Color Camera Club of Westchester Presents Ron Landis “Judging Photography”

Photography contests abound on the internet, in clubs, and galleries. Too often the critical ingredient for their success is overlooked, that is, providing highly competent and equally articulate judges trained and experienced in how to judge. It is assumed that being an accomplished photographer somehow qualifies a person, but the skills of making photos and judging photos have only about 1/3rd the skills in common. The two share the knowledge requirements of camera equipment, lighting, composition, and managing the triumvirate of exposure, that is, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, but the requirement of a good judge go way beyond.
However, judging itself is only a catalyst to an end so this discussion will also include the contributions made by the disruptive process of judging, the pros and cons, and the takeaways by all contestants, both winners and not. Implied in this is an examination of the inherent values and demerits of a contest’s reliance on a person’s subjective point of view.