Judging Photography: Balancing Subjectivity and Growth
It was a fantastic session last night! I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the black and white prints and sharing my thoughts and suggestions. Judging a competition is no easy task, and I’m continually learning and growing in this role. I want to express my gratitude to the members who took the time to send me messages and provide feedback after the session; your support means the world to me. And the most importantly, the committee team who worked in the background of the meeting, made the whole judging process run smoothly so we can enjoy, you are absolutely total pro!
I’d like to commend every participant who submitted their photographs for the competition. It takes tremendous courage to put your work out there for a competition. I remember feeling extremely nervous when I first began submitting my own work to competitions. The fear of rejection and the anxiety of not feeling good enough were formidable obstacles to overcome. However, I persevered. With each competition I entered, I developed a thicker skin and honed my skills. Now I still feel get all those terrible feelings but I just recover faster. Perhaps these type of anxiety will never go away, I just manage it better.
Speaking of resilience, attached is the image “The Dance 2020” I had submitted to several competitions and critique sessions without much success. I was going to bury it in my hard drive, even though I loved the image. However, during a meeting at MIPP, I asked Kevin Casha for advice on what to do when an image doesn’t perform well in a competition. His simple response was to submit it to other competitions. That’s precisely what I did, and to my delight, it eventually earned a Silver Award from WPE.
What I am trying to say is, that while we strive to provide valuable suggestions and feedback, I can’t claim to be 100% correct. My goal has always been to assist you in your journey toward improvement. I encourage you to embrace what you find helpful and disregard what doesn’t resonate with you. Most importantly, keep moving forward and growing from your experiences.
