How to be a good photography judge

Years of experience as a photographer (to know how it is done)

Years of photo editing experience (to know how to select the best images or the ones which are needed)

Award winning images under their own belt (to know what winning is like)

Their ability to vocalize how/why they come to their decision (to know what they are saying)

Their ability to know how most photographs are created by simply looking at them carefully (to know what was done)

Their ability to explain how to improve anything they see (to be a critic)

Their ability to provide feedback so that others may learn (to be a teacher)

The common error that many judges do is look at an image and say simply

• “that’s nice”
• “good”
• “bad”

The reason this is an error is because:

• This is not feedback which other people can learn from
• It doesn’t tell the audience nor the photographer anything of value. The judge’s opinion is valued only if they can justify it objectively.
• It does not vocalize nor explained WHY you see it that way.
• If the judge can not explain why something is good, bad nor how it could be improved, they are out of their league and should leave it to people who can do this properly.

Yes, It is not only a matter of whether a photograph “moves” the judge, “how it makes them feel” or evokes emotion that makes the image an award winner, but that is a plus to keep in mind.

How I do judge a photography competition with an audience such as a camera club meeting or photo contest?

1. I look at the format which the photographs are presented anonymously:

• prints
• slides (aka transparencies)
• digital

1. I study the rules of the competition (which vary per competition) and ask any questions for clarification prior to the beginning of the competition.
2. I check to make sure everyone can hear what I am saying. I had an occassion when I was judging in a large hall facing the work (not the audience) as I pointed things out. I needed to act like a weather man with a small map to make this work. Only the front rows could hear me because there was no microphone! Shouting for hours does not work well for most people.
3. I preface my judging by telling the audience that my judgements should not to be taken personally, but rather as constructive criticism which they can benefit from by learning what the issues are with corrections suggested.
4. Many volumes of photographs I have judged can narrowed down and filtered “OUT” due to simple technical issues. I quickly mention what the flaws are (such as focusing issues), what could be done to correct the issue (for the benefit of the audience as well as the photographer), then move on to the rest of the images.
5. Next, I narrow down any photographs which look:
   1. Too posed (including portraits)
   2. Manipulated (like bad Photoshop work)
   3. Too far from the subject
6. I look at the:
   1. Composition
      1. Foreground/middle ground/background
      2. Edges of the frame
      3. What is included/excluded
      4. Simplicity/complexity
   2. Quality of light
   3. Action/moment captured
   4. Story told
   5. Emotion evoked
   6. Main subject
   7. Secondary subject
7. After I am done with what I can objectively review and filter down, I look at the aesthetics which is mainly subjective. This is where my Art History degree helps.
8. If there are still entries to narrow down to, I select what moves me the most from the selections which are still “IN”.

The number of entries sometimes determine the number of winners. The less awards there are to give away, the easier it is for the judge to make the decisions needed. Trying to decide who gets 13th place instead of 8th place in a fair manner can get tedious and time consuming.

I hope this is a useful guide of how I judge photographs and helps other on the criteria to consider when looking at photography they see.

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