I entered my first competition...

Bitter Jeweler · Jul 25, 2009

I entered my first Photography competition tonight!
I entered one black & white, and out of 19 b&w entries, I didn't place.
The judge said everything was spot on, excellent focus, great light and shadow, detail, texture, compelling composition. Interesting image.

I was a little bummed, at my score compared to images with similar score. The winners totally deserved the wins. So I asked the judge(s) afterwards, being clear I am not whining about points, but wanting to know why, with all the great things said about the image, such a low score. They said it wasn't competition quality. One said I should be showing that in a gallery, that it is very sellable...that interior designers would love it. Keep it up, make some money, but it's not competition quality.
So it didn't place. I am cool with that. What I did get was exactly what I wanted to know. Is it sellable? Should I continue in this style if I want to try to make some money?

I also entered an image in the Color catagory.

Out of 104 entries, it took 3rd place!!! :smileys: W00T!
They said that image is competition quality. I lost points because it should have a had a more narrow crop, and the brown tip of the leaf. In the critique, he said with an image of this calibur, you really need to find (giggled) the better specimen.
I had a hard time deciding how much to crop the image. As far as the brown leaf tip...well, it was late in the season for irises, and I was searching around for a good specimen with no dead flowers near, that also had good light AND a good background. It took me forever to find that shot

.
I am quite happy right now.
I think some thanks goes out to some of you helpful people right here.
Thanks for all your help in getting me this far!

Baaaark · Jul 25, 2009

Remember art is way too personal to be judged by someone else. If you do so, please do so knowing they're idiots when it comes to what YOU were thinking and what your creative process is. They don't get that art is not the end result. It is the process.

For them to say it was sound and should be sold is AWESOME! That's the kind of advice I would deem important. But this, "not competition worthy" is BS, and totally subjective. Crop it however you want, and F them.

Sorry if I ranted on you. I'm just trying to tell you you're better than they said you were. Even on the one where you got third place, the difference between your place and #1 is 100% subjective.

Markw · Jul 25, 2009

Both are fantastic. Judges are looney toons for not liking the first one.

Mark

Kerplunq · Jul 25, 2009

Congrats on taking 3rd! I think the image is great, the brown tip is kind of a bummer, but hey, at least you placed up there!

Also good job taking the C&C from the judges in a positive manner! Just keep up the good work!

Bitter Jeweler · Jul 25, 2009

Baaaark said:
They don't get that art is not the end result. It is the process.

No, art is the end result.

For them to say it was sound and should be sold is AWESOME! That's the kind of advice I would deem important. But this, "not competition worthy" is BS, and totally subjective. Crop it however you want, and F them.

No. You need to listen to what others think and consider it. And TRY it. I see plenty of people completely disregard advice given here, thinking they are right...

I say F them, as they will never learn a damn thing.

On this image, I agree with them. I struggled with it. I also didn't print both versions out to compare them. I didn't "sleep on it". I made a quick rash decision, under pressure to get these in under the wire as I was told of the competition rather late.

Even on the one where you got third place, the difference between your place and #1 is 100% subjective.

To a point, that is true. Wait. No. It's not 100% subjective.

Markw said:
Both are fantastic. Judges are looney toons for not liking the first one.

Mark

Well, that's kind of you, but, no, they aren't looney tunes. I got to talk with them for almost a half an hour. I wanted to talk with them for an hour, but also knew when to "let them go"

. They were very inspiring. I totally inderstand where they are coming from. It was supremely beneficial for me to hang around after the comp, to talk with them.

Markw · Jul 25, 2009

I agree. Opinions are, for the most part, completely subjective (as each one is different) and no one's (liking or disliking) opinion should be taken too heavily. Everyone has their own style and their own tastes. This is what you are being judged on most of the time, how well you suit their liking. This is why facts are so much easier to deal with, no one can say youre wrong if you can prove it. No one can prove an opinion.

Mark

Baaaark · Jul 25, 2009

I will disagree to the ends of the earth that art is mostly about the process and sublimation of thoughts and feelings. Its easy to see a Jackson Pollock is not about the end result, and that is definitely considered art (No. 5 is the most expensive painting ever sold). This also may be because I am bipolar and consequently VERY EMOTIONAL. Someone more level-headed would probably think otherwise.

But this isn't about me, or our disagreement. Congratulations, and sorry if you felt I was invalidating your success. That was not my intention AT ALL!

Bitter Jeweler · Jul 25, 2009

But good judges can be objective. While there is some opinion involved, there is also a lot more to it. There is a lot more to "art", or should I be clear and say, successful art than others opinions. Good judges can look at the artists intent and judge whether they were succussful or not, regardless of what they "like".

Bitter Jeweler · Jul 25, 2009

Baaaark said:
I will disagree to the ends of the earth that art is mostly about the process and sublimation of thoughts and feelings. Its easy to see a Jackson Pollock is not about the end result, and that is definitely considered art (No. 5 is the most expensive painting ever sold). This also may be because I am bipolar and consequently VERY EMOTIONAL. Someone more level-headed would probably think otherwise.

But this isn't about me, or our disagreement. Congratulations, and sorry if you felt I was invalidating your success. That was not my intention AT ALL!

Don't worry, I love discussions like this. I didn't feel you were invalidating my success. I felt you were invalidating the judges.

As an artist, I have to disagree.
It is about the end result. People buy the end result. The solidification of emotions and thought, through any given process, is the end result. It is what becomes valuable. You can't own the process. You also have to be clear on your words. You can say things like "the art of glass blowing", which refers to the skillset required to blow glass. The end result is the glassblowers art. In this competition, my art was being judged. Not the emotions or process behind it.

As far as Jackson Pollock, anybody can fling paint (the process), Pollocks emotions were behind his flung paint. He had intent behind his creation. The creation is art. But nobody else will be able to fling paint with the same intent and vision as Pollock.

Dagwood56 · Jul 25, 2009

Congratulations! Keep up the good work! Its nice that you spoke with the judges afterwards and got their reasons for their decisions because it will help you to continue to do better. Again - congrats.

c.cloudwalker · Jul 25, 2009

Bitter Jeweler said:
They said it wasn't competition quality. One said I should be showing that in a gallery, that it is very sellable...that interior designers would love it. Keep it up, make some money, but it's not competition quality.

Can't help but wonder what that means. "This lovely B&W photograph will look so wonderful over your white leather couch." :lol:

If I understand this right, I guess it means that works hanging in galleries are second rate. Darn, I'm a second rate artist. What kind of competition was it?

But maybe it explains what happened to me. Years ago I entered some works in a competition judged by Ralph Gibson who was then a fairly well known photog (don't know about later). He looked at my two works about five seconds and dismissed them as "trash." His word. What was funny to me is that the same two works were, at the same time, hanging in a well known gallery for my first solo show.

UUilliam · Jul 25, 2009

What they mean by "it isn't competition worthy, but is Gallery worth."

There is different class'
E.g. A basket ball player goes to a Pro team tryout, He's the best there, He may not be Pro material, his style may be more for the Streets or urban Basketball

Its hard to explain, but i understand what they mean, Galleries are for work that are precious and show the Art in its fullest
whereas a Competition, The image is captured for a Competition, Not to be showcased therefore there is less Emotion behind a Competition entry than there is to a Showcase piece

Or something like that...

Samanax · Jul 25, 2009

Bitter Jeweler said:
Out of 104 entries, it took 3rd place!!! :smileys: W00T!

Congrats!

choudhrysaab · Jul 25, 2009

Congrats for getting 3rd place in the contest and sorry about your B/W shot.

Josh66 · Jul 25, 2009

Bitter Jeweler said:
They said it wasn't competition quality. One said I should be showing that in a gallery, that it is very sellable...that interior designers would love it. Keep it up, make some money, but it's not competition quality.

Good enough to sell & make lots of money, but not good enough for a competition...?

They are both good pictures, but I just cannot understand why they thought the first one wasn't even good enough to be entered into a competition.

It almost sounds like in order to live up to their standards, you would already have your own gallery and be rich from all the print sales.