JCC Contests – Judging
Note to
Members
Dear Member,
We think it is both interesting and helpful for you to read our message to the judges who will be judging your work. We can strive for perfect fairness and non-bias inputs from our Judges. You will learn this is a pipe dream but we soldier onward.
Instructions to Judges
Dear Judge,
We thank you for judging our contest. We appreciate your commitment to maintaining consistency and fairness, and we kindly ask that you adhere to the letter and spirit of the following guidelines.
Guidelines
for Judges
All Contests
The Primary Directive
We request that these four elements form the backbone of your photography judging for any of our contests.
Impact | Composition | Technical | Adherence to a Theme
Impact
This includes the initial reaction to the image. What is the level of originality? Does in invoke a strong feeling? Is there a story being told? Does it hold your interest?
Composition
Are there missing or unnecessary elements? Are the elements in the "right" place? Is the viewpoint optimal? Are the common attributes such as, leading lines, shapes, cropping choices, and depth keeping the viewer within the image? Is balance used toward the need of the images' goals? Is negative space, when present, add to the meaning or detract from it?
Technical
Evaluate these aspects: Focus, Sharpness, Color and Tonality, Post Processing, Lighting (Time of Day), Exposure, Noise, and Others as observed to the extent they improve or add to the goal(s) of the image or to the extent they detract from it?
Adherence to a Theme
How well the image conforms to a theme, if applicable, is often used to adjust scores or act as a tie breaker. Remember judges do not have the authority to disqualify an image from being scored they can consider it as a factor in an images' final score..
The Secondary Directives
Designated Winners
You will be informed how many winners each contest will have. We award, at the maximum, First, Second, Third, Fourth and a number of Honors. The Honors are all equal but we wish you to rank them because we sometimes need to remove a winner and move everyone up a notch. Please have a runner up available in case we ask for it.
Your Scoring System
If you like to use a numeric scoring system that is fine. We do not judge below the honors level so those scores will not be shared with the entrants.
Judge What you See
For example, if an image is over-saturated to your taste that is a negative. The theme may or may not be a factor.
Recognize Bias
We all have bias. In judging we need to first recognize our bias and correct for them. The correction can be up or down. Positive bias include the obvious: Babies of all mammals, Flowers (most are already beautiful) etc. Negative bias include ugly elements of life such as an alligator grabbing a chick who has be pushed out of its nest by a larger sibling. Images can win contest that you would not want to hang on your wall.
Next recognize bias that are unique to you. We all have them.
Ties
There are no ties in our judged contests
A Discussion Without Resolution—Equalizing the Playing Field
Bla Bla
Guidelines
for Judges
Print Contests
Judge the Print Only
We do not want an expensive framing to influence the score of an entry. Please limit you judgement for the print itself. Ignore the matting and/or frame of the print.
The Quality of the Printing
Pay close attention to blocked darks and blown-out highlights (results in areas without ink causing the paper texture to show). These can/should directly affect the score. i
The Quality of the Paper
The choice of paper can definitely affect the quality of the print and can be included in judging the print.
Viewing Light
Ideally you should view all prints under north-daylight natural light or approx. 6,000 degrees Kelvin artificial light. This should also be evenly lighting the prints without glare and viewed straight-on. This may not be perfectly attainable due to your circumstances. As a fallback position please insure that your final decisions are made at the same time of day. Avoid extremes of early morning or late afternoon—the golden hours.
Guidelines
for Judges
Digital Contests
Viewing Options
Please view on a monitor no smaller than 24 inches. HD or higher. Please view all images on the same monitor.
Monitor Should be Calibrated Routinely
This is true for judging and working with digital photos.
Viewing of Metadata
Most clubs ask judges not to do this. ????
Guidelines
for Judges
Critiques
The Platinum Rule
Never, never criticize the person. Criticize the photography, that is, what the person did not who they are.
Adapt to the Audience
The overall quality of the images tells you a lot about the audience. Adapt to the their level, or a little over. Never talk down to them.
Don't Waste Effort on the Obvious
Sometimes judges just talk because they see the image for the first time and they are thinking. They will tell the audience what it is. Well we don't heed to be told it is a sunset or a landscape of mountains. If you need time just pause.
The Good, The Bad and The Possible
The classic system of:
- Say something positive about the image/print,
- Say something negative about the image/print but say it constructively, repeat constructively, and
- Most Importantly, give advice as to what could have been done to improve the image/print.
Keep It Light
We all love humor and a light tone. We are all here to have a good time and learn.
Inject Lessons When Appropriate
Helping the audience learn from an image is always appreciated.
Official Rules and Guidelines