What size prints do I need for competition?
What size images do I need for a digital projection competition?
Is there a competition for slide photography?
Is there disabled access to the club?
So what are photography competitions like?
Photo Credit: Michal Marcol
New to a photography club? If you have not visited Bury Photographic Society, or perhaps any photographic club, then why not come along to view a photograph competition? You might like it.
Photography competitions are an excellent way to get feedback on what makes a good image. The judges of competitions aim to give detailed feedback on each image, giving their opinion on why an image might work for them, and so giving ideas of more powerful or dramatic photography. Coming along watching other people’s photographs being judged and scored is also a good way to pick up styles of photography and to see the kind of categories that do well.
So how does a print competition run?
The competitions are ran a bit differently in different photo clubs. In Bury Photographic Society, the photographs are sorted out into two main groups, ‘club class’ and ‘advanced class’. New members generally start in club class, and zoom up to the advanced category once they receive an award. The ‘advanced class’ photographs are often separated into the types of photographs (for example, colour and monochrome, perhaps natural history, portraits, or creative) depending on the number of entries.
With print images, the judges will generally not have seen the images before the actual day so it can be interesting to see their immediate reactions at the shots are placed before them.
The photographs are shown one-by-one on a specially made display easel which is lit with daytime lamps to preserve the colours of the original prints, and to display them with the vibrancy they deserve. Generally the judge will score the prints from one to twenty. Some prints are “held back”, which means that the judge will score them at the end – generally these will be the set of winning prints, so watch out for them!
We’ll see you at the next photograph competition!
What Happens to Prints after Club Competition ? After the Bi-monthly competition is over a good work can go on to become part of BuryPS group portfolio.
What happens to your prints next
Thinking of competing at a National Level ? Then there are a number of National competitions that you can enter to achieve external awards including the PAGB “Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, BPE “British Photographic Exhibition” and the RPS “Royal Photographic Society”.
External Distinctions Application