Page 9 - Cape-Camera-March-April-2021

Cape Camera March/April 2021

From a judge’s point of view

- A short introduction to evaluating photographic Images

We approached Stephen Burgstahler, who holds numerous honours, including an APSSA,
DPSSA, AFIAP and QPSA, and is also very much involved in the JAP course that is now in
progress, to give us some inside information of what is (or should be) on ‘the other side of
the bench’. With his wide-ranging experience as a judge - both locally and internationally
– we felt that he would be highly qualified to help us understand how the judging process
works when we enter our images at competitions and salons.

Stephen draws heavily from lowing rules results overall in boring/unoriginal photography.
his own experience when he And finally, when we speak of “competition”, we are speaking
started out and this is what he in terms of exhibiting one’s images for consideration/critique/
had to say: I am one of those evaluation.
people who almost quit club The difference between healthy and unhealthy club
photography after my first competitions
competition. I remember it
well! My first image was a clo- The former fosters an environment where iron sharpens iron.
seup of young girl playing with Healthy competition is more about improving and growing as
bubbles. It had a great feel and a club than it is about winning. Healthy competition will assist
evoked a joyous mood. The a club to grow both in ability and in membership. Longtime
comment made by the judge members will be happy to share their knowledge with the new-
was: “This is a record-shot.” comers and the club will spur one another on to be better and
Having no idea what a “record to accomplish great things, all the while being happy (not jeal-
shot” was, I could only assume ous) for each other’s success. The members will appreciate one
by the disapproving tone and another and the work that is being produced.
by the pejorative use of the term that it was not a good thing. In contrast, an unhealthy club competition results in an envi-
The comment for my second image went something like: “Why ronment where egotism thrives. Unhealthy competitions are
did the photographer amputate the foot off of this lady?” I sud- more about winning than it is about improving and growing
denly felt like a doctor at best, a barbarous human at least. Being as a club. The older members are not keen to share their “se-
a new photographer and club member, a fair amount of embar- crets” with the newer members. People compare themselves
rassment began to set into my soul. I was tempted to walk, or with one another rather than appreciate each other. There is
crawl, away from the club that night. It was a frustrating experi- jealousy and a competitive spirit. In this sense, we must remem-
ence and is surely one of the reasons that I am so passionate ber that photography is not a competitive sport. Often, a small
about evaluating photographic images to this day. clique of people develops who consider themselves at the top
A judge wields great power, but with this comes a large amount of the food chain. They see themselves as better than everyone
of responsibility – something that goes with the territory of eval- else and are not open to new and fresh ideas. Unhealthy com-
uating/judging. Often a photographer has spent hours creat- petition has the potential to destroy photographic clubs.
ing an image that some judges may look at for a whole of ten Important principles when evaluating photographic
seconds before pointing out every technical deficiency they images
can find, scoring it, and then moving on. But what about the
message of an image? What was the photographer intending Strive for a balance between objectivity and opinion
to communicate to the viewer? As judges, we must be careful
what we say and how we say it! We owe it to the photographer Photographers who desire an honest and objective critique
to equip ourselves so that we know what we are talking about. of their work will not look for it on Facebook or Instagram. The
Great judges are able to encourage, inspire, and deliver necessary goal of evaluating is to be unbiased and objective. As judges,
criticism in a positive way. However, it is important to remember you and I must check our own personal likes and dislikes at the
that great photographers do not necessarily make great judges. door. We must go beyond whether or not we like an image. We
must judge what we see. Each image is to be evaluated based
To understand what judging is all about, it is necessary to ex- upon its own merit and according to the criteria of its genre and
plain a few terms to make it more understandable: When we please remember: all genres are created equal.
speak of “judging”, we are speaking in terms of evaluating or
critiquing an image. When we speak of “rules” we are speaking In the process of striving for objectivity, however, we should not
in terms of “principles” that promote strong composition - such completely divorce ourselves from all opinion. Some people
as the “Rule of Thirds”. There are, however, no rules per se – only may value the opportunity to consider your opinion and would
principles which make for strong compositions. Therefore we love to hear what you think about their work. The key is to have
must first learn the rules or principles of composition in order a balance. Do not give an opinion when you should be objec-
to be able to identify when a photographer has been successful tive and do not be objective when the time is right for you to
in breaking the rules or going beyond them. We need to remind offer an opinion.
ourselves not to be too quick to lower the hammer on someone Never assume, never assume, never assume
who has broken a rule, rather ask the questions: why and for Judges must never assume. Assuming will get you into trou-
what purpose did the photographer break the rule or perhaps ble. Judge what you see, comment what you know. If you don't
more importantly does it work? Keep in mind that merely fol-

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