My Photography Club Journey

I’m a realist.

At the beginning of my second season at my photography club, I expected a mixture of highs and lows. What I didn’t expect was to find myself in the middle of a horror story!

The Early Season: A Bumpy Start

In the competitive arena, my new season kicked off on a so-so note. Newly promoted to the Advanced Group in our club competitions, I found myself near the bottom of the advanced print league table when the visiting judge didn’t share my enthusiasm for the quality of my print entries.

The words of one of my club colleagues rang in my ears as I collected my prints at the end of the evening. “Judging is harsher in the Advanced Group,” he intoned. Never a truer word, I thought to myself, quickly followed by, “Well, you wanted a challenge, Elaine. You’ve certainly got one now.”

But at least it was nice to be back to our weekly meetings, which I’d missed over the summer break. With the new season came a fresh round of competitions, visiting presenters, photo walks, and the camaraderie of fellow photography enthusiasts.

A Glimmer of Hope: First PDI Competition

With my confidence dented a little I uploaded my images for the 1st PDI (Projected Digital Image) Advanced section. I was delighted when this particular judge “got” my images, awarding a top score of 20 points for my shot of Golden Hour on Dalmore Beach and a respectable 16 points for my shot of Loch Maree. Maybe I could hold my own in the Advanced Group after all, I wondered.

And so the mixture of highs and lows continued for my competition scores. The highs I accepted gratefully, careful not to become over-confident. One thing I’d learned since entering these competitions is that just around the corner, there’s always another judge who declares that your shot isn’t sharp to justify his low mark.

It’s not the done thing to contradict a judge during the judging process, so you’re not allowed to barrack them with “You should have gone to Specsavers mate!!” At these times, I gracefully kept my mouth shut and took another of my club colleagues’ advice on board when she advised, “Don’t get too disheartened, it’s only one judge’s opinion.”

This is one of the wonderful things about my photography club: each and every one of us has been at the mercy of harsh judging decisions at some time or other, and an empathetic word can lift the spirits and remind you that it’s all good fun at the end of the day.

In the interest of fairness though I’ll give a shout out to the judges. A good judge can help you to improve your photography by providing constructive critique and a fair mark, whether that’s high or low. I personally have learned so much over the last two seasons watching the judging process.