Question about photo contest submissions

[RandySmith]

I'm not sure if other folks have the same delima that I have or not, but choosing a photo for competition is extremely difficult for me. Does anyone have a logical unbiased perspective on selecting photo's for competitions ? Certainly understand that out-of-focus, improper exposure are kickers (unless intended) ...

I realize entering competitions will make my work better, however, without feedback on my prints how do I improve, or know if my submission was marginally okay, or trash ?

Appreciate any thoughts you might have in this regard.

regards.
Randy

[adirty1]

thats hard to say. you never know about the jury. sometimes your image/images and the taste of the jury are not the same. I enter images all the time and they do well at one show and dont do well at another. Just really depends on the jury. I have friends that do their research and find out information about the judges and enter prints that they believe the judges will like based on the judges background. I personally dont believe in all that I just enter my images and hope for the best.

a few things that will help are to know how the images are going to be judge. IE by prints or projected. If they are prints find out how they will judge them with or without lights and if there is a standard light reading they judge them under. you might have to print you images a little darker then normal because of the lights and if they are projected it's a gamble you never know how the projector is set up. I have found that most shows are going back to prints so the judges can really see what the images look like.

make sure you have details in shadows and highlights and that you have a balanced print if in color. some juries will make notes so you know what they liked or didnt like about a print. Again it's all up to what the judges like. Roll the dice and have fun with it.

[snidow]

Originally Posted by adirty1

Roll the dice and have fun with it.

That's about the full truth of it too, it's totally a roll of the dice. I've learned one thing from the contests, do not take them personally because it's so subjective. I've seen great photos win contests and I've seen out of focus and flat photos win. If possible, check out past winners it will give you the best direction for what they may be looking for. Good luck and have fun!

[RandySmith]

Thanks for the input ...it certainly is difficult. Mainly to narrow the selection process of "which" photo to submit. If the contest was "tigers", "waterfalls", then the subject matter would be defined ... however, when the contest has a broad undifined particular subject, ie: "Your best shot" ... then with the hundreds and hundreds of photo's I take, it's like you said "a roll of the dice" ... I submit what I like ... so I guess if someday someone who's judging likes it as well as me ... then ... but, more importantly, I'm just not sure if I'm learning anything by submitting and seeing other photo's advance to the finalists which may or may not be any better than mine. I know I'm maybe crying in my beer, I guess I just don't understand, and that's what I'm trying to learn and understand.

Thanks.
Randy

[snidow]

I feel you learn both by being brave enough to enter something, the whole process of determining what you enter is a learning process. You have to be very self critical I think and then reviewing what did win verses what you entered. What do you feel made them the winners? Or if you won, check out what other entered so you can gain a better understanding of what it is about your photo that made the difference. The other thing I have found is photographers like photos on one level while, let's say friends and family like other photos. To be blunt, I don't feel friends and family make good critics although that are great at supporting. You can get good feed back from forums such as this on your photos and it surprises me still that what I like best often is not what others like best.

[RandySmith]

Thank you Laurie for your time and thoughts.

I really enjoyed looking at your gallery, my fav's are:

Birds #41
Cats #14
Reptiles #3
Insect # 18
Mammals #11
Apes #5

With overall favorite #18 the dragonfly.

Very nice photo's.
Randy

[photosbymorgan2]

I agree with the others. It is a roll of the dice. One print I entered in a contest did not place and when I entered it in the next contest, it won first place.

It does help to know what the particular judges like the most but is not a guarantee of having a winner.