Reply To: Which rules do you want to see in photo competitions?

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I’m not sure whether I have any clearcut thoughts on these issues.

Conditions are not always optimal and as someone who often shoots in water with high levels of particulate, I tend to feel more comfortable with competitions that allow the removal of backscatter. Backscatter on an image seems to me like lint on a tuxedo.

As a writer, I feel that judicious editing can be just as critical to delivering a finished product as the drafting and composing process (ie what happens in the moment underwater). Within the competitions framework, this should obviously happen without compromising the structural integrity of the image (except perhaps in ‘Creative’ categories).

I was surprised to learn that an image maker whom I revere primarily achieves groundbreaking imagery yielding scientifically important images through what might be deemed as ‘judicious baiting’. That said, they do not enter competitions. I expect that baiting is likely far more pervasive with film making than with still imagery.

I suppose competition rules will reflect the ethos of the competitions’ founders and will always be able to be justified. Sometimes the issues of concern to me lie more with the processes used to administer judging than they do with the rules of the competition (eg overseas competitions unjustifiably demanding passports from an enormous number of ‘shortlisted’ competitors, rather than those likely to place or receive commendation; issues that can arise from the structure and format of particular judging methodologies …)

It’s encouraging to see competitions engaging in reflective practice regarding how to achieve continuous improvement through review of their rules and processes.