Paul Griffiths having a Rant - is he right or wrong?

[Bazza]

Paul (ex OPS member) has posted below article on his blog "one camera one Lens" when he returned to Beckenham PC after 12 month absence, looking at the clubs program on website I reckon he's commenting upon?

your thoughts on his comments please

http://www.onecameraonelens.co.uk/post/131185680315/no-change-from-club-judges-comments-then.

[PeterH]

It's Paul's opinion. He may be right or he may be wrong. We weren't there so we can't form a view on the judge's performance on the night. Anyone who has tried judging will know its not an easy job.
However, I think we all agree that there are good judges and those that are not so good. I don't know if there is a method of providing feedback on judges to the SLF or KCPA but that would be the only way of increasing standards and weeding out those that are less than competent?
Also ensure we don't invite the bad ones back!

[Malcolm Ming]

I agree with Peter.  After all we all agree that the judge's opinion is only one person's opinion on that one night.  Paul's opinion is only one member's opinion.  Photography is art.  Art is subjective. You should be taking photos that make you happy. It's not for the judge, not for other members.  As David Grimwade says "I take photos because I like it and I don't give a toss what a judge says".  My hero.
However, like everyone else, I do have that guilty pleasure when someone like my photos.  
I checked out the Beckenham website and Paul was talking about Martin Faiers.  For the life of me I can't remember what he's like.  I know we have certainly used him recently.

[Richard W]

I read his blog with some, only a little tho, interest. I only say that because I have always wondered, through ignorance rather than any other reason, do judges have to go through formal "training" or "exams" etc? Anyone offer me the answer?

Some of our respective judges have "missed" the obvious, only last season Alan P's image of the south bank with the same guy shot several times seemed to go ver the judge's head. It was worth a lot more than the marks it was awarded but the judge missed the blatantly obvious. Alan was very humble and took it on the chin, can't say I would have been impressed had it been my shot:-)

I totally support MM and DG's views that WE do it because WE enjoy it and sod what anyone else thinks. When we get good comments or awarded high marks, yes its a great feeling, BUT if we offered the exact same images to a different judge a week later would he/she score the same? I doubt it very much, SUBJECTIVE is the key word.

Lets not get into a slanging match about judges, we can criticise all we want but they offer us their services which we need, whether we like their comments or not. If one doesn't like it, go be a judge and then let the participants moan about your comments :-)

[Brian K]

I read somewhere recently there were some Australian judges having to sit through a "refresher" course on judging. Good idea if the groundwork to judging already exists...

I'm still a bit stymied judges do not spend a minimal 30 minutes before the night just reviewing and absorbing the images they are to judge. Which we could easily do with PDIs and possibly even with prints provided we all submit a PDI of it. And there's probably no harm in requesting judges take a moment to run through them in their own time before delivering their views on the night.

To my still untrained eyes I think judges rely too much on the class system to make assumptions about the photographer. On several occasions I have felt as Paul had voiced on his blog; most recently last Tuesday! Honestly, it makes me wonder if I could do a better job... And I believe I could on some occasions.

Maybe we could look at some way to provide feedback afterwards that specifically targets what the judge did or didn't pick up? And I would like it if they actually spent some time becoming acquainted with the photos before the night even if it's claimed photos need to make an impact (and hence the reason to wait until the night).

Our last PDI judge said she feared she wasn't providing enough quality critiques because without a class system she couldn't be certain how to separate  photographers by ability. I disagree and I think if she had spent even a modicum of time beforehand, she could have provided the level of feedback she is accustomed to.

Sorry if it seems like a rant, but I hope I put something of merit in there.

On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 23:28 Richard W [via Orpington Photographic Society Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

I read his blog with some, only a little tho, interest. I only say that because I have always wondered, through ignorance rather than any other reason, do judges have to go through formal "training" or "exams" etc? Anyone offer me the answer?

Some of our respective judges have "missed" the obvious, only last season Alan P's image of the south bank with the same guy shot several times seemed to go ver the judge's head. It was worth a lot more than the marks it was awarded but the judge missed the blatantly obvious. Alan was very humble and took it on the chin, can't say I would have been impressed had it been my shot:-)

I totally support MM and DG's views that WE do it because WE enjoy it and sod what anyone else thinks. When we get good comments or awarded high marks, yes its a great feeling, BUT if we offered the exact same images to a different judge a week later would he/she score the same? I doubt it very much, SUBJECTIVE is the key word.

Lets not get into a slanging match about judges, we can criticise all we want but they offer us their services which we need, whether we like their comments or not. If one doesn't like it, go be a judge and then let the participants moan about your comments :-)

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NAML

[Chris Nash]

This is obviously a subject that is very dear to the hearts of a number of the active members.
So my question is what can we do as a club to help the judges do their job to the best of their ability?

First of all do we make them feel welcome at the club?  I believe that we do, but let's not forget they may have travelled some distance to the club and they may require a little time to get prepared.
Is the atmosphere at the club as free of any tension as possible?  For some judges this will be their first visit to OPS and whilst we have a great room does the room feel friendly
Is everything ready for the judge? Do not forget different judges have different approaches to the commentary and scoring.  I would always invite the judge to have a run through of the prints on their own before they start the more formal judging and feedback.

OK, so we have done the best we can to give the judge the best conditions and we still feel that they did not provide the standard of feedback or scoring that we as a club expect the answer is that we do not invite them back to the club as a judge.

Finally, if a judge has missed a particular aspect of one or more of your images or Prints you do get a second chance with the summer exhibition.