Becoming a Judge!

On Sunday 18th October I attended a Judge's Workshop run by the EAF. I have always been critical of those who judge Club competitions whilst recognising that there are some very good ones. It seemed to me that it would be useful to undergo the initial training both that I had some idea of what they are taught but also to be able to, if successful, to be able to judge myself so I at least know the pressures under which they work.

I also have to admit to a selfish motive as I thought it it would be a very real opportunity to learn more about photography and how particular genres came into and fell out of favour.

I found the day fascinating and also very informative as 8 of us 'judged' and then discussed a variety of images. What I found surprising, although I don't know why,  was the number of opinions that can be held within a small group about any particular image. All those things that I have learnt over the past few months from the Course and from years of experience are capable of a range of interpretations that sometimes cannot be reconciled. It raised in my mind a number of questions about the validity and strength of what is often seen as a 'given' in photography. One of the most interesting was when one of my imagers came up and listening to the comments I realised that what I thought was glaringly obvious, such as the point of the photograph, was much less obvious to others.

Much to think about.