During my time as deputy editor for PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, I had the privilege of ranking the images in our monthly photography competitions on Photocrowd. It was, however, a rather different affair when I was asked to judge the entries of my local camera club, live in front of the entrants.
With the club members sitting just a few feet away from me while I was giving my critique on around 36 different images, I had to be super careful that my feedback was spot-on. I try to take as much ego out of the equation as possible, and focus on solid advice for what they could do better and work on next time, so that they can grow and become a better photographer.
The competition was divided in two; one was for printed images that had been mounted and presented to me on a plinth at the front of the audience, the other was PDI (Projected Digital Image) where the photographs were displayed on a large TV.
Here are some tips that might help you when entering your own local – or even national and international – photography competitions…
Strengthen your composition
It may sound cliché, but using the tried and tested rule of thirds is a great way to strengthen your composition. With this technique you divide up your frame into nine equal boxes and place your subject on one or more of these lines to produce better composition – it’s a brilliant place to stick the horizon on your landscapes.
The rule of odds is another compositional technique, which states that an odd number of items in your frame can look more pleasing than an even number. But of course, rules are meant for breaking – so don’t feel too constricted by them. There’s a time and a place for a completely symmetrical composition that doesn’t follow either of these rules.
Maximize your use of space and let subjects ‘breathe’
The space in front of a subject is called ‘active’ space, while the space behind it is referred to as ‘dead’. Usually you want to leave active space in front of your subject, as this helps the subject to breathe and give it space to move into.
It’s best to avoid placing your subject next to the edge of the frame, and also looking out of the frame, as this guides the eye out of the image – and will leave a lot of dead space behind your focal point, too.
Exposure
Make sure the exposure is good across the entire image and watch out for burnt highlights that have ‘clipped’ to pure white.
Shoot in RAW to have more exposure data when editing, to make it easier to rescue highlights, but also use your camera’s histogram to check your exposure, shoot multiple exposures for an HDR if necessary, and always check your LCD screen to make sure that the exposure and focus look good before moving on.
Pin-sharp shots
Intentional blur in a photo can look great, whether that’s to blur moving clouds or water, or add some panning blur as you track a subject like a motorcyclist whizzing past. But when unintentional blur creeps in, it is likely to hamper your score.
Check that your image is pin-sharp and focused on your subject to make it the focal point, and use a tripod or ensure that your shutter speed is fast enough to avoid camera shake (usually 1//50 sec or faster when shooting handheld) and turn on your image stabilization, too.
Guiding the eye
The best photographers have mastered the art of effortlessly guiding our eyes to exactly where they want us to look in the image, making a strong focal point. This can be by picking a subject that stands out from its surroundings because of its bright color or light falling on them.
Try to make use of leading lines, which are lines in your composition (such as a pathway, row of trees or fence posts) that can be lined up to guide the viewer’s eye to your subject.
Author: Dan Mold
Source: DigitalCameraWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
