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Competitions
INTERVIEW
the judges are seeing thousands of mainstream images. The biggest weaknesses in entries are a lack of compositional knowledge and the inability to use the countless possibilities that modern digital cameras are providing. “By the way, the judges are drawn internationally to re lect the international nature of the contest – for example, we need Chinese and Arab judges to understand their styles of photography. “We are seeing a strong ‘back to roots’ shift in entries. After years of experimental digital compositions there is a shift to more natural and recognisable images, especially landscapes and nature. There is slightly less use of Photoshop and entries are more like they were when taken in the irst place. Of course, hours of editing and inishing still takes place to get the picture into perfect shape, but it’s less obvious.” Of course, the biggest change over the 20 or so years of the TSC is digital. Previously, entries, as with any salon or exhibition, were slides and prints. Slide entries are long gone and replaced with digital projection, but what’s happening with prints, we asked Chris. “Prints are still popular,” he says, “but the TSC (like most salons) uses upload systems and I think this will eventually kill prints as it has slides. In a few years no one will bother with the hassle of enlarging prints and the hell of a lot of money that it costs to send them to a contest. Now there is the chance to enter without the extra expense (apart from the entry fee) and from your home PC or tablet. This also means that it’s our task if we want to make prints from digital entries for an exhibition.” As for the future, where do you go when you are already the world’s biggest photographic contest? Chris is quite clear what he wants: “Growth.”
All youhave to do iswake up the judging jurywith something surprising and di erent. Remember, the judges are seeing thousands of mainstream images
MAIN Early in the morning. Raymond Homan, Iceland. LEFT On the way. Chen Jianqiang, China.
ABOVE The Hero. Christophe Kiciak, France.
ALL IMAGES A selection of accepted entries from last year’s TSC contest.
Photography News | Issue 1
www.photography-news.co.uk
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