NZPhotographer Issue 12, October 2018

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN WE ASKED YOU
TO BE A JUDGE FOR OUR WE ARE ONE
COMPETITION?
I was flattered but also instantly nervous because not
only are these photos being submitted by amateurs
and other professional photographers, but as a
photographer starting out, I entered plenty of contests
that I didn’t win and I know it can be hard on one
emotionally and I don’t like hurting other people’s
feelings. So I felt that I needed to do the hard work of
really examining every single photo not just from an
emotional view of how the shot made me feel, but
also really examining the technical aspects of it.
WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING FOR WHEN GOING
THROUGH THE ENTRIES AND HOW DID YOU
WHITTLE IT DOWN TO JUST 1 WINNER?
Well, I’m judging the documentary category so what
I want to find or see is a story in a single image. And
that’s what I look for first: what images hit me with
a story that unfolds in my mind. Images that are too
abstract aren’t really documentary. Images that are
too general or non specific aren’t really documentary
either. And then there are those that jump out of the
frame at you as your mind races, imagining the story
behind the people, behind the shot.
I went through each photo and noted whether or
not it grabbed me emotionally or intellectually. Did it
engage me and make me curious about what was
happening? Did it trigger an emotion that pulled
me into the event? As a documentarian, your job
is to bring the viewer into the story so that they can
live it vicariously through your work. So I scored each
photo first on what I consider truly important about
a documentary photo: Capturing a story in a single
image that makes me want to know more.
Next pass I went through all photos again checking
them for framing, focal length and composition. Next
pass I went through checking them for exposure, color
balance, contrast and general retouching approach.
And then finally I put all my top picks on one huge
screen and looked for the one that I instantly
gravitated to.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
Thanks to all the photographers who put their heart
into their work and submitted a photo. There were lots
of really great submissions and I really wish everyone
good luck and great success. Remember that a
career as a creative is a marathon and not a sprint,
so just keep going, taking photos and sharing them.
You’ll get there.
October 2018
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