DPC on steroids: Judging a Photo Competition...

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

09/25/2009 02:35:09 PM · #1

Starting in 2005, I began submitting entries to the Virginia Press Association's annual photo competition. For the past four years I have had a pretty good run of it, earning seven first places, three seconds, and three thirds (see them here), as well as having one selected Best in Show for non-daily publications. It's been a lot of fun, and it's been challenging, especially since there are additional requirements for freelancers that aren't placed on staff photographers.

One of those requirements is that you have to be published in at least half of a publication's issues during the course of the year. Unfortunately, thanks to the economy, the publication that I had been shooting for during the past four years decided that they couldn't afford to keep my weekly column going...which means that this year I won't be able to submit anything to the annual competition.

Ironically, I got a call from the VPA wanting to know if I could help them judge another state's photos (the different press associations reciprocate judging so they won't have to judge their own). When I asked them if it mattered that I personally wasn't a member of the association, they said no, that they knew me, and that they'd appreciate my participation. What a trip.

So, next Thursday I'll head down to their offices to judge maybe a couple thousand photos in about eight hours. Thanks to DPC, I think I'm pretty well prepared for the task! Thankfully, I don't have to comment on all of them...

(PS, they told me to bring an appetite, so I'm pretty looking forward to that as well!)

dahkota

Canon EOS-7D

09/25/2009 02:38:56 PM · #2

Congrats Skip! Its a shame you can't submit this year. Their loss. Have a great time and let us know how it goes.

Jaded_Housewife

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

09/25/2009 02:42:56 PM · #3

Congrats! Sounds like a ton of fun.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

09/25/2009 02:44:30 PM · #4

That sounds like fun, Skip. Process reminds me of PPA's annual contests. I've sat through judging before (as an observer) and was boggled by the hundreds and hundreds of images that pass by them in such a short amount of time.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

09/25/2009 02:45:28 PM · #5

I look forward to hearing how they do the judging and what the experience was like for you, and a special report (photo-essay?) on the quality of the buffet. ;-)

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

09/25/2009 02:50:51 PM · #6

Alright, Skip! Don't forget to take your "DNMC" stamp and ink pad. :)

alfresco

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

09/25/2009 02:50:54 PM · #7

Ironic or not that's very cool! --- Way to go Skip!!

CEJ

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

09/25/2009 03:50:07 PM · #8

Very cool! Congratulations!

Also, sorry about the publication deal.

Message edited by author 2009-09-25 15:50:53.

Judi

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

09/25/2009 05:35:37 PM · #9

Woohoo....good for you....now....who is going to get the brown ribbon????

amathiasphoto

Nikon D300

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF for Nikon

09/25/2009 05:49:26 PM · #10

good work skip! I just judged Texas's newspapers in a similar contest for them a couple months ago. It definately takes time. Oregon just had theirs judged as well, and I brought home a "best features photo" first place award, as well as a "best lifestyles coverage" first place award, as well as several second and third place awards. Its a great thing! Have fun with it!

yanko

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

09/25/2009 06:09:58 PM · #11

Sounds like fun. Will you be able to bring along your own sound effects when you toss photos over your shoulder? :P

sfalice

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

09/25/2009 09:15:32 PM · #12

Congratulations,

skip, on your elevation to judge of a State competition.

Now, you see, you're one of the best of the best.

So, you were up to a weekly column in the local paper?
Not bad, good friend. You, and the economy will be back.

:-))

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/07/2009 06:49:19 AM · #13

what a trip that was!

there were only 5 of us and we were set up in two panels. i had the great fortune to be paired up with james wallace, the director of photography for the richmond times-dispatch, one of the largest dailies in the state, and my being there was tantamount to being a full day short course in photo review. i'm still amazed at how much i learned sitting next to him.

this really was an unbelievable experience. we were judging a year's worth of images from nearly every publication in the state. every type of image (spot news, feature, sports, general), and not just stills! we also judged sound slideshows and multi-media videos. and it took us until about 6pm to finish.

one thing James told me a while back was to never submit anything that you didnâ��t want your name under, that if you only had two images and one of them wasnâ��t up to your standards, only turn in one, that you are under no obligation to give an editor the opportunity to chose your bad photo. well, as we scrolled through image after image, narrowing down to the ultimate winners, it was readily apparent the difference between getting the job done, and making the extra effort. we saw some absolutely outstanding photography, to say the least.

i am really psyched for the winners! the photo of the year is simply incredible!! (once they make the official announcement next month, i'll post a link here.)

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

11/07/2009 06:58:51 AM · #14

Thanks for the follow up - looking forward to seeing the winners, too.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

12/22/2009 07:37:29 PM · #15

Originally posted by deb fort:

Thanks for the follow up - looking forward to seeing the winners, too.

and now for the winners, debbie...

It's really cool that the HSPA puts together a complete commemorative package like this. It's a fairly large pdf, so be patient once you click the link.

The Photo of the Year is on page 9; scroll all the way through to see the other winners for different divisions and categories. All in all, some really good stuff.

Enjoy!

see

Canon PowerShot S95

12/22/2009 08:06:03 PM · #16

Skip, I put this on watch so I can review on Thursday. Today was 10 hours in the rain, Tomorrow it will be 10 in the cold.

alfresco

Nikon D700

12/22/2009 08:09:40 PM · #17

Photo of the year is "wow" on timing!

There's a lot of excellent stuff here, and I haven't even scratched the surface - HSPA really does it right.

And cool again on you and your judgeitudeiness :)

sfalice

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

12/22/2009 09:52:49 PM · #18

Originally posted by Skip:

Originally posted by deb fort:
Thanks for the follow up - looking forward to seeing the winners, too.

and now for the winners, debbie...

It's really cool that the HSPA puts together a complete commemorative package like this. It's a fairly large pdf, so be patient once you click the link.

The Photo of the Year is on page 9; scroll all the way through to see the other winners for different divisions and categories. All in all, some really good stuff.

Enjoy!

Whoa, Skip, have you got your eyeballs back yet?

that was an enormous amount of judging work and a wonderful distillation of what must have been a tremendous amount of excellent output from the submitters.

Oh, yes, the 1st place winner was a standout; so was the pie-in-the-face contest, and too many others to single out in this competition.

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

12/23/2009 03:48:20 AM · #19

Nice work, Skip - and thanks for the follow-up! I'll be revisiting the page - some of the stories are quite interesting as well.