Pro Photography Tips for Prizewinning!
What’s the trick to winning?
So, I guess the next issue to cover is, how do you win an award? As someone who has sat on many judging panels, being continually astonished that my eminent colleagues just can’t see what I’m seeing, while also having experience of waiting in event rooms hoping that my name will be called out, only to be pipped by the blandest image I’ve ever seen, I’ve learned that it’s not black and white. This is a tricky one and, to be honest, here are no solid rules to go by, but there are some techniques that can perhaps help a little.
For example, the SWPP runs a two-day photography judging course which, I can tell you, is a revelation. It’s a clever way of focusing your attention based on ten different aspects of an image, that can be assessed and then applied as a score for a printed image. Every judge on the Societies panels, both at the convention and on the monthly assessments, has passed the judges course, and so can use what they’ve learned to assess an image, even if it’s not within a genre they know.
If you then apply these rules to the images you’re offering up to a competition, it goes a long way to ensuring some degree of success. I’m not going to list all of the aspects as that would be giving away the secret sauce, but here are a couple of tips that could be useful.
The first is an obvious one, but so many people still miss it: read the rules! Was the image taken within the time allowed (often within the past year)? Do the rules say it has to be shot as one image only, with no photo comp allowed, something that applies to most nature photography? Was this sports image shot at a live event, rather than on a training day? Is this a shot from the wedding day itself, or a rehearsal? Increasingly competitions are asking for RAW originals to verify things should your work be nominated, so there’s nowhere to hide. Do read the rules and follow them.
The second tip relates to the fact that it’s important to disconnect yourself from your work. You might have spent days waiting for a particular moment with the perfect composition and excellent light, so you have a personal, emotional connection with the image you finally achieved. Sadly, it’s not quite super pin-sharp but ‘hey that’s ok because it took two days to get it’ No! the judges will just see the final image, and if it’s not sharp they will mark it down. Don’t fool yourself into ignoring the basics.
Think about the presentation of your printed image. The print itself has to be perfect, and the mount has to be the right mount, professionally presented. Think about which paper is best for that particular image. Should it be a rustic watercolour type paper or a sharp, crisp metallic? When you send prints make sure you package them correctly to avoid damage, and be hot on any blemishes. There’s nothing more annoying for a judge than having to mark an otherwise fabulous image down because it has tiny dust spots or scratches in the blacks.
