15 minute read
Seizing Opportunities LBIPP Iain Waterston steps up to a new challenge on the world stage at COP26 this October
DR PAUL WILKINSON
Introduction
Whenever you enter an image into a print competition, you hope for two things: that your entries are judged fairly and, of course, that the judges aptly reward your undeniable creativity.
Let’s be fair: everyone wants to win and thinks their images are strong enough to do so. Otherwise, why would you enter?
Having spent days selecting your entries, finishing any retouching and getting them printed, you send them off and keep your fingers crossed.
If you’re lucky enough to win, everything is fine and dandy; you crack open the Champagne and hit social media with how humble you are to receive an award from such eminent judges.
Yet, if you don’t happen to win (and let’s face it, the judges can only award a handful of the thousands of entries), well, then it’s a mix of disappointment and confusion about how the judges overlooked the qualities that you saw. The judges didn’t know what they were doing!
So, fresh from the BIPP National Awards just a month ago, I thought I’d describe the process of judging, what we look for in judges and how we work tirelessly to ensure that each image gets the attention (and the score) that it merits, even if you disagree with the outcome!
Who Are The Judges?
Great judges are collectors and hoarders. They are the magpies of the photography world, collecting ideas and absorbing influences, burying them away for future reference. They are constantly on the lookout for inspiration. And they have to be. One minute they’re evaluating a wedding image, the next it’s the macro image of a spider’s eye after that, the avant-garde. Judging requires every influence and experience to arrive at a fair score. Although most judges have an area for which they may be well known, all genres will fascinate and excite them. If you’ve ever listened to a judge’s conversation after a judging session, you’ll hear the excitement and enjoyment of the entries, irrespective of the style of being judged. In my opinion, judges have many qualities. They are experienced and well qualified (otherwise, you wouldn’t respect the panel’s decisions), but they are kind, curious, enthusiastic, respectful and dedicated. They are also good listeners as well as able to articulate their own views. But, just as importantly, they are willing to learn and develop based on the experience of the other judges on the panel. Becoming a judge takes time and experience, but it is still essential to have fresh eyes and new talent in the mix too. Typically a panel will have at least one newer judge (a judge in training) sitting in to gain experience and help make sure that the competition stays relevant.
The Judging Panel
The panel of judges consists of seven judges and a chairperson. Five judges will be on the panel at any one time evaluating images. But that doesn’t mean that the other two can head off for a cheeky beer or to watch daytime TV, far from it. There must always be ‘spare’ judges who can step in at any point. More of that later. On the other hand, the chairperson’s role is to oversee the whole process, ensure that every image is judged fairly, and record the final scores accurately. It is the chairperson who will resolve any issues or discrepancies. And it is the chairperson that ultimately is responsible for adhering to the rules and guidelines of the BIPP. DR PAUL WILKINSON
What Are The Judges Looking For?
I’ve written about the judging criteria in a previous article, but as a quick recap, these are the current BIPP criteria:
1. Content of Image 2. Creativity 3. Subject Matter 4. Interpretation 5. Composition 6. Centre of Interest 7. Perspective 8. Direction 9. Use of / Control of Light 10. Style 11. Expression / Narrative 12. Print Quality 13. Tonal Range 14. Graphic Stability 15. Design 16. Texture 17. Workmanship 18. Technique 19. Freshness / Unique Appeal
While judging, these are the criteria that every judge uses to assess the image and then articulate their views if required.
The Process
At the beginning of each category, the chairperson picks five of the seven judges to form the panel.
The five judges sit in a row facing the print viewing area, and the print handlers bring each image for judging.
Each judge has the judging criteria in front of them and the scores required for each prize category - Gold, Silver or Bronze. They also have a scoring method - these days a tablet or smartphone to enter scores into the system.
The lighting of the print is set to be consistent, such that the image can be seen clearly from each judging seat without any glare! It is also calibrated for brightness.
Judging is undertaken in absolute silence. Just imagine that; five photographers in a room, getting excited about images but not making a sound. Not a harrumph. Not a sigh. No breathy whistle between the teeth or quietly muttering. No eye contact, no enthusiastic hand waving or leaping out of the seats.
Nothing.
Absolute silence.
Weird huh? You only have to hear the hubbub and chatter as the judges start a day; everyone is excited about what we might be about to see. Everyone has stories to tell and notes to compare from previous sessions.
Then it goes silent. Just the shuffling of the reference sheets and the usual requests of “chuck us a chocolate before we start!”
And why do we inflict such muffled torture on the panel? Simple: because it is all too easy to influence another judge (or, conversely, be influenced by another judge). Every judge must arrive at their score freely and independently based on their own experience and views.
Once the judges are settled, each print is brought in and displayed in the viewing area. The judges take whatever time they require, and each judge can step forward to examine the image in detail.
Each judge then commits their score to the system.
That is the most nerve-wracking part of the process, if I’m honest. A million considerations are racing through your head with your fingers hovering above the keypad. But enter the score you must. And then you wait.
The system calculates the overall score, and the chairperson declares it to the room. A round of applause will often erupt if the image has achieved a high score; even without an audience, the panel of judges (and anyone else in the room) will still celebrate a great picture!
Challenges
But the overall score may not be quite the end of the story. After the chairperson reveals the score, there is an opportunity for a challenge. A challenge is where a judge feels the image hasn’t received a fair score or where the scoring system itself suggests a judge might be out of step with the rest of the panel.
DR PAUL WILKINSON
It is an opportunity for the judges to break the silence and discuss the image to ensure it deserves the score.
There are two primary challenges: • A judge challenges to raise or lower the final score • The system invokes an automatic challenge
A Judge Challenges To Raise Or Lower The Score
If one of the judges feels that the print is under or overscored, they raise a challenge. The judge invoking the challenge may or may not know if they gave the image the highest (or lowest) score. However, they WILL know the final average score the image received and will get a sense of what the other judges feel.
They invoke a challenge simply by raising their hand and letting the chairperson know they’d like to challenge the score.
That is the simple part.
Now, they must convince the other four judges to reconsider their scores.
The challenger will state their score and then persuade the other judges why they feel the image has been scored incorrectly.
Each judge, in turn, has the opportunity to respond. They start by stating the score they gave, and then they can either agree with the challenger or provide a counter-argument for not changing their score.
When judges address the image, they should critique what they see without prejudice or speaking about things they like (or don’t like) in an image. They should also show respect and encouragement to the author. Finally, they should allude to the list of judging criteria and use them as the framework to consider the print.
After each judge has stated their case, the chairperson returns to the original challenger for their rebuttal (a complicated word for saying they get to have the last word!) They will make any concluding points and either counter any of the arguments they heard from the other judges or maybe concede in agreement. The chairperson clears the scores, and the judges resubmit their decisions. That is, every judge EXCEPT the challenger who cannot adjust their score; they must resubmit the same points again.
This may sound counter-intuitive, but the rule is there for a reason: to prevent a judge from artificially raising (or lowering) their score to get the outcome they would like. The system recalculates the score, and the chairperson will check that the panel is happy and that no other judge wants to raise a further challenge. Every judge on the panel has the right to challenge each image if they wish.
Automatic Challenge
Usually, this occurs when there is a difference of 10 points or more between a judge and the average score for the image. For instance, if the final score is 78, but one of the judges gave it 88 or more, this would trigger an automatic challenge. The process is the same, except there is no opportunity for a rebuttal. Instead, each judge, in turn, gives their reasoning, and the scores are adjusted. Or not. It is entirely up to each judge to change their score. There is an art to challenges, as every judge will probably have strong opinions. But listening carefully to each other and maybe adjusting your score if another judge points out something you’ve missed helps ensure the print gets the score it deserves. Even though there may not be an audience, each judge will speak as if the author were in the room with them. Respect is at the heart of the process; judges have to be both articulate AND good listeners simultaneously!
DR PAUL WILKINSON
Recusal Process
At any time, a judge may recuse themself from judging a print. This can happen for a couple of reasons.
The first, and most obvious reason, is if a judge feels they are emotionally attached to the image and cannot judge it objectively. Usually, this is because the judge knows the author or their work, maybe as a mentor or simply because they have seen the image on social media so often that it has lost impact.
A second reason may be that a judge feels they don’t have the experience to judge a particular image. This is more unusual but can happen - and it is always essential that a judge states clearly to the chairperson that they are not comfortable judging an image before it is scored.
At this point, one of the two ‘spare’ judges is called upon to evaluate the image and provide a score. Keeping It Fresh
The chairperson is responsible for ensuring the judges stay fresh throughout the day, ensuring regular breaks (and often a supply of sugar!)
At regular intervals, the furthest judge steps out, the remaining four move down and one of the two remaining steps in so that every judge gets an equal opportunity to be on the panel.
The Outcome
At the end of the process, the prints are ranked and classified based on their scores, with the judges given another opportunity to check the results are fair and consistent.
It is important to note that everyone wants the same outcome: each print has the score it deserves, and the author can feel their work has been given a fair and unbiased appraisal.
It goes without saying, of course, had it been a different panel of judges on a different day, the results may well be slightly different - there is no avoiding that uncomfortable truth. However, rest assured, the judges want the results to stand up to scrutiny.
What This Means For You
So there you have it. You send in your prints, and you get back the results. But be in no doubt that a team of judges and coordinators spent many, many hours ensuring that each image receives a fair score.
Every author should (rightly) expect their print to be handled and judged with respect and fairness. The process should be transparent and consistent.
Remember that every judge is a photographer - almost certainly an award-winning one - and is acutely aware of what it feels like to have their work critiqued.
You may, in the end, disagree with the outcome but rest assured the rigour of the process is there to provide consistency and accountability, and you might be surprised just how much goes into making sure that is the case!
TEAM GB
Climbing the Ranks: Team GB
It is true to say that the world has kind of been on hold for the best part of the last two years. Covid 19 has ravaged most countries around the globe, freeze framing our lives with lock downs and travel bans. It is a sign that some level of normality may be returning when we see international events once more being promoted. The 2022 World Photographic Cup awards ceremony will be held in Rome next year so fingers crossed that nothing gets in the way of this truly global event.
The WPC was founded in 2013 as a collaboration between the Federation Of European Photographers (FEP) and the Professional Photographers Of America (PPA). They were quickly joined by the United Asian Professional Photographers (UAPP) and the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP). With 35 countries across 5 continents competing there is no other competition quite like it. There are six subject categories and each country is allowed to enter up to three images in each from three different photographers. A photographer can enter two different categories but can only enter one image per category.
The categories are: Commercial, Illustration (Digital Art), Nature (Landscape/Wildlife), Portrait, Reportage / Photojournalism and Wedding. Unlike many competitions where there can be tens if not hundreds of sub categories, this makes for a very concise approach for the teams. Personally, I would like to see Nature and Landscape made into two categories as I think the sensibility of these disciplines are completely different but for the most part I like the minimalistic approach.
As a member of the team, I was honoured to win the Best Of Nations award in 2019 and as a consequence was appointed team captain by the BIPP board. I take this role very seriously and am attempting to build a world beating
Here is Team GB for 2022:
Richard Bradbury Tim Wallace Martin Strivens Peter Rooney David Taylor Tracey Lund Panikos Hajistilly Jason Banbury Sarah Wilkes James Musslewhite Ross Grieve Saraya Cortaville Amy Shore Chris Chambers Sanjay Jogia Gurvir Johal
Illustration / Image © Richard Bradbury Wedding / Image © Gurvir Johal
TEAM GB
squad over the next few years. Since 2020, I’m pleased to say that we have won more Gold and Silver medals than ever before, particularly in the Wedding and Nature categories. I want to build on these successes and hope to bring back the World Photographic Cup to UK shores within the next five years. The current holders Australia took several years to achieve this with previous winners including Brazil and USA. Other nations with a good record include Canada, Spain and Finland so the standard is extremely high.
I believe that British photography ranks amongst the very best in the world today. We have some of the biggest names in the business and its my job to select the very best of the best, balancing our talents across the six categories. This year’s team certainly does exactly that with the sharply lit precision of Tim Wallace, the patient observation of Tracey Lund, the carefully considered compositions of Sanjay Jogia and the endless imagination of Peter Rooney. One of the most difficult aspects of selecting a team is always the people that are left out. I trawled through hundreds of portfolios and individual entries to find the right photographers for each category so thankyou to everyone who applied. I’ve probably missed out more talent than I’ve included but hopefully we can move another step closer to finally bringing home the most prestigious photographic award in the world today.
The Best of Nation winners will be announced live from Imaging USA in January 2022 and the final overall winner annocuments for WPC will take place on Monday, March 28, 2022 in Rome, Italy. Go Team GB!
See all entries here: www.worldphotographiccup.org
Reportage / Image © Ross Grieve
Nature / Image © David Taylor
Portrait / Image © James Musselwhite Illustration / Image © Martin Strivens
Reportage / Image © Amy Shore
