Judges Blog… 2
OK you’ve read the competition rules beforehand and mentally prepared for the task ahead. You stride purposefully, confident and prepared for what you are about to face.
We don’t want any trouble tonight
Your entrance is met with anxious sidewards glances, narrowed eyes and subdued whispers; suddenly the piano stops playing. Like a scene from High Noon the competition secretary nervously approaches; eyeing you up and down and thinking the immortal words. “We don’t want any trouble tonight”, but actually saying “This is our seasons deciding cumulative competition and we would like you to score marks out of 20”.
That’ll be one to twenty will it? I reply
Never have I witnessed anyone transform from the smoothness of Gary Cooper to horror of Lon Chaney so quickly – “No we wouldn’t want you to score less than 15 as it will affect our totals ”
What is it with big numbers?
On numerous occasions over the years I have been witness to competitions where 18’s, 19’s & 20’s were dished out like boiled sweets. Are we all really so brilliant at photography that we are happy to award the equivalent of bucketfuls of Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals week in week out? Am I so good as a judge, given such a narrow band to work from, that I could confidently make that judgement call?
I smile politely, and make favourable positive comments about the image presented knowing full well that it doesn’t fit the subject matter, is overexposed, out of focus and been mounted on a piece of Kellogg’s cornflake box. I desperately want to scream “ 4 points….and I don’t know why the author bothered……..” But I’ve got to mark as asked, be positive rather than realistic.
Am I ready to become the lone gunslinger hired to judge but trying desperate to change the system which has somehow been allowed to become almost meaningless? Just before I give the final score I peer through the saloon bar window only to see waiting outside a lynch mob throwing a rope over the nearest low branch.
“Good effort but not quite meets the same standard as the rest of tonight’s entries” pause for effect “That’ll be 15” I think to myself ‘I need to get a bigger posse’ (see size in numbers are important!)
As I throw my weary leg over my trusty steed I glance over my shoulder and smile. I love being a judge….till next time.
Thoughts of a judge
Alan Taberer IMAGEZ