Do you agree with the judges?

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Bob k.

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For the last few years I have been entering the Southern California Camera Club Council (S4C) photo contest. I though I would post some pictures I entered in the General Nature category and invite you guys to rank them from best to worst and see if you agree with how the judges scored them. If anyone is interested, go ahead and rank the pictures and after a day or two I will post how the judges scored them.
#1
Nat DSC_8924 23.JPG
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#2
Nature DSC_6842 19.JPG
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#3
Nat DSC_3924-2 21.JPG
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#4
Nat DSC_7621 25.JPG
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One thing I've learned over the years about judged photo exhibitions is it's really tough to know what individual judges might like and how much other images influence their decisions.

For instance I really like image #4 that you posted as I think it works on a lot of levels but if the judges have seen a bunch of similar images (quite possible given where you and these judges live) then maybe it seems ordinary. Similarly you've got real nice interaction in image #1 which is always a plus but if that's a very common behavior then the judges might not be so impressed (living in Wyoming and not shooting a lot of marine mammals I don't really know how common that is) and if you detract a bit for technical issues like several overlapping subjects and two leading out of the frame it might not rank so high though it's a nice moment you captured.

Same thing for the water blur and the sunset (looks like Joshua Tree), both nice images in their own rights but maybe Southern California judges see a lot of blurred tide pool shots or desert sunsets which could cost you ranking points compared to other images submitted that year or in recent years. Conversely maybe that motion blur really stands out because no one has submitted anything like that.

Without trying to guess the overall ranking the judges might give those images I personally really like #4 out of that set.
 
I'd also go with number 4. The triangle of the birds and the triangle of the waves interact in a pleasing way.
 
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4 photos from 2 different genre. It is hard for me to rank them. What I'll do is rank within the genre.
Wildlife.
#4 first, #1 second.
Landscape:
#3 first, #2 second.

Why?
I think the shorebirds running from the waves is a stronger image. Like DR above, I do not live on the coast so I'm unsure how normal or unusual the behavior is or how many hours may have been spent waiting for it to happen. Coming from someone uneducated in sea life, I ranked them the way I liked them.

Regarding the 2 landscape photos, well, I'm a "fool" for sunrise and sunset photos. I like them. With that aside, I think the composition of the desert landscape scene is a little stronger.

They are all nice photos. I'm glad I'm not a photo judge.
Jeff
 
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Hi Bob,
Agree with other responders that number 4 is the best .
I am also a member of a local camera club, and have found that some judges can be very subjective.
For example I submitted an image which a particular judge scored fairly low ,and my view was that he was going out of his way to look for faults.
I submitted the exact same image a few months later and a different judge scored it high.
My learning experience with photo club submissions is to note the relevant critique points made, and ,learn from the improvement suggestions by the respective judge.
The good judges ,although sometimes critical, generally have sound practical suggestions for improvement.
Regards,
Gavin
 
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I think that the value of such contests is to get objective feedback as to how others view your images and get suggestions for improving the impact of your images.

Photography is a visual communicative art. Creating a strong composition is usually a key part of a good image. Also, powerful images usually have a "message" for the viewer. WHY did you take the photo? What message are you trying to communicate through your image to the viewer? How do you want the viewer to react to your image? Be amazed or shocked by the image or ......spurred into action because of the image...or feel happiness/joy....... or ????

What photographic techniques are you using to help communicate that message?
 
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John 2 said:
To mis quote, "those that can, do. Those that can't, become judges." .......................................or is that too cynical? :cool:
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Yeah, I'd say that's pretty cynical considering the photo judges I've known have all been very accomplished photographers in their own right at least in the bigger contests.
 
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My ranking would be : 4, 1, 3, and 2. However, this is primarily based on my own subjective taste and liking of photographic genres. I prefer wildlife above landscape. I do not have any experience with contest judges, but I agree with Dave's comments on possible factors influencing judges' choices.
 
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4,3,2,1 for me.
I have judged several times and lived to hate the experience. Some judges, community members with no photo experience for example, love beautiful settings but know and care little about technical merit etc. Boring, baldly shot pictures of iconic locations generate lots of "oohs and aahs" and high votes, while great shots of unknown locations are tossed aside.
 
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In the age of film I was a commercial photographer. Often times the art director, or creative director, or whoever, picked photos that were not at all what I regarded as the best work. Sometimes they were illustrating a specific feature but other times they simply had no taste at all. At least judges have some interest in the art for art sake.

So, #4 because I like it. No other reason.
 
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jeffnles1 said:
4 photos from 2 different genre. It is hard for me to rank them. What I'll do is rank within the genre.
Wildlife.
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Jeff, you are right they would more naturally fall into those categories but in this competition there is no landscape category. Landscapes can be entered either in the Color category or if there is not human elements in the image, in the General Nature category.
 
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Butlerkid said:
I think that the value of such contests is to get objective feedback as to how others view your images and get suggestions for improving the impact of your images.
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The objective feedback is exactly why I enter the competition. In this case the feedback is just a number but after looking at the scores and thinking about why one image scored better than another, I often see them differently and can understand the scores.
This particular competition runs for seven months and you can enter two pictures per category per month. The process of having a deadline every month and needing to finish images and decide which I am going to enter helps me to get images finished and out for someone to see.
 
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The whole endeavor of judging is so subjective. The best judges can articulate the basis of their critique and turn it into a valuable teaching moment, but their rankings can still be surprising.

I have friends whose images have not even moved the needle in local monthly competitions, but which have gone on to place high in the local county fair and beyond and have sold well.

I've seen a judge summarily dismiss a great picture, although technically excellent, as "too Googleable", without further comment.

I have a landscape that was photobombed by a deer which I did not notice at the time. I considered it pretty much a discard until several friends that saw it by accident wanted copies of it. I named it "The Deer" (hoping to draw outsize attention to it since it occupied such a small part of the image) and it went on to win at N4C (Northern California Council of Camera Clubs). Still one of my most requested images. Go figure.

Far be it for me to critique your images. I have trouble enough evaluating my own.
 
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DRwyoming said:
For instance I really like image #4 that you posted as I think it works on a lot of levels but if the judges have seen a bunch of similar images (quite possible given where you and these judges live) then maybe it seems ordinary. Similarly you've got real nice interaction in image #1 which is always a plus but if that's a very common behavior then the judges might not be so impressed (living in Wyoming and not shooting a lot of marine mammals I don't really know how common that is) and if you detract a bit for technical issues like several overlapping subjects and two leading out of the frame it might not rank so high though it's a nice moment you captured.
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For much of the time the sea lions lay on the beach and do very little. There is a short period of time during the spring when they are very active and there is a lot of sparing between the males.
 
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Here is how the judges scored the images, with a maximum score being 27.
1 23 points
2 19 points
3 21 points
4 25 points
I didn't total all the responses but it seems that "the wisdom of the crowd" agrees with the judges on which is the best image of the group and that there is some divergence after that.
If you want another great source of images from a wide variety photographers you can visit the S4C web site to see entries for past competitions. Thank you for the comments and for participating in this informal experiment.
 
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