I found this tonight while searching on google, thought it was most interesting and sord of helpfull for a amateur like me....
On the webpage, scroll down half way to the middle and theres some more helpfull topics........
//www.ult-media.com/photoindex.htm
The 10 Biggest Mistakes Photographers Make in Photography Competitions
include the following:
1. Photographers only think about entering a competition but don't ever get
around to actually putting in their entry. A photographer cannot win what
they don't enter. Procrastination is deadly. Avoid it at all costs.
2. Photographers fail to observe the competition criteria. Ignoring
recommended subjects and the exact presentation format desired by the
organizers are sure-fire ways to get an entry into the paper recycling bin
before a judge gets to look at it.
3. Photographers present their work poorly. Folded entries, poor quality
processing and poor eye for detail all tell the judge that a photographer is
a rank amateur and they will view the work accordingly.
4. Photographers present tired and predictable subjects and treatments.
Hackneyed shots are tedious for everyone concerned. Individuality and
originality, however, stand out. Be ruthlessly tough on your material - does
it have an immediate impact? Is it original or compelling? If not, then go
back to the drawing board.
5. Photographers suffer from a 'limo complex.' They believe that they don't
need to do much or anything in order to be 'discovered' because one day,
someone, somewhere, will recognize their 'genius' and then a limo will turn
up at the front door and take them away to Oz (i.e. Hollywood). In reality,
those photographers who are successful have been tirelessly proactive over
years. Overnight success is usually a fallacy - there is no substitute for
persistence. With photography competitions, one failure should not
irreparably destroy a photographer's ambition. Aspiring photographers
shouldn't just persevere though, they should learn and adapt at the same
time.
6. Photographers submit their entry at the 11th hour. In any significant
photography competition, the vast majority of entries (to call it a tidal
wave would not be an understatement) arrive at the last possible moment
before the deadline. Judges are then confronted with the daunting task of
wading through the mountains of mail and judging each and every piece of
work with equal dispassion. In theory, it shouldn't make any difference when
an entry arrives but in practice judges can give more time and thought to
those entries that arrive before King Kong's mailbag.
7. Aspiring photographers pin all their hopes on one competition. Not only
is this unrealistic but will also distract photographers from what should be
their focus - development of their craft. Art is highly subjective and
rejection in one competition should not be what determines whether an
aspiring photographer continues on.
8. Photographers violate the basic principles of composition and framing. By
doing this, an ignorance of the fundamentals of photographic aesthetics is
immediately apparent. Such entries never win. Aspiring photographers need to
educate themselves about the fundamentals of framing and composition or else
will be wasting their time in most photography competitions.
9. Photographers play it too safe and fail to explore extremes in their
entries. What is presented is more like a merely accurate representation of
something rather than a shot that vividly captures the 'drama,' 'essence' or
'personality' of the subject. Shots that do are alive. Those that don't are
flat and are quickly discarded from the judging process.
10. Photographers don't enter enough shots into a competition. There is
always subjectivity involved in the judging of any photography competition
so aspiring photographers need to put in more than one entry if they can -
especially in the major events.
Extract from the new book: "The Ultimate Book of Photography Competitions,
Awards & Grants" at:
//www.ult-media.com/photoindex.htm
//www.ult-media.com/photoindex.htm
Message edited by author 2004-04-20 01:52:25.
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