| Judge's Contest Impressions |
~ There were many strong entries in the amateur division, especially in the Head Study and Horses and Humans Classes. There were photos that should have made the top ten that I just couldn’t include. Many of the top placed photos would give the pros a run for their money! It was really tough to decide in many instances.
There were some comments that I made on many of the photos. They were mainly: Watch how you compose, frame and crop your image. This makes a huge impact on your final product, a little judicious cropping will make a huge difference. Learn to shoot loosely so you can crop later. Get down on the horse’s level if you need to and don’t be afraid to move around and try different angles. Remember to shoot vertical too! Watch your horizon lines. There were many photos entered that were tilted. Do a little work in post production to increase the quality of your image. Most digital images need some work. Mostly curves/levels/contrast/color balance and then don’t forget to sharpen. Learn to see the light and shoot when you have great light! Many good images had harsh or flat light, the use of light can make or break an image. Finally, enter your photos in the right class. There were detail shots in the Head Study class, some entries in the Performance class of horses that weren’t actually performing.
~ Judging the professional division of this contest was very difficult. I enjoyed getting a close-up look at the volume of great talent and creativity in our industry. Picking the top 10 in each category was a big challenge. There were photos in each category that I had only positive comments for, but that didn't make the top 10 rankings because they just didn't strike me as strongly as others. On a personal level, judging the work of others made me look again at my own work and think of how I might have judged my photographs. This was definitely a humbling experience!
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