Judging Guidelines for The VCCC
The objective of our monthly critique is to create a learning experience for our members. We encourage our judges to point out positive and negative aspects of our work, offering suggestions for improvement. Please feel free to engage in instructional conversation with our club members. We will indicate to you at the beginning of the meeting the total number of images to be critiqued so that you may manage your time appropriately.
Where and When
Meetings start at 7:00 pm and take place in the Santa Paula Room of the Poinsettia Pavilion located at 3451 Foothill Road, Ventura California. We begin with a short amount of business announcements and run approximately 2-1/2 hours. This allows about 2 hours for critique. You may find the following two documents useful:
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by email at info@venturacountycameraclub.com
Image Categories
Images are presented in 6 categories. Our members are provided the following Image Entry Guidelines which offer a fuller description of each category.
- Digitally Projected Images:
- Assigned category: The topic varies each month and will be announced. Traditional post processing only (see below).
- Open: Open for any subject category. Traditional Processing is permitted (see below).
- Digital Art: Open for all artistic expression originating from one or more photographic processes or images. (see below)
- Print Images:
- B&W or Monochrome: B&W, monochrome, or subtle duo-toned images are permitted. Traditional Processing is permitted (see below).
- Color: Traditional Processing permitted (see below).
- Digital Art: Open for all artistic expression originating from one or more photographic processes or images (see below).
Note: There is no assigned category in the print categories
The Process
- Depending on the time of year, we will present either the prints or the projected images first.
- For prints, each image is brought forward onto a central easel and the title will be read.
- For digitally projected images, we first present a slide-show of all the images in the category in order that you might gauge the overall quality of the set of images. We will then display each image and read its title.
- After each critique, please indicate Merit or Next in order to indicate that your critique is through.
Merit Awards
We use a simple Merit/No Merit system. Images of exception quality should be awarded a verbal Merit by the judge and allow acknowledgment of the photographer. These images will also be entered into our end of year competition. If no Merit is awarded, the judge should verbally indicate that they are through with the critique by saying Next. After evaluation, the judge may open a dialog with the maker in order to extend the learning experience.
A "Merit" image should be of exceptional quality suitable for presentation at a county fair or in an open amateur photo competition. While we have no specific rules for the critique, we encourage the judge to evaluate each image using the PPA's "12 Elements of a Merit Print" (http://www.ppa.com/competitions/international/12elements.php)
Impact, Creativity, Technical Excellence, Composition, Lighting, Style, Presentation, Center of Interest, Subject Matter, Color Balance, Technique, and Story Telling
The only qualification for a merit image is exceptional image quality, we have no specific number as to how many merits are allowed.
Processing Guidelines
Traditional darkroom or digital techniques may be used but should not have the appearance of altered reality. Techniques include exposure, contrast, and white balance adjustments, cropping, conversion to monochrome, and cloning out or cleaning up image features. HDR and other multiple exposure techniques are allowed. Original photographic artwork or computer graphics created by the entrant may be incorporated to the extent that the photographic content predominates. Multiple image mosaics (diptych, triptych, or polytych) are acceptable.