It has to be said

[Peter Waller]

What are we judging? Pictures! So why do we need a topic or subject beyond that loose classification?

 

I don't have a problem with the lack of a subject or category, but if push were to become shove then I might admit to a tad of disquiet in regard to the judging. The present system has let some very fine pictures through the net.

[Dog Fish]

We seem to have been here before and lost some very talanted people along the way,I used to enjoy the Themed idea as long was not to specific .Peter's got a point about the judging so why cant we vote on all the entries instead of 6 favorites of 1 judge

 

I'll get me coat

[Hellbelly]

You all seem to be forgetting one of the reasons that we went to open slather. There were less and less entries. The comp has been running like this for a few months now and still goes to 3 or 4 pages worth of entries. When the comp went open I was a fan of the topic way of doing things, I think I even posted as such but seeing that the entries keep flowing in strongly like this shows that the open topic way is going strong.

 

Mick.

[Peter Waller]

Whether I win or not really has no bearing on whether I enter a competition or not, so no sour grapes I assure you. But, without picking on any individual pictures, there are some that should not have made the final six whilst there are some that really should! One of the biggest off puts, I think, in entering any competition is the judging. You either have a totally open system, but that is dependent on the ability of those judging. An very attractive, but poor photograph can come out on top, and, I suspect, many able photographers will veer away after that. An extreme example but I doubt that the Booker Prize in literature would be judged by a panel of Mills and Boon readers or authors!! If it were it would loose all credibility pretty quickly! The alternative is to have a guest judge who would be expected to comment and justify their comments and decision. A judge judges the pictures, and everybody judges the judge! There is no perfect system. But, personally, I would favour a judging panel of three competent photographers.

[Sutton Warrior]

You all seem to be forgetting one of the reasons that we went to open slather. There were less and less entries. The comp has been running like this for a few months now and still goes to 3 or 4 pages worth of entries. When the comp went open I was a fan of the topic way of doing things, I think I even posted as such but seeing that the entries keep flowing in strongly like this shows that the open topic way is going strong.

 

Mick.

 

 

You have a point there HB . . . However, I still hold to 'lack of structure and direction for me, after a while lacks luster and is very frustration'. Hense my sugestion of some 'open' some 'themed'? I also agree with previouse sugestions, photo quality becouse of 'Open, anything goes', is suspect, minds are not being stretched, lazeynes is evident, thats IMHO.

 

I certainly think that; if the comp is intended to improve individual abilities, the aimless way in which it is curently conducted, does very little to help the couse of 'better pictures'. "Do we want to improve the quality of our pictures" or, is it just a bit of 'fluffy fun'??? These days, I thought (structured) learning could be fun?

 

We could of course run two competitions side by side?

 

SW

Edited September 6, 2008 by Sutton Warrior