William Hall (william.hall@australianpork.com.au)
What makes a mediocre photograph different from an outstanding photograph?
I would suggest the difference can be summed by a single word and that is Impact. The impact may be as a result of the subject, the colour or the lack of colour or the composition. Another way for an individual to judge a photograph is ask your self would I hang this photo in my house. In the end the decision is truly subjective although groups of viewers often agree that a particular photograph is good or outstanding. Don't be afraid to be a dissenter, as long as you can indicate why or why not a photograph appeals or does not appeal to you the judge.
If an image is to have an impact then I believe that the subject of the image must be immediately obvious to the viewer. One should not have to scan the image for a prolonged time to find the subject or determine the intent of the photographer. To this end then visual distractions should be totally absent or have minimal impact. For example the presence of highlights due to highly reflective or bright objects should be absent from the image as the immediate action of the viewer is to look at this bright spot. Careful selection of the point of view will reduce these problems.
The image should under most conditions be accurately exposed unless there is a readily apparent reason not to.
The degree of "in focus" versus "out of focus" is entirely up to the photographer. In many situations selective focus will immediately bring the viewers attention to the subject. Some photos will suffer from having all objects in the frame sharply in focus particularly if the subject matter is not readily obvious. Photographs of animals and birds in general should have a sharply focused eye as we as viewers will always look straight at the eyes of other creatures.
Composition of the image may or may not fit conventional "rules" (rule of thirds, leading lines etc) and there is no reason that it should, but these rules do offer a starting point for commenting on an image. If the photographer has not followed the rules; does this improve or detract from the final result.
As a judge you should be able to justify your position in the order of merit that you select for a number of images. Be specific in the criticisms and praises that you make. NEVER make destructive remarks about the image; as part of the judging process it is your task to help the image maker improve their skills. You, as a judge are acknowledged to be a competent photographer who has skills, knowledge and experience that you will pass on to the members of the audience. At all times when commenting on the work AVOID the descriptor "nice". Buy a thesaurus and list all the synonyms for nice and use these words. Don't waffle or have long pauses between comments on the image; make up your mind on the comments that you will make, make them and move on to the next image.
Things to comment on when judging
Visual impact
What caught your immediate attention? Image size (prints only).
Exposure
Under /over
Focus/Selective Focus
Is it appropriate for the subject?
Composition
Is it pleasing, does it "make" the image?
Lighting
Is it appropriate for the subject, could it be improved?
Strong points
What are the strong points of the image?
Weak points
What are the specific problems with the image?
Suggestions to improve the image
What could be changed to improve the image; lighting, exposure (spot metering), subject placement, composition, cropping, selective focus, image size, digital correction of defects, clean slide (absence of dust spots).