Internal Competition at NPG

NPG had an internal competition in which Club Members were asked to submit two sets of images - still life and any subject. There was an external judge who was very good and I had the opportunity of seeing all the prints close-up after the judge's comments so I could see immediately the points that he had raised.

There were 24 entries in the first category and there was a wide range of approaches from the record shots of buildings to the composed setting of three or four objects. Quality of the prints was high throughout (judge's comment) and the winner was an outstanding print where the four objects were very well composed and the lighting right for the subject matter.

There were 38 entries in the second category and as to be expected the subject range was extremely wide giving the opportunity to view a range of approaches. The most successful were those where there had been good use of the lighting available. A frequent comment was that the photographer had been let down by the lighting available often producing a flat print with low contrast.

I had not submitted any entries so was able to take a much more objective view.

I have attended a large number of competitions over the past few years and whilst there is always something to be gained I find that the quality of the judge and his/her willingness to explain offers the best chance of learning from the experience. It is also true, in my case, that having no direct input to a competition makes it easier to be more receptive to what is being said.