Oregon Salon of Photography

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

The Oregon State Fair opens today and I highly recommend anyone who attends to check out the photography exhibit in the Cascade Hall (south end of the exhibit area near the L.B. Day Amplitheater). The exhibit includes several categories including the Oregon Salon of Photography, the International Salon of Photography, the Youth Division and the Best of the County Fairs.

From 1990 - 1996, I entered the Oregon Salon and this year I was asked back to be a judge. While both the Oregon Salon (open to Oregon residents) and the International Salon Open to anyone) are technically competitions (with awards presented for the top photographs), the resulting show is more like a juried exhibit with many photographs on display - not just the award winners.

In addition, the Photographic Image Gallery is sponsoring an exhibit called The Oregon Collection that features black and white images of Oregon - including photographs by Ray Atkeson, Stu Levy, Phil Bard and several others. As a judge, three of my prints will also be on display in the exhibit hall.

Oregon has a long history of supporting photography and producing some outstanding photographers. The Oregon Salon and International Salon are great venues for both photographers to display their work and the public to view and wide variety of excellent photography. The folks that run the exhibit are wonderful to work with and really support photography in Oregon. In the past, I really enjoyed entering the Oregon Salon and judging this year was also a wonderful experience.

The Oregon State Fair starts today and runs through September 5. The awards presentation for the Oregon Salon is tonight (August 26) at 7:00pm. Stop by if you get a chance. Even if you can't attend the awards ceremony (a great opportunity to meet the award winners, judges, Salon director and other fair personel as well as other photographers), stop by the exhibit hall anytime the fair is open. It's a wonderful chance to see some outstanding photography.

Kerry

P.S. I have always been impressed with the classy way the Oregon Salon and International Salon operate and the resulting exhibition. I'm curious if other state fairs have similar photography exhibits. If anyone has participated in their local state fair photography program, please feel free to share your observations (pro and con) on the experience.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

For those interested in more information on the Oregon Salon of Photography (open to Oregon residents) and the International Salon of Photography (open to all), here's a link to the official web site. Of course, it's too late to enter this year, but the entry form and contest rules for this year are posted on their web site. Other than the dates and the names of the judges, the rules and procedures don't change much from year to year.

Kerry

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Hi Kerry,

As a resident of New Mexico, I entered the photography contest at the New Mexico State Fair. Overall, it was a positive experience- I was usually quite impressed by the quality of work displayed, produced by both amateurs and professionals. However, I never understood the scoring system used to judge the work. They used a scale from 0 to 100, with some very vauge adjectives such as "above average" and "deserving of merit" to correspond to each number range (74-77 was "above average", IIRC). None of the photographs scoring below 70 were displayed, but they still displayed several hundred each year. However, at the high end, almost none of the photographs scored above 80 or 81. I got a first place ribbon in one of the categories last year, and my score for that one was an 80. I asked the director of the photography department about this, and she was not able to give me a direct answer. What kind of scoring system do they use at the Oregon State Fair, and how are the scores arrived at? Since I recently relocated to California, I am no longer elligible to participate in the New Mexico State Fair (they only allow residents- unlike the Oregon State Fair for their International Salon). I imagine that there are similar venues here in Cali, but haven't gotten around to looking into it yet. Best of luck!

[Brian Ellis]

The Florida State Fair, held in Tampa every year for about two weeks in early February, has (or used to have, I haven't been involved the last few years) a large photography section done as a juried exhibition. The problem with it was that the photographs were presented very poorly in the opinion of many participants including me. They were just sort of jumbled together on a wall, matted but not framed, with no effort at any sort of cohesive presentation by size, type of photograph, etc. While there were quite a few excellent photographs they tended to get lost in the overall mess.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

What kind of scoring system do they use at the Oregon State Fair, and how are the scores arrived at?

Brian,

I'm sure most fairs have their own unique scoring system and a print that does well with one set of judges may not do well with a different set. The Oregon Salon uses a 27 point scoring system. Each judge scores each print from 1 - 9. The three scores are then added together. So, if the individual judges give a print scores of 6, 5, 5 the total score would be 16. There are only two divisions; color and monochrome. There are no sub-categories (i.e. portraits, nature, still life).

The scoring is totally subjective. Judges rely on their own experience and expertise to determine the scores. Personally, the first thing I consider is the subject and the overall impact of the image. I then consider the technical aspects of the print. I put these all together to determine the score I assign each print, but in the end, it's just my personal subjective opinion. Since there are no sub-categories (landscapes are competing against portraits, etc.), they try to choose three judges with different backgrounds/photographic specialties. This year we had one large format landscape shooter (me), one commercial photographer and one photojournalist. Surprisingly, our scores were VERY consistant (I only recall one print out of almost 1000 where the scores varied widely). I guess that just shows that a good photopgraph is a good photograph regardless of the type of subject matter.

Once all prints have been scored, a minimum cut-off score is determined. This score changes from year to year. It's sort of like making the cut in a PGA tournament. One week, the cut might be two-under, the next week it might be one-over. The cut-off might be (often is) different for the color and monochrome divisions. Bascially, there is only space to display about 300 - 350 prints. So, some years, the top 25% will make the cut, the next year, maybe the top 33%. Again, it varies from year-to-year, depending on how many prints are entered.

The scoring of the prints is open to the public with the judges scores and teh total shown on a large display board. In the past when I entered I always attended the judging. I felt it was fun and educational. It gives you a chance to see all the prints, not just those that are accepted for display. Also, during this time the judges are free to make comments about the prints (things they like, things that could be improved, etc.). Also, during the breaks in the judging (it lasts all day), participants get a chance to ask general questions about the judging.

After all the prints are scored, the judges confer to establish the award winners. This part of the judging is not open to the public. The top scoring prints are laid out on tables and the judges pick the award winners. Unlike most other competitions I've seen, there is only one "first place", one "second place" and one "third place" ribbon per division (black and white and color). There is also one creativity award per division, a special theme award (the theme is different each year and is announced prior to the competition) and the Oregon Award (best landscape photo of Oregon, either color or black and white). The process of assigning award winners is again subjective and a bit of a negotiation amongst the judges. The highest scoring print doesn't necessarily win "first place". In fact, it often doesn't. The judges discuss the pros and cons of various prints until a consensus is reached. If my math is right, that means there are 10 award winners total for color and black and white (this is typically less than 1% of the total entrants, although this year it was right at 1%).

Honorable mention ribbons are also awarded to the approximately top 10% of the prints accepted for display (so this is typically about the top 2 - 3% of the prints entered). A people's choice award is also determined by voting of the general public during the course of the fair.

An awards ceremony is held during opening night of the fair (last night) where the ribbons are passed out. This again gives the photographers a chance to meet and talk with the judges, the fair personel and each other. There is also always a special invitational exhibit. This can be the work of an individual photographer (I first met Christopher Burkett many years ago when he was the invitational exhibutor at the state fair), or a collection of works of several photographers.

I have not participated in the International Salon. So, I have no first hand experience with the judging - either as a judge or an entrant. I see from their web site that they follow the PSA guidelines and procedures. And, I know the first place winners are given PSA gold medals. So, it sounds like the judging for the International Salon is a bit more structured than the Oregon Salon. Perhaps someone who has participated in the International Salon, or any other PSA event, could provide some comments on how the judging works.

Kerry

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

The problem with it was that the photographs were presented very poorly in the opinion of many participants including me. They were just sort of jumbled together on a wall, matted but not framed, with no effort at any sort of cohesive presentation by size, type of photograph, etc.

Brian,

At the Oregon State fair the prints are displayed unframed. I suspect there are a couple reasons for this. Most are submitted and returned through the mail. Frames and glass add a lot of weight and bulk when shipping prints. Also, there is a high probability of broken glass when shipping a couple thousand framed photographs, twice. Finally, most of the photos are displayed on moveable partitions. I don't think these partitions are designed the support the weight of a couple hundred framed prints. The award winners are displayed on a solid wall (as are the judges prints and the invitational exhibit). But, since you don't know who will win in advance, these are also displayed unframed.

The lighting is quite good given the size of the show and the number of prints on display. About eight or nine years ago, they moved the photography exhibit to a new building - the Cascade Hall. This is a great venue (one of the few air-conditioned buildings at the fair grounds), and contributes to the overall excellent quality of the experience.

I will say that the folks at the Oregon State Fair put a lot of thought into the arrangement of the displayed prints - and it shows. It is definitely not a haphazzard display. Monochrome and color are grouped separatey, and generally grouped by similar subject types. I've always thought the result was a pleasant presentation and I enjoy strolling down the isles looking at the prints.

Since the judges prints and the invitational exhibit are always hung on solid walls around the perimeter of the hall, they are usually framed prints, and can be larger in size than the Salon prints (that are limited to 16x20 max. dimensions).

Kerry

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Thanks for the scoring explanation, Kerry. Brian, I found a similar situation with the order of the prints at the NM State Fair. The size required there are 11X14 mounted, unframed prints. They did try to keep all the landscapes together, all the portraits together, etc., but it was somewhat of a jumble. I don't see how they could do otherwise, though, when they are displaying several hundred prints- space was limited.

[Frank Petronio]

Do you get a Huckleberry pie if you win? Or do you end up competing against the pies and cows for the grand prize?

Does the fair have a category for hemp and pot-growing? Cause that and huckleberries is all I remember from my days at U of Zero...

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Frank,

You must be confusing the Oregon Country Fair (in Eugene) with the Oregon State Fair (in Salem). As far as I know, there is no photography competition at the Oregon Country Fair. Although, I would not be surprised to learn it has some of the other categories you suggested.

I took the family down to the Oregon State Fair yesterday and we spent the whole day there. We all had a great time and didn't get home until 11:30pm (VERY late for our kids). Plenty to see and do for the kiddies and mom and dad, too.

Kerry