This is kind of weird question

I agree with Ellen.

 

Post them here and we'll appreciate them even if those stodgy fools don't.

I think that this may be a bit harsh. There is still a lot that can be learnt from topside shots and the comments that they get. For that reason I do think that joining in is still worth while.

Interesting we have 2 well known UK photographers on the Surrey circuit that give talks on underwater photography and the realm [Len Deeley and Linda Pitkin]. These are always well attended and the photographs applauded. The idea just doesn't seem to transfer those judging.

One particular woman scored a well composed, perfectly exposed, sharp picture of an anenome fish with a 6 [the lowest score given]. The very next shot she described as having significant problems will its composition, lack of focus and colour cast. 6 1/2. I did nearly walk out there and then, never to return.

Daniel

The member who suggested that always puts "Infra red" in his title if he shot with that kind of filter because sometimes judges just don't get what he was trying to do.

Actually I forgot to include this in the quote. This is why I included the "who's picking the judges" comment. I understand why people don't get underwater shots, but a judge who looks at an infrared shot who thinks, "why are those tree leaves white?" might not be the best judge.

I think that this may be a bit harsh. There is still a lot that can be learnt from topside shots and the comments that they get. For that reason I do think that joining in is still worth while.

Notice that I did say "if you are learning, I guess it makes sense to stay in the club"

I tried to soften the blow

Agree w Jeremy and Ellen! Listening to other peoples ("judges" and other) advise and opinions, is certaily very useful for learning, nit just about improving you skills but also in learning how others "see" images. However, I would argue that it is also imprtant to be "choosy" in selecting your "mentors" and whose advice you will follow.

We had a photoclub some years back lead by a selfprocalimed expert photographer. As this "photographer" was very well respected in the community, I was excited to have been invited to be part of the group. Well, I lasted a few meetings but soon realized that it wasn't for me. I think I stopped going when I as told that needing to understand the very basics of aperture, speed and medium sensitivity was no longer necessary in the digital age, and in fact having basic technical understanding would be "artisitically crippling". The killer came when I was told and that the way to fix a blow our sky is to use the "paint bucket" in Photoshop (yes, paintbucket, not curves or levels or any sort of adjustment to the exposure).... Nevertheless, there is always a lesson to be learned and the lesson I learned from that experience was very valuable. For me it was "pick your mentors based on the images you see, not based on the hye that surround the "expert"..."

One particular woman scored a well composed, perfectly exposed, sharp picture of an anenome fish with a 6 [the lowest score given]. The very next shot she described as having significant problems will its composition, lack of focus and colour cast. 6 1/2. I did nearly walk out there and then, never to return.

Daniel

Well, I have to admit that I really like my camera club and I will never quit until I move to Florida (whenever that will happen). I have learned a lot this past year and made some new friends. The best piece of advice I got was from one of the members who is in Salon class. I had submitted a photo of a spider that I took in Australia and I thought it was just AWESOME (if I do say so myself). The colors were crisp and clear and the composition was "perfect" (to me, anyway). It comes up to be judged and I score a 5 (lower than the customary 6 for a non-placing photo). A 5 is a real insult. Turns out the judge thought the whites in my photo were blown out. I hadn't even noticed!! I pulled it up in a histogram and sure enough, yes, they were. But a 5!! I emailed the photo to the Salon class member the next day because I was so upset. Was this really only worth a 5?? I ask her. I told her I couldn't even sleep well the night before because I was so upset. Her advice:

RULE # ! Don't ever lose sleep over a judge scoring your photo. She was surprised that the judge scored it a 5, but that's the way some judges are.

So now, I just have fun. My goal is to try to make my titles more reflective of what the photo is actually portraying. It may help someone who is not a diver understand our sport and art a little bit better. If I were to enter the same photo in an uw competition, I would feel freer to be more "creative" with a title.

Anyway, scores for the end of the year are in and I tied with another member for highest score in Beginner Class and for next year, get bumped up to Advanced Class. Believe it or not, judges go much easier on Advanced than they do on Beginners. I don't know why that is, but better photos (in my opinion) in Beginner Class scored lower than similar types of photos in Advanced.