So now I know why photo clubs are useless

[DonJ]

I never claimed the lock house photo was a prize winner. Certainly not.
It was a decent photo, but nothing exceptional.

I criticized the decision to downgrade it based on a totally irrelevant minor aspect of the photo.

- Leigh

If you rid yourself of the notion that you get to decide what others believe is relevant, you will live longer, sleep better, and enjoy photography more.

I would have picked up the can and then taken the photo. By not doing so, you allow anyone looking at the photo to decide if it's a relevant part of your presentation.

[Corran]

One of the most disappointing excuses I use to hear from students for not applying adaquate thought to an image is, "But it is what was there!"

Yep.

[faberryman]

I criticized the decision to downgrade it based on a totally irrelevant minor aspect of the photo.

I take it you have never had a portfolio review. After you get over the sense of humiliation, you can actually learn something from it. If you are willing.

Let's assume there are two identical photographs, except one has a coke can and one doesn't. Which one to choose?

[Leigh]

If you rid yourself of the notion that you get to decide what others believe is relevant, you will live longer, sleep better, and enjoy photography more.

If I moderated my photos based on what others wanted to see...

I'd let them take the photos.

- Leigh

[DonJ]

If I moderated my photos based on what others wanted to see...

I'd let them take the photos.

- Leigh

No one suggested that. That would make the whole process pointless. But you also can't expect judges to moderate their opinions based on what you want them to see.

[Mark Sawyer]

Paraphrasing the old quote about academic politics, I suspect the reason judging and critiques in local photo clubs are so vicious (and taken so seriously) is because the stakes are so small...

[John Kasaian]

I wouldn't want to be a judge.
Especially if they don't serve the drinks first.

[pgk]

It's not a problem as long as the judging criteria are clearly explained.

And IME they rarely are. Its one of the vagaries of photographic clubs - that often any image can 'compete' against any other regardless of genre - which obviously makes judging tricky. On the other hand (in my extremely limited experience of judging - twice in about 25 years), there are obvious errors, mostly technical, which differentiate images in terms of execution.

[Cameron Cornell]

This Coke can that's getting so much attention is reminding me of the Coke bottle in "The Gods Must Be Crazy."

Cameron Cornell
Washington State
www.analogportraiture.com

[DrTang]

If I moderated my photos based on what others wanted to see...

I'd let them take the photos.

- Leigh

or take photos of their photos and enter that next contest - hahahahahahaha


best option is not to enter at all...I mean..even if you 'win'.. what do you get? a ribbon??? bragging rights that a small click of grumps liked your photo?

hahahah - so what.. let the people who like that sort of thing and prize the prize.. enter

infact..unless one can occasionally score good deals on equipment - probably from the widows - or the drinks are free.. I can see no reason to even join