Articles
“Photography is not a sport” Henri Cartier Bresson
15/07/2024
It is my belief that the constant emphasis on competition within the camera club system stifles true creative work.
The majority of photographers at some point will have been a club member or perhaps they still belong to a camera club.
If you have been involved within the club structure for a number of years it is possible that eventually you will become disillusioned with most of work that the club system produces, as well as the constant cycle of competitive photography and demands that it places on the traditional club worker.
I recognise that monthly competitions are an integral part of club life, and they will always be vigorously defended by those who insist they are a learning resource for their members. However, you can only learn if a judge is of sufficient quality, who can look beyond just the technical aspects of an image, and is capable of engaging with an image, not just giving praise to the same stereotypical images that appear with such monotonous regularity. It is seeing certain types of image or a particular genre continually given credit is perhaps why club members continually repeat the same generic images month after month. You only have to look at the Salons to see the same predictable reoccurring themes and repetitive images appearing year after year. Which comes back to the quality of the judges and the influence they have on the club photographer throughout the year. There are a few exceptions, but good judges who can provide insight and encouragement are rare and far between, the majority that I have encountered are not very good, obsessing over technicalities instead of trying to engage and understand an image or what the photographer intentions are and what they are trying to communicate.
I find it hard to believe the current club system that is so highly dependant on competition is one that members really want? I’m sure most photographers genuinely want to improve the work they produce but that doesn’t come from listening to false platitudes from a bad or indifferent judge, it comes from seeing an array of different work from across a broad spectrum of photography including work from other artistic mediums.
I often wonder how many photographers there must be working on their own outside of the club structure, producing images for themselves without the pressure or constraint of a competitive deadline.
I discovered in the early 90’s that I was not comfortable within a camera club environment, the question then is what to do when you don’t really fit in to the accepted role of a traditional club photographer but you are producing work that you want to share. Personally I choose the RPS distinction route, it was different and I could work on my own, exploring themes and at the same time feeling that I was challenging myself, rather than producing repetitive images for competitive purposes.
The majority of photographers at some point will have been a club member or perhaps they still belong to a camera club.
If you have been involved within the club structure for a number of years it is possible that eventually you will become disillusioned with most of work that the club system produces, as well as the constant cycle of competitive photography and demands that it places on the traditional club worker.
I recognise that monthly competitions are an integral part of club life, and they will always be vigorously defended by those who insist they are a learning resource for their members. However, you can only learn if a judge is of sufficient quality, who can look beyond just the technical aspects of an image, and is capable of engaging with an image, not just giving praise to the same stereotypical images that appear with such monotonous regularity. It is seeing certain types of image or a particular genre continually given credit is perhaps why club members continually repeat the same generic images month after month. You only have to look at the Salons to see the same predictable reoccurring themes and repetitive images appearing year after year. Which comes back to the quality of the judges and the influence they have on the club photographer throughout the year. There are a few exceptions, but good judges who can provide insight and encouragement are rare and far between, the majority that I have encountered are not very good, obsessing over technicalities instead of trying to engage and understand an image or what the photographer intentions are and what they are trying to communicate.
I find it hard to believe the current club system that is so highly dependant on competition is one that members really want? I’m sure most photographers genuinely want to improve the work they produce but that doesn’t come from listening to false platitudes from a bad or indifferent judge, it comes from seeing an array of different work from across a broad spectrum of photography including work from other artistic mediums.
I often wonder how many photographers there must be working on their own outside of the club structure, producing images for themselves without the pressure or constraint of a competitive deadline.
I discovered in the early 90’s that I was not comfortable within a camera club environment, the question then is what to do when you don’t really fit in to the accepted role of a traditional club photographer but you are producing work that you want to share. Personally I choose the RPS distinction route, it was different and I could work on my own, exploring themes and at the same time feeling that I was challenging myself, rather than producing repetitive images for competitive purposes.