A Few Thoughts on Print Competition
Wednesday December 7, 2005 by Bambi Cantrell
In late November I had the opportunity to be one of the judges in WPPI’s 8×10 print competition. There was some pretty impressive work, but there was also a lot of work that simply could have been better and I have some thoughts I want to share.
Print competition is an incredible learning experience, especially with 16×20 at the WPPI convention, because you can sit and observe, listening to the judges comments. There are at least 30 leading professionals as judges, so the entire program is like a panel discussion.
With 8×10 competition, while you don’t get the advantage to directly participate, your score tells the story. Unfortunately there were so many submissions that seemed rushed. So here’s an easy test before you put that print in the mail. Ask yourself one question, “Would my client buy this print if it was by itself and NOT part of the album?”
Second, be careful with your use of plug-ins. I saw so many images that were over done. If you ever went to a Don Blair seminar, he used to refer to his hair light as the “garlic light”. Too much and you wreck the meal or in this case, the image. Well, that’s the challenge with plug-ins – too many and you’ll likely lose the essence of the original image. Use your digital skills with Photoshop to enhance the image, not create it.
Last but not least, will your images reproduce well? Maybe this should be the final test for every image you submit in any competition! Let’s assume you have the winning image in your hands and you’re about to mail it to WPPI. Assuming it’s the winner, how will it reprint in the WPPI newsletter or Rangefinder Magazine? Even more fun, think about this – I was told that, twice over the past two years, covers for Rangefinder Magazine were selected from images sent in for 8×10 print competition! Wouldn’t it be sad if you missed an opportunity for a cover shot because you rushed the printing process and sent it in over or under exposed?
After 25 years in the industry I’m still submitting images for competition and still learning! As photographers we’ve got the most incredible tools in the history of photography, but the bottom line is still the same: take your time, be patient and look at every image you submit as if you were a judge yourself.
