Nature in Motion
Last night I attended the local photography club's August competition meeting. The theme was "Nature in Motion". 2024 hasn't been a great year for me with the competitions, in 7 months I have 5 honorable mentions to show for my work. This was after 3 1st place, 1 2nd place, 1 3rd place, and 7 honorable mention showings last year.
Last year I did not attend any of the meetings, and missed one month because I missed the deadline. This year, starting in April I attended the competition meetings to see what the group was like, and of course to see how the photos were judged. In the 5 meetings, I've felt the judging wasn't consistent. One photo would receive a comment about a slightly off composition, or bad light, or a unflattering angle, or funky crop, or blown out highlights, to have a photo with the same issues be praised. And it seems like the interpretation of the theme is a major sticking point with me too. One of my images, the curvy road with 3 deer standing in the road, was entered into the competition for "Lines/Angles/Patterns" but was dismissed because the judge felt like the photo was more about the deer than the road. It's maddening, and amps up my anxiety, and my blood pressure. I just need to remember it is all subjective!
Anyway, I felt as if this month's judging was inconsistent as well. And I did well, really well. I decided to forego black and white entries, the New Mexico trip had me short on time, and submit 2 color prints and 2 color digital images. Overall, 1st and an honorable mention for the 2 prints, and a 3rd place showing for one of my digital entries. My Scottish beach photo got no comment at all. Truthfully, there were far better photos than mine entered this time.
For the year, 1 1st place, 1 3rd place, and 6 honorable mentions. Next month's theme is "Sports" and I think I have a pretty good collection of photos to work through. I'll likely do as I did this time, 2 color prints, and 2 digital entries. My black and white skills need some work. Anyway, here are my 4 entries for the month.
1st place in Color Print
Honorable Mention in Color Print
3rd place in Color Digital
Did not place