Role of the Judge
Judging is complicated. All of us have been in competition situations and often we are not pleased with the results. A good judge should be knowledgeable about the technical aspects of photography and also aware of the different styles of photography. I would suggest that a good judge should also be a student of other art forms as well and bring that knowledge and expertise to the judging environment.
Criteria for Judging
The first encounter with an image is critical. Does the image have impact? Is the image presented in an appropriate and professional way (frame, mat, etc)? Does the image stir emotion or convey a sense of place?
As a judge, I want to see something I haven’t seen before. I love to see photographers take risks. Do something unconventional. The subject can be rather common but if that subject is handled in a new or interesting way, everyone notices. Growth and artistic development are based on getting yourself out of your own box. I also like to see a photographer develop a personal style that is recognizable.
As a judge, I like to see images that are in focus. If an image is blurred, it needs to be consciously blurred for an intended effect. Does the image have a center of interest? The subject needs to fill the frame. If an element in the photograph does not add to the main subject, it becomes a distraction and hence, unnecessary.
Favorite Quote
”Many pictures turn out to be limp translations of the known world instead of vital objects that create an intrinsic world of their own. There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph.”
– Robert Heineken
Biography
I was born on my grandfather’s dairy farm in upstate New York. My parents, Eleanor and Percy, made TV antennas for a living. I have come to realize that the mix of the tranquility of agrarian life, the nitty-gritty of the factory environment and now, the speed and sterility of the age of technology, has blessed me with an uncommon vantage point.
I was always a curious child and I am forever a student. In 1981, I was coming out of a divorce, had two teen-agers and I decided to move to Northern Virginia to complete my education at Georgetown University. I think Pearl Bailey and I were the only two full-time adult students on the campus! My time at Georgetown afforded me another opportunity for growth and new perspectives.
I started studying photography in 2003 as a graphic design student. I knew immediately that I had finally found my creative mechanism and I have never looked back…
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