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to the simulation of lighting such that the finished image is very different from the starting original but still looks authentic. What, in your opinion, will be the next big trend in imaging style? Whilst not personally a fan, camera phones have improved immensely and spawned a new style of life observation photography. As the definition of the best camera is ‘the camera that you have with you’, I am sure that we will begin to see images taken with these in situations where normal cameras may not have been carried. What are the biggest weaknesses you see in entries? Distractions which add nothing to the image – and they are so easy to clone out these days. The images that do best are always very simple with nothing surplus to the story. ‘Less is more’ is the message. Do you have any advice for photographers wanting to enter and be successful? Visit other exhibitions and study the types of images, which are gaining acceptances and awards. Attend lectures where successful photographers explain what is important in their images and how they created them. View the gallery of acceptances from our 2013 exhibition, at our exhibition website www.photo2014. net – just click the View Exhibition tab. This will be there until our next (this year’s) exhibition is selected and uploaded. What are your future ambitions for the VECC? To continue to build the exhibition’s reputation as a leading national exhibition, with a quality gallery of acceptances and an admired catalogue. To consider new image categories, which would attract new quality images, not regularly seen in other exhibitions, and of interest to a lower age profile of entrant. Every year we try to support a different charity which relates to photographers. In 2013 we supported PhotoVoice, which works in conjunction with other international charities, teaching underprivileged children photojournalism, to report on their situation and the work the linked charities are doing. Since 1999 PhotoVoice has initiated over 21 projects with more than 1000 beneficiaries. As well as requesting monies they also ask for equipment to build photographic kits and they also organise print auctions of donated photographs to raise funds. Is there anything else you want to add that hasn’t beenmentioned?
We have never had a typical year. The biggest changewas to online entry in 2012. Our entry jumped from3371 in 2011 to 4284 in 2012, a 27% increase in natural history without impacting on the creative sections etc and vice versa. We usually have five or six selectors with three judging at any one time. This also means that they remain fresh and, recalling the great wars, do not suffer the photographic selector’s equivalent of shell shock. This year the selector’s team comprises David Gibbins ARPS, APAGB, AFIAP, BPE3* (Monochrome, Colour andExperimental/Creative); JohnChamberlin FRPS, APAGB, EFIAP, FBPE (Monochrome and Natural History); Leigh Preston FRPS, MPAGB, AFIAP, BPE5* (Monochrome, Colour and Experimental/ Creative); Margaret Salisbury FRPS, EFIAP, FIPF, APAGB (Colour, Natural History and Experimental/ Creative) and Peter Preece Dip AD (Hons) (Natural History). We have five keymembers in the team. SimonWalden wrote and updates our software which receives entries, records the selection day scoring, generates the output for our online acceptance gallery and also the data for our catalogue. David Kelsey, who is a graphic designer by profession, lays out our catalogue. Our tecchie is Martin Turner; he runs the computers on the selection days. Our treasurer, David Vincent manages the finances and also enrolls our sponsors. That just leaves me, as the fifth member, to cover planning, selector booking, PAGB patronage application, medals and their engraving, entry system management, exhibition show DVD mastering, catalogue posting and, in common with all other exhibition chairmen, every other job that nobody else wants to do. Additionally, for the selection days, a band of club members assists. What imaging trends are you noticing currently? A few years ago Venice carnival figures did well in exhibitions, followed by wrinkled Cuban characters, Whitby Goths, 1940s re-enactment events, Japanese macaques in hot pools, Edinburgh Festival Fringe characters, Tough Guy Warrior competitors, the 2012 Olympics and dog racing. Plus there’s been a recent resurgence of motocross and jet bikes – not necessarily all in that precise order. What is interesting is that exhibitions are always looking for new subjects and styles, but these new things are quickly seen as copies, rather than original work. For example, images of masked Venice carnival figures won awards, when first seen, but now, a few years later, they struggle to even gain acceptances, unless they are really outstanding. Landscapes always struggle unless really outstanding too. Usually the selectors can recognise exactly where the tripod was standing and have seen umpteen identical images. Good human-interest images however always do well. In recent years, there have been improvements in the subtlety of image post-processing, extending Howbig is the team involved in administering the exhibition?
AWARD-WINNING IMAGES FROM LAST YEAR’S PHOTO2013 FAR LEFT Blue mood, by John Chamberlin CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE In church by Bob Moore; Dew drenched darter by Jim Tarbox; Arabesque by Ken Barrett; White-tailed eagles surprise attack by Patricia Kearton; The sweeper by John Bulpitt; Lion cub at play by Ian Whiston.
For DPI (Digital Projected Images) entrants, however, the biggest, recent change has been the move to online entry. What do you feel has been your greatest achievement during your tenure as organiser? The exhibition’s growth, now attracting over double the number of entries that it had when I became chairman. Howmany entries do you get typically? We have never had a typical year, as year-on-year from 2003 through to 2012 our entries increased. The biggest change was to online entry for 2012, which was planned along with an increase in the size of the selection team and a move to two days for the selection process. Our entry jumped from 3371 in 2011 to 4284 entries in 2012, a 27% increase. In 2013 we had a fractional reduction; however if we had stayed open one further day we would have matched our 2012 record entry. Howdo you choose your selectors/judges? We choose our selectors using the PAGB handbook and endeavour to build a balanced team who we are confident will score images on their merit, without showing bias to their own particular likes and dislikes. For many years we have also used a team of selectors, rather than just three, with some missing out a category. This means we can have specialists
Photo2014
If you want to enter Photo2014, get your skates on because the closing date is 24 February. There are four categories – Colour, Monochrome, Natural History and Experimental/Creative. Selection takes place the weekend of 8-9 March, with acceptances being notified before the exhibition goes live online on 10 April.
π To find out more go to www.photo2014.net.
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Issue 4 | Photography News
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