Cheers all
While I welcome comments and opinions I have to take the view that the opinions of those determined never to set foot into a club night or who've never been a member don't count as much as those with club experience; so its great to have so many of you from clubs are also commenting
The majority of clubs run competitions, some as many as 1 per month, some just on a quarterly basis, but competitions are at the heart of most clubs. External Judges are there to try to move away from cliques voting for themselves or others perverting the marking for their own ends. Sadly its true that Judges (not me) can become known for what they prefer to see and hence shooting for the Judge is common. I even know of one 'super club' where they all enter national & international salons and they meet to discuss & shoot their entries based on who's doing the judging !!!
As I see it the point of marking is similar to the point of going for a distinction, such as with the Royal Photographic Society, its about challenging yourself to shoot to a theme of sorts and do better than you did last time; hence showing improvement
Competitions are then an easy means of getting you out to shoot something, and sometimes something you'd not normally try either, and the marks you get are obviously a measure of your own success
That success and growth in your work should really be a measure of your own progression regardless of others; so while marks are useful for you of your work, what others get shouldn't matter a damn - but to many it does and hence there are winners
The best part of entering any comp HAS to be the critique you receive from it, and not only crit of your work but others too so you can learn to improve through general principles and tips - this is something I focus on as much as possible
Personally, I'd be more than happy to be invited along to just comment on images and offer helpful pointers where I can without awarding any points or choosing any winners, but that's not what's being asked of me. The 'worst' comps I have judged have been those with so many images there's no time for much commentary at all. Sometimes this is a measure of how big & successful the club is so if 50 people enter there's nothing we can do about that really, with some smaller clubs I have suggested restricting the number of entries to allow for more time per image, and one recently has split their evening into two separate ones which is great
The short answer is that there is no answer that will fit all clubs and all members, but i strongly believe that club membership is a great way to enjoy & improve one's photography while also having a social event too with like-minded souls; after all, photography is largely a solitary hobby so its good to meet up with others - even TP members (sometimes)
Dave