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JUDGES’ ADVICE
images that reflected on climate change. Most were spectacular affirmations of nature’s beauty, rather than the disturbing realities unfolding in our landscapes. This might be worthy of consideration for future entries.
OPEN
■ This is an ‘anything goes’ category, yet many of the entries would easily fit in other categories – and did. Take advantage and show us something really different.
■ There were some stunning individual images in this category that were rather sadly let down by the other two images in the set. For this reason, it is often a good idea to work with a good mentor who can help you recognise your best work and encourage you to bring the rest up to that standard. If your work is strong enough, most top photographers will happily share some of their time with you – it’s how most of us got where we are!
■ Open is probably the hardest section to judge, or enter, as it encompasses a really broad range
of work. To stand out, the imagery needs a distinct reason to be in this category and it favours more conceptual work.
PORTRAIT
■ A great portrait should connect the viewer and the subject. As a viewer I should feel something about the person; I should feel as if there is some kind of narrative to the picture.
■ I love to see portraits that I can’t look away from. When an image can capture my attention and leave me with more questions than before I saw it, the photographer has done their job.
environment the sitter is in.
■ I still love to be challenged as to what a
portrait actually is. A great portrait doesn't necessarily need to be composed well, be technically sound, or even show your subject in the frame, it just needs to convey their soul.
■ The portfolios that stood out the most were from the photographers that connected with their subjects. A successful portrait image allows the audience to feel and think about that photograph and want to learn more.
■ I was drawn to the classic and to the unique, and most of all to the images where the subjects communicated with me.
■ It would have been nice to see people push traditional boundaries a bit more. A good portrait should tell an intriguing story about the subject.
SINGLE SHOT
■ I’m always looking for a strong ‘wow’ moment that makes me look twice. A single image needs to tell the whole story. I’m looking for something different with impact and strong composition.
■ The best photographers were able to capture a moment (of action or stillness) and transport the viewer into that moment.
■ Impact, emotional engagement, innovation, a clearly decisive moment, multiple layers of interpretation, and originality of perspective and presentation are some of the factors that allow an image to rise through the wider set beyond the solid necessities of technical prowess, design, and well considered composition that any highly awarded image needs to begin with.
■ For this category, immediate impact is key, coupled with originality and a display of technical understanding.
■ Images that make you stop, look, and wonder, while all executed with a high standard of editing and craft were the ones that caught my attention.
■ A single shot needs to stop someone in their tracks, but that doesn't mean it needs to say too much.
■ The best images offered the audience clever and well considered ideas delivered with flawless execution. Sadly, many other great images in this category didn’t make the cut simply because they were let down by average technique and execution. To be a great photographer, you really need to be good at everything, from concept to post.
■ Images that rise to the top tend to have strong graphic content and flawless technical execution. Those that show me something I haven’t seen before in quite the same way make an impression.
■ The challenge is to make three portraits of three different people or ideas, and do it in way that reveals your style and vision in all three.
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■ Portraiture isn't about taking a likeness of someone, but creating an image that conveys the subject’s essence, or part of it. This can be achieved by understanding who you are photographing, communication with your sitter while shooting, and even the
Shot by Stephen Milner, Top 25 (Landscape).
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