Minutes for February 14, 2006
Meg Dalton gave an excellent presentation titled "What Judges Look For." Her answer? "A good image." But what makes a good image? Dalton said a good judge can tell you both what's wrong and what is good with an image, which can help you improve your photography. She brought numerous photographs to illustrate the points of her presentation.
According to Dalton, these three things are important. All three must be of high quality to receive the highest rating from a judge.
- Technical skill, including sharp focus
- Composition, including why the subject was chosen, how it was placed and strong lines.
- Artistic merit, a subjective decision
TECHNICAL SKILL: Know your camera. It is not enough to have expensive equipment. Don't just rely on automatic settings, but learn the capabilities of your camera.
She stressed the importance of always using a tripod. A photo that is out of focus cannot be fixed and will never be highly rated.
Some examples of things that can be adjusted with the camera include changing the color balance to "warm up" the color, using zoom while shooting and manually setting exposure.
A polarizer is a necessary accessory for Colorado locations. It will help avoid shine on foliage and hotspots.
Some photos will be "memory" shots where they will mean something to the photographer but will not be ranked highly by a judge because of some problem you cannot change -- shots beyond the capability of your equipment, bad lighting, and so on.
COMPOSITION: Some elements of composition are mentioned below. Unlike the technical skills which are rules, the elements of composition can be broken if you have a good reason.
Strong color in a color photo. For a black and white, the whites are very white (not blue or gray) and the blacks are very black.
Good lines add interest. Diagonal lines are especially strong, but also horizontal, vertical and circular lines.
Shapes, especially triangles are pleasing.
Divide the composition into thirds, not in half, as far as the horizon line goes.
Repeated patterns may add to the photo or merely add confusion.
When choosing your subject you must decide whether to shoot in portrait or landscape perspective. Use picture elements to repeat items of interest or to frame the photograph.
Cropping may isolate elements and reduce confusion. A photograph can often be more attractive with selective cropping.
Rule of thirds: This rule divides the picture into tic-tac-toe sections, with "sweet spots" where the lines cross. The center of interest for your photograph will likely be most effective if it hits one of these spots. When setting up your shot, get the camera settings, then work on getting the shot from the best possible spot. Try going forward and back, side to side until you find the best location.
Odd numbers are usually more attractive, so try to use an odd rather than an even number of subjects.
ARTISTIC MERIT: Now we come to a matter of subjective decisions, but there are some pointers that will help strengthen your photography.
Your photo will have more general appeal if it tells a story, perhaps with humor or an evident mood. It should make some kind of strong statement.
Consider adding pizzazz with color, emphasis and digital manipulation.
Dalton prefers plain mats (white or off-white), sometimes with a contrasting thin inner mat which exactly matches a color in the photo. This is a matter of personal preference. The mat should not distract from the photograph, however.
Water can be photographed with a slow exposure to be fuzzy or a fast exposure where every drop shows. Some judges will only allow sharp water, but this is a matter for your personal preference.
Club members showed some of their photos and Dalton helped everyone find examples of the things she had discussed in her presentation.
Next month's meeting will be an open meeting where members are encouraged to bring several photographs to share. Dalton was asked to come next month to help us review the photos according to the points she presented at this meeting.
Club members were advised that we would be welcome to attend field trips scheduled for the Lone Tree photo club.
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