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| Part of overall series (not submitted). Photo: © Stan Banos |
Years past I would sometimes enter competitions hoping maybe (just maybe) I'd get lucky, maybe enough of the other contestants were sick, on vacation, mistook the entry closing date- whatever. And... I... just... might... be able... to sneak... in! Of course, there's no such luck, but as the years passed and turned to decades and I created and amassed more and more work, I was able to learn from my mistakes, hone my photographs into more formidable essays, eliminate the wheat from the chaff and submit a portfolio of photographs each and every one of which could stand on its own two feet.
Well, that kinda took care of the... quality, but not so much... the content. Previously, whenever I summoned the courage to show my portfolio in person (eg- Mardi Gras, Pet Cemeteries, etc) it would follow a fairly predictable routine. The editor, curator, gallerist would smile, rub their chin, and wave fellow office workers to look at the work. Pretty soon you had everyone including the interns gathered round the table discussing the individual photos and then reminiscing about their own personal tales and experiences. After a while the chuckles and tales of present and yore would die down, everyone would return to their posts and I would be left alone with the decider in chief who would (very) curtly thank me for bringing in the work as his demeanor resumed its staunch business solemnity. It was all well and fun, but... photography is a serious business- and who would be even the least bit interested in those kinds of photos!?!?!?
Nevertheless, hope springs eternal, and I was feeling pretty damn good about the strength and cohesiveness of the twenty photos I was submitting to The New York Times Portfolio Review 2018. Surely, after several years of trying they'd finally have one wee slot to fill with some fairly well envisioned humor... Forget fifteen, I ain't greedy- I'll settle for FIVE minutes!
Alas, yet another rejection notice deluxe. Not entirely unexpected at this point, to say the least; but at this point, the kill shot is- hey, this-is-the-best-I-got... will ever get. No, it sure ain't work that'll save the world- and god bless those that do and continue to do that work. SERIOUSLY! But, I also think (and have witnessed how) we could also use a laugh here or there along the way...
Anyway, for your personal perusal, and unabated acclamation and criticism as per the custom it has become here- below are the rejected but unbowed twenty (some seen, some new): relax, enjoy, take a load off...
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| All Photos: © Stan Banos |
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| All Photos: © Stan Banos |
As I've mentioned to you before, I believe most photo contest are a total scam. The ones that aren't are a waste of time as well because of the biased judging. This recent article on your favourite website/blog (haha) PetaPixel showcases just how scammy this whole contest industry is. And yes it is an industry created solely to fleece participants out of their hard earned money.
ReplyDeleteRead this and weep. https://petapixel.com/2018/03/13/photo-contest-judges-raise-alarm-didnt-judge-anything/
I avoid the vast majority of "contests" exactly for that reason, and more (eg- grabbing your copyright as well). The NY Times Portfolio Review is absolutely free of charge and they are performing a valuable service, for those lucky enough to be among the chosen.
ReplyDeleteFor those who can't afford the hundreds and/or thousands involved in photo festivals and reviews, "legitimate" competitions are a much cheaper alternative to have your work seen by those in the field. Of course, one is always subject to the whims and desire of the judges at hand- another thing to always check. I've seen photos of "judges" in their twenties, and then look at their work... Whoa!!! They're gonna judge my work!?!?
Of the bunch you uploaded I would say there are two that are outstanding. A couple more that are interesting and the rest, well ....
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned the hard way was to get other people to edit my work. I couldn't be objective.
Hhmmm... were you one of the judges, Eric?
ReplyDeleteLook, I have no delusions of grandeur, I am clearly neither the creator nor purveyor of "outstanding" fine art photography... well, I have done my best on the latter to promote outstanding photographers' work both on my blog(s) and the late great Expiration Notice. That said, I do think that I am capable of producing work that once in a great while deserves to be seen by a wider audience (than I can provide), via online/print magazines, group shows, etc. I don't think that's too grandiose or unrealistic a goal, or judgement.
I agree with everything you said. My only suggestion was to ask a few friends to help you edit your work. People who don't have an emotional attachment to the images or the project would be best. I've been crushed many times that an image I thought was one of my best was rejected by all who I presented it to. I still like them (the images that is, well I guess the people who didn't like the image as well), but would not try and sell them or include them into a show submission.
ReplyDeleteMy website is a mess and should be severely culled. Many of the images don't really pass muster but I like them and it's my website, so there! However once I get serious about selling images online I will ask some learned friends to help me with the edit. Being an artist I am too close and emotionally attached to many of my images. When I view them I can smell the hotdog stand that might have been just out of frame, or the great conversation I had with the person in the image. Possibly a stunning sunset or a babbling brook is conjured up when viewing a particular image. All these things of course are not present when someone else views the image. They can make a dispassionate judgement, couched of course in their own biases, on my images where I can not. I would ask several people to view my images and get an overall judgement before I either included or excluded a particular image.
Commercial and newspaper photography, which I did, is of course a different story. In those situation I knew what would "sell" as it's more formulaic and for the most part I did not have any emotional attachment to the images.
All the best Stan. Keep pounding on those doors!
I'm pretty stringent when it comes to editing, and it starts at the get-go... in camera cropping only. That said, perhaps someone else's edit of my 60 keepers (thus far) on this subject would have made a difference- I uhhh, seriously doubt that. Granted, it's important we continue to strive and challenge ourselves to improve in all areas of what we do.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually quite content going about taking my photos and enjoying all the great work already out there by others; sometimes though, ya get the itch to let your work LIVE ie- have it seen, the very reason for their existence. And then ya get to an age when ya hear your 15, 10, 5 minutes ticking away, and hope no longer springs eternal...
PS- I'll no doubt end up Blurbing these together, probably the end of this year. The now traditional combination of celebratory completion and... dustbin acquiescence.
ReplyDeleteEven their yearly photo book competition is a venue long lost.