Role of the Judge
I view the role of a camera club judge primarily as an educator for both the individual competitors and the audience as a whole. Working within and adapting to each camera club’s rules, format and time constraints, a judge should provide critiques on the individual images in a positive, constructive and specific manner. I believe more time should be spent giving feedback in the novice categories as a way to educate and encourage.
A camera club judge should be knowledgeable in the technical aspects of photography and visual design, including creative and corrective processes that can be performed on images (in and out of the camera) from capture to print.
I also believe that a judge should be open to all types of images, setting aside personal biases that might get in the way of judging individual images fairly.
Finally, a judge should be thoughtful, articulate, and respectful but also decisive.
Criteria for Judging
My selection criteria will be based on artistry and mastery. When viewing images I look primarily at the image as a whole. I look for images that have strong visual and emotional impact; images that speak to me, intrigue me or make me see something in a new way. These images when analyzed or critiqued will almost always evidence excellence in the 3 Cs: Craftsmanship, Composition, and Creativity. The total presentation is also important to me (matting, print quality, etc.).
As individual camera club rules, desires and time constraints allow, I like to have the opportunity to say something positive about every image and give specific reasons (based on the 3 Cs) for my decisions.
Biography
Sandi Croan is an independent artist from Centreville who has been living in Northern Virginia since 1978. She specializes in landscape, nature, and travel photography with an eye for capturing the unique and creating fine art for homes and offices.
Sandi has won numerous competitions and awards for her fine art photographs. In 2008, she was awarded Photographer of the Year and Print of the Year by the Northern Virginia Photographic Society and she won both Best in Show and 2nd Place at the juried Meadowlark Photo Expo in Vienna, VA. Her images have been selected to be put on permanent display at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and the Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts. She has been juried into numerous art shows including; the prestigious VisArts of Rockville Exhibitions, Fairfax County Council of the Arts Show (Unlocked), and The Fraser Gallery International Photography Exhibition. Sandi has sold many of her photographs to private, corporate and government clients, and does shows for businesses and other local events. In addition, Sandi has recently/or currently is displaying her art at Broadway Gallery in The Promenade shopping center in Fairfax, VA, The Blue Iguana restaurant in Fairfax, Meadowlark Gardens, Cub Run Recreation Center and the Fairfax County Government Center.
Sandi was a featured artist in Elan Magazine, and her photograph “Blue Lagoon” was on the cover. She has also had photographs published in other local and national magazines.
In addition to her fine art photography, Sandi is an outdoor portrait photographer specializing in children at play in natural settings and portfolio/marketing photos for models, actors and teen pageant competitors. She captures the essence, personality and beauty of all of her clients.
Sandi has been an active member of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS) since 2004 and has served in a variety of board positions, including two terms as President of NVPS (2009-2011). She also serves as a judge for area photographic competitions.
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