As part of continuing my development and improving my art, I continue to submit images for accreditation. These portrait photography competitions help me grow creatively, and any awards that I get can also be great marketing tools. The judges in the competition are international experts in their own right and who themselves have won numerous awards and run successful businesses. Basically, they know a thing or two.
When images are submitted these judges have three main areas that they look at. These are
Craft: You need to have this nailed first before you can go further.
Storytelling: When there is a connection, there’s emotion, which brings about narrative.
Originality: Creativity and innovation – show the judges something they’ve never seen before.
I have definitely improved on the craft and storytelling stage. When I compare my images from three years ago to now I can see a significant improvement. There is still work to do as in my recent submissions, for which you can get feedback, identified some areas that I can work on. What I was pleased though was that based on the feedback my storytelling is definitely developing.
I have just started a course in originality and this opens up a new style of portrait photography, but I think it will be a while before I manage to get some images. This style is like a mini project. Coming up with a concept is critical, then building all the components and finally putting it all together using my craft is quite a challenge. The key though is the concept as this will drive the originality and storytelling.
I submitted images in January for review by the judges and I just got back the results. I am really pleased this time as I managed to get three images just under the Silver Merit - so I know I have work to do but at the same time, I am pleased with my continued progression to a higher standard. I To give you an idea and the level of detail that the judges go into I have below shown a critique of one of my images ( also attached).
“
1: “This has strong initial impact. Would like his chin up a little, so we can get into those eyes. The hot spot on the cheek is too strong. The hand on chair looks tense and aware. Some more light spilling around feet would complete the overall look. When i squint it's really the top half that's really evident. I'm allowing for that mood factor, but know you could have both. Around his head on the right side is some light blue near beard which should be toned out. Commend the photographer for the styling."”
2: “Very cool concept and pose! Nice mood! I think his right foot being so large compared to the left distracts me in addition to the comments above.”
3: “Great eye contact with a strong and engaging eyes. The mood created by the lighting works really well but the background color clashes a little with the color of the clothes the subject is wearing. Be careful with the editing as there are some masking issues in some areas, particularly the viewers left below the knee.”
There is a wealth of information in this feedback which I then use in future images. The level of feedback also makes me critique my own work to ensure that I continue my development.
Thanks for reading. Please be in touch to learn more about my work and to book a portrait or personal branding session with me.
0 Comments