Beginner What judges look for in a contest

[Mo.Hassan]

Hi All, finally I decided to put more effort to improve my photography skills and participate in a zoo contest abroad. I have a lot of shots but I seem to have chosen portrait shots. I had a lot of troubles trying to shoot animals over fences, sometimes through glass which I cleaned with a window cleaner just to demonstrate the effort I went to. Sharp images and photo authenticity are the conditions set by the judges. Unfortunately I did not have my 200-500 mm zoom so I had to improvise with my 105mm macro lens. 6 shots, 3 b&w and 3 colours to submit.
The photos do not show the environment in which the animals live in, mostly are portraits and close ups. Those photos that show the environment e.g. fences, barriers seem to me to be a bit dull or too busy with too many animals in the shot. Unlike the zoos here, space is restricted.

My question, should I include photos that show the environment in addition to the portraits? In your experience how would you go about it now that I have the photos and cannot revisit the zoo.

 

[Fuji Dave]

Hi All, finally I decided to put more effort to improve my photography skills and participate in a zoo contest abroad. I have a lot of shots but I seem to have chosen portrait shots. I had a lot of troubles trying to shoot animals over fences, sometimes through glass which I cleaned with a window cleaner just to demonstrate the effort I went to. Sharp images and photo authenticity are the conditions set by the judges. Unfortunately I did not have my 200-500 mm zoom so I had to improvise with my 105mm macro lens. 6 shots, 3 b&w and 3 colours to submit.
The photos do not show the environment in which the animals live in, mostly are portraits and close ups. Those photos that show the environment e.g. fences, barriers seem to me to be a bit dull or too busy with too many animals in the shot. Unlike the zoos here, space is restricted.

My question, should I include photos that show the environment in addition to the portraits? In your experience how would you go about it now that I have the photos and cannot revisit the zoo.

I think @Cobra is better than me to answer this, but I`d say both. Portrait and one showing in it`s environment.

 

[Cobra]

I think @Cobra is better than me to answer this

Thanks for the mention Dave.
Unfortunately I have no idea as I've never entered or judged a photographic competition in my life.
What "I like" is probably worlds apart from what a judge would.
Square for a head shot
landscape for a running / standing / sleeping animal
Portrait for a sitting animal.
And I'd never show bars They look messy ...
But that's just me.

 

[AgentOrange76]

my limited camera club competition experience suggests that judges want the animal doing something rather than frozen in a plain pose. Eating, landing, taking off, pulling a "face". Environment needs to be part of the story and add to the overall image not just "zoomed" out. Animal should fill 2/3 to 3/4 of the frame
hope thats of some help

 

[Dave Canon]

Assuming that you are wishing to impress the judges, you need to understand the competition rules, styles, previous entries etc. I enter competitions in clubs nationally and internationally but these have patrons such as FIAP, PSA, GPU, BPE and PAGB. All of these patrons lay down rules and one can gain experience by entering or even just visiting such exhibitions. These are judged by amateur photographers approved by the patrons. If entering the Nature section of a competition most will now allow images taken in zoos or other captivity but no human element should be present; these will not be eligible for wildlife awards. I do not enter commercial competitions myself as they may have a hidden commercial agenda.

If the competition entered was of the type I described above then the current trend is exactly as AgentOrange76 describes above. A bird sitting on a twig used to be popular but no longer considered good enough. However, if your competition was organised by a Zoo possible in order to gain some photos to use as publicity, the images which make to zoo look attractive (e.g. sell tickets) would be best.

Dave

 

[Mo.Hassan]

Assuming that you are wishing to impress the judges, you need to understand the competition rules, styles, previous entries etc. I enter competitions in clubs nationally and internationally but these have patrons such as FIAP, PSA, GPU, BPE and PAGB. All of these patrons lay down rules and one can gain experience by entering or even just visiting such exhibitions. These are judged by amateur photographers approved by the patrons. If entering the Nature section of a competition most will now allow images taken in zoos or other captivity but no human element should be present; these will not be eligible for wildlife awards. I do not enter commercial competitions myself as they may have a hidden commercial agenda.

If the competition entered was of the type I described above then the current trend is exactly as AgentOrange76 describes above. A bird sitting on a twig used to be popular but no longer considered good enough. However, if your competition was organised by a Zoo possible in order to gain some photos to use as publicity, the images which make to zoo look attractive (e.g. sell tickets) would be best.

Dave

Thanks to all replies. @Dave Canon I believe the competition is organised by the zoo. The zoo was created and it is run by a governmental body. I looked at the profiles of the judges, I did not see any striking portfolios at all which led me to conclude that this is more about promoting the zoo and not photography as such. I will add 1 or 2 B&W action photos as was suggested above.

 

[gerry s]

Judges don’t need to have striking portfolios, they don’t even have to be photographers. They have to know the competition rules and judge the best in their opinion that satisfy that criteria. If it’s run by the zoo then of course that is what they are trying to promote as somewhere worth visiting. You have to enter what you feel are your best shots and just learn from the experience.

 

[Mo.Hassan]

Judges don’t need to have striking portfolios, they don’t even have to be photographers. They have to know the competition rules and judge the best in their opinion that satisfy that criteria. If it’s run by the zoo then of course that is what they are trying to promote as somewhere worth visiting. You have to enter what you feel are your best shots and just learn from the experience.

@gerry s thanks for the info, this is my first time entering a photography contest so I am hoping to step up a gear. I guess it is like football referees, they know how to interpret the rules but not necessarily skilled in how to play football.