Letter to the editor The Two-Year Rule Dear fellow members of PSNZ, In the last issue of CameraTalk, it was announced that certain exhibitions and competitions would no longer accept entries made more than two years ago. This came as an unwelcome surprise to many of us, and it is our hope that this position might be reversed. I accept that the Council has been elected to govern, and has no constitutional obligation to consult on every issue. This decision, however, is of such magnitude that it might have been wise for the Council to gauge the level of member support before deciding to impose it on the Society at large. The stated rationale for the proposed change was to support the priority of “showcasing current photographic trends”. I utterly reject that priority. While there are many who disagree, I have absolutely no interest in showcasing any kinds of trend. I am a member of PSNZ for the simple pleasure of making and sharing photographic images. While I appreciate any and all advice offered for improving my images, I deeply resent anyone attempting to coerce me into being a follower of trends. There are few days on which I don’t press the shutter at least once. This naturally results in a fairly large catalogue of saved images. I have no illusions of being a prize-winning photographer, but somewhere in my 90,000 or so saved pictures, there are a few that I would not be ashamed to show. I do not accept that they cease to have merit just because two years have elapsed since they were made. Nor do I accept that someone else’s images are intrinsically better merely because they follow the latest trends.
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It would be preferable that the images are judged purely on their photographic merit, rather than on their adherence to current trends or the date on which they were created. I want the judging panel to say whether the image has merit for the arena in which it is being assessed. In my opinion, the two-year image capture rule is a solution in search of a problem. There is no barrier that prevents anyone submitting their latest work or showcasing the latest trends. Nor should there be any rule that says only the most recent and trendy images are worthy. If the selection panel judges the “on-trend” image to be worthy, without having to check the metadata, then it should succeed on its own artistic merits. A substantial number of PSNZ members choose not to use social media and would thus have missed the flurry of objections raised in the society’s Facebook page. I gained the impression that there was a considerable body of opposition to the new rule. Accordingly, I am seeking indications of support (or otherwise) for a recommendation to the council from the next AGM that the decision be reversed. Let me be clear that, while I think the Council reached a bad decision, they have done nothing wrong. I very much regret that the backlash on Facebook was upsetting to council members. They are generally deserving of our support. However, it would be unrealistic to expect the membership to agree with them all the time. We should understand that not even the AGM has the power to make the Council conform to any motion. Nevertheless, while it is Council’s prerogative to make, amend or rescind bylaws it would be unwise go against the wishes of members at an AGM.
