Have Your Say!

Open space for feedback from members -

We've been making lots of changes in the last three years
The programme and handbook for 2008 to 2009 contain more, so

Here is some of the background to the changes that have been made in the Camera Club Competitions for 2008 – 2009. It isn’t the whole story – given the amount of discussion which has gone on recently, a full account would take up too much web site, and anyway it would be boring.

Restricted & Open Classes

The ‘Restricted’ category of general competitions is no longer really serving its purpose, shown, if in no other way, by the falling number of entries! At the same time, the standard of prints and especially projected images entered in the ‘Open’ category has become uneven, and is getting comments from both judges and members about the quality of some entries. (The best work is still excellent, though . . . . and we don’t want to inhibit creativity, even if it occasionally falls foul of an unsympathetic judge.)

With reasonably priced, well designed, easy(ish)-to-use digital SLR cameras now widely available, the technical obstacles to becoming a decent photographer are much reduced. Going from framing a shot to presenting it in a club competition for projected images is – at least at an entry level – fairly straightforward. Also, the cost and general awkwardness of producing prints at sizes greater than A4 is no longer the hurdle it used to be, so the special rules on print sizes are no longer worthwhile. Note that prints of sizes smaller than A3 are fully acceptable in all competitions!

So ‘Restricted’ is now ‘Development’ - intended for members who are developing their skills in photographic competition. This includes new members unfamiliar with club photography, who are recommended to enter the Development Class. It could also include an expert and experienced member who decides to work in an unfamiliar genre, and to compete in the Development arena for a season.

Judges for the Development class will be asked to review aspects of personal & technical development in their assessments and to score on a more sympathetic basis. Some judges will do more to advise & develop, and some less, and we cannot really push them too much – their role is to judge after all. But judges in the Open class will be asked to assess and score prints as the work of experienced and competent photographers.

In response to one member’s query - if a member wants to be 'open' s/he can opt for it. Just don't complain if you are then taken seriously and marked down by the judge. (Most of the Committee appear to have at some time or another been bitten by a judge.)

And another - Does winning the Development Class count as being successful in a 'Club Competition'? Yes it does. But members are no longer required to move to Open if they don't want to. (We have several who feel that way from what they have said to me and to other committee members.)

And – Could we have some sort of ‘mentor’ option for less experienced members to learn from their choice of our photographers? Watch this space – it’s a good idea but not all that easy in practice, if only because there are two quite different subjects here – how to do it technically (and Rod Bird is already having a shot at this); and how to plan and take better photographs (being thought about).

Monochrome

Monochrome is now technically readily accessible. It no longer needs a darkroom and knowledge of applied inorganic chemistry, and it can stand on its own feet in competition with colour in the General Competitions. Those aspects that monochrome can do better - bringing out structure in landforms, for example, or skin textures in portraits - are not in themselves very different from the use of, say, graduated or polarising filters, or saturation adjustments. The days when the general run of members could expect to control B&W process but found colour processing inaccessible are past. This is not to argue that 'via digital' yet produces monochrome prints quite as attractive as the very best wet process.

Moving monochrome as a separate category to Annual will allow us to invite a judge with a particular interest in that approach; it will provide a clear space for the monochrome enthusiasts; and those of us who just do the occasional B & W print can sit & admire & learn. We have also been trying to handle too many prints and projected images at 'quarterly' general competitions. The change should reduce the pressure on judges and improve the quality of their commentary & assessments.

Judging

This is a difficult area, and other Camera Clubs are going down widely different paths. Remembering that external judges are volunteers, putting a lot of time and effort back into the subject, and generally trying to be fair and helpful:

- they can come across as a bit conservative about images and presentation;

- assessments sometimes sound a bit ‘rule bound’;

- if there are too many pictures in an evening, the assessments can become either cursory or repetitive – it is difficult to be imaginative in 40 seconds. We are trying to control numbers without putting too much restriction on enthusiasm!;

- ‘creativity’ can totally miscue – which is why the General Competitions have a best-eight-out-of-ten cumulative score.

Judging-by-the-Members has some plus points. It can be worked to allow for much more discussion and interaction, at the risk of deviation and loss of consistency. Sometimes I feel it is inclined towards being critical than to being positive about fellow members' work. It is certainly much easier for projected images (visible to all without straining or using binoculars at the back) and probably practicable on the web after last year’s experience with Annual Creative. Assessment without scoring is being tried by some clubs – and there is a reported risk of encouraging bland self-congratulation instead of incisive review and self-improvement.

This year’s programme includes a few cautious experiments. We are gently rocking the boat, not trying to find the point where it capsizes.

jha

This is an informal space to make sure the committee know what you think:

Please add your thoughts, include your name, and

Please keep it clean & tidy - it's more or less public domain!

-- JohnAshford - 07 Jul 2008