
standard of photography, if you accept the positive criticism the judges
make. Authors are like mothers. They love every pixel they give birth to
and they therefore don’t really like their work being judged. Discussion
and different opinion may, however, help in a future situation to produce
a really outstanding photograph. |
| In summary the task of a
judge is not an easy one. Neither should the task be taken too lightly. |
| Recommended Requirements |
| Judging or, as we prefer to
call it, evaluation, has an instructional orientation. It is important
that each club train some judges from their own ranks, under supervision
of an experienced judge. Emphasis on leniency should be directed towards
the 1 Star and 2 Star workers as these inexperienced photographers are the
club members of the future. |
| Analyse - Don't
Criticise |
| Criticism is an expression
of opinion and the opinion of the author is just as valid as that of the
judge. There is nothing to stop a judge expressing his/her opinion, but
they shouldn’t allow it to colour either the commentary or the marking.
The judge should ask himself/herself: |
| If the purpose for which the
picture was taken is apparent and if so to what extent. |
| How well it has been
interpreted by the author’s presentation. |
| If the picture falls short
in either of these two categories, the judge’s analysis should logically
explain the elements that have diluted the purpose of interpretation. If
he/she cannot find them he/she should not hazard a guess, or knock off
marks because (quote) "I don't really like it". |
| Suggest - Don’t
Dictate |
| Never tell the author what
he/she should have done, that is their business. It is fair, however, to
inform the author what you would have done under similar circumstances and
leave him to make up his mind if he agrees with you or not. |
| Be Positive |
| Emphasise as a judge what
you consider to be the good points, not the bad ones. By all means point
out what you believe to be the aspects that dilute the good effects of the
author’s purpose but be obviously appreciative of the points that support
it. Negative comment wins no friends. |
| Keep it Lively |
| A judge is engaged to
entertain as much as to comment. The success of the entire session is in
his/her hands and the interest of the audience must be retained. Avoid
unfortunate mannerisms both in speech and action, the audience will pay
more attention to them than anything else. Show enthusiasm for the task,
be appreciative of what the author is trying to convey and adopt an
enthusiastic, pleasant attitude. |
| Mark Reasonably |
| Don't damn by low marking
and do make your marking consistent with your comments. How would you like
your work being proclaimed worth the equivalent of only two out of ten in
public? Surely perfection is a highly unobtainable commodity, the good
ones can reach ten (A Gold) and the superlative ones a "Ten-Star"
(Certificate of Merit). |
| Don't Mock |
| Never make cheap jokes about
any picture, it is somebody’s work and although a quick laugh might be
obtained from it, one person, at least is going to be offended. Quite
often this could result in the loss of club member and is a nail in the
coffin of future judging privileges. If you feel inclined to be humorous
about an aspect in photography, work the joke so that it is on you. |
| To Sum Up |
| Be fair, pleasant and
helpful. Don’t condemn or be destructive in comment and above all don’t be
humorous at somebody else’s expense. It’s important to be welcome wherever
you go. |
| Club
Judge |
| A club judge should
preferably be: |
 | an active photographer |
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| an active participant in salons
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| prepared to at least put some of his
own photographs up at the club he is visiting or his own club, so that
members can see his/her standard and therefore respect his/her
opinion/judgement even more. |
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| a regular visitor to, or be invited to
judge at other clubs. This helps the judge to keep abreast with the
latest trends in photography as a whole. |
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| It is sometimes worthwhile
inviting someone to judge who does not fulfil these criteria, as a new
look at your work, fresh ideas etc can be stimulating. If you use three
judges, ensure that the other two judges balance out any irregularities. |
| One could even recommend
that a judge should at least have put up 12 photographs for grading in the
preceding year. We often find judges being used solely on their
photographic prowess of the past, but they are out of touch with modern
trends, techniques and standards of photography. Members who never see any
of the judge’s work may not doubt his ability, but will be all the more
appreciative by seeing some of it. This also goes a long way to improving
good relations in the club and other areas of judging, i.e. salons. |
| Salon
Judge |
| A salon judge should: |
| have a proven record of salon activity
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| know his/her subject e.g. nature,
pictorial, portraits etc. (please do not use a predominantly nature
photographer for pictorial salon judging or vice versa.) |
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| be a photographically knowledgeable
and competent person who is highly respected. |
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| be an authority on the given subject.
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| On an international level,
the judge should be conversant with overseas trends in photography and if
possible be an active participant in such salons. In this way he/she will
have an idea of standards and trends in this scene. The judge should
regularly read magazines, both local and overseas and visit photography
websites to keep up to date with
changes in photography. |
| Honours
and Awards Judge |
| A judge for Honours and
Awards must be an Honours holder of the Society and should be actively
involved photographically in as wide a field as possible. He/she should
also be able to give an honest appraisal of the standard of a fellow
photographer’s work. |
| Through the many years of
judging honours panels, it has been shown that the judges used are very
consistent in their assessment of the panels. |
| Club Judging |
| This is mainly
instructional. No photographs are compared with one another, but each
picture is judged on its photographic merits. A judge with wide experience
has a greater reservoir of knowledge of similar photographs to draw from
to formulate his judgment, than has a person with a specialised knowledge
of one subject who is asked to judge for the first time. Therefore
depending on the quality of the judges, club judging can never really be a
criterion to establish whether a photograph will be successful in a salon
or in an honours panel. The judges at the salon may have wide experience
of similar pictures and so know that it does not typify the best of its
kind. |
| Salon Judging |
| A show has to be produced,
made up of a given percentage of the total entry of pictures. When the
standard of the overall entry is low, award winning images in this salon
may not do as well in other salons where the standard is much higher. They
may still be good, but if the others are better and as an evening of
photographs can only include a certain number, they will not be accepted.
Good club-award pictures may do well, or they may not. Low-award pictures
may do very well by virtue of the fact that they are exceptional by
comparison to the rest. Regional preferences can also have an effect. |
| Honours Panels |
| These are judged by a varied
panel of judges with balance being kept between traditionalist and
contemporary inclined judges. Also a very good regional representation is
insisted on to avoid regional preferences e.g. a type of photography
promoted in a region or even the ties of friendship among fellow club
members who have entered. |
| These pictures are judged
individually and as a panel with no advice to judges as to what to accept
or reject, but the requirement should be "whether you as an honours holder
would like to be associated with the standard of photography being
presented?" Therefore a judge looks at a picture far more critically than
at a salon or at the club judging. We now have a standard to uphold. As we
have seen, a picture may have won an award in a salon by virtue of a low
standard of overall entry, or it may be exceptional to the judges who may
never have seen the subject before. It does not automatically follow that
this image or print should be of honours standard, just as not all honours
accepted photographs win medals or awards in salons. |
| Because of the fact that
trends in photography change, the judges are continually updating their
standards in order to improve the overall level of club photography. It
stands to reason that the honours standard changes also. What may be
accepted this year, may not be acceptable in a few years hence and vice
versa. This helps to explain why an image, having obtained a "credit", may not gain a credit when submitted for honours on a subsequent
occasion. |
| Titles |
| Although a title may be
useful to identify a particular photograph, photographs are judged on
their photographic merit and not on the title. |
| In specialised salons,
especially nature salons, the titles may form a very important part of the
photograph as it gives positive identification and proof of subject
matter. These salons will therefore insist on descriptive/scientific
titles and do not use cute titles e.g. hairy curly whirly (for a worm). |
| A title may also be useful
for a scenic description e.g. where it was taken. It may be useful in
photojournalism to identify a particular occurrence. It may also influence
a judge who may not have seen such photographs in some context, but the
title does help to steer his/her thoughts along a certain line. |
| Pictures should not be
judged on title except when scientific facts demand it. In salons, titles
are not usually read aloud. In clubs, titles are often read during
judging. It is therefore up to the author to convey via the picture what
visual statement he/she envisaged. If he/she fails to arouse, in the
picture, some feeling or emotion in the judge then the photographer has
been unsuccessful and no title can, unfortunately, change the situation.
Courtesy: PSSA |