I have made the conscious decision to cut back on my judging commitments with a view to stopping all together. Why you may ask? Over the past 10 years I have had to put up with heckling, incessant talkers, not being introduced, not being thanked and even having to ask for travel expenses rather than being offered. I was even once double booked (the competition secretary's fault), no apology offered or expenses! My philosophy is that I'm there to help others with their photography, to offer advice as to how images can be improved or to approach a subject in a different way. I sometimes would be more than happy just to critique images and not give marks. I reward quality but will always give preference to creativity. I've heard quite a lot of criticism aimed towards judges but has anyone stopped to think it works both ways. There are clubs on the circuit that don't have the same membership numbers or skill set but a judge still has to show the same amount of enthusiasm. I once had only 18 images to judge over a whole evening, there is a limit one can talk about a below average picture. I became a judge as I felt I could redress the balance and would like to think that I have helped people over the years but it is the general attitude towards judges that is turning the tide for me. Rant over.
