As a registered member of The Guild of Photographers I am able to submit images, which are taken within the last two years, into the Image of the Month Competition. The images must be unmarked; no logos, watermarks etc so that judging is based on the image and not the photographer.
Every month there are over a thousand images submitted to be judged by some of the most well respected photographers in the UK.
Each picture is scrutinised thoroughly by the judges, looking at concepts, themes, technical aspects (lighting, composition etc) and post-production work. Details as basic as focus issues to dust spots, generally bad editing or sub-optimal scene settings might be enough to lose or drop down a Bar.
I took the plunge back in November 2016 to enter the December competition and was so pleased to receive my very first Bronze Bar Award! This gave me a boost of confidence, and spurred me on to enter again in February’s competition. I could not have been more proud that all my images were awarded the Bronze Bar!
I thoroughly believe the continuous development I, as a professional photographer pursue, helps to keep me current in the industry and my styles fresh. In so doing it ensures I am giving the best possible service and highest standard of photography I possibly can to my clients ensuring they get the utmost value for their money!
The next IOM I am planning to enter will be in April, keep your fingers crossed for me!
If you would like to see the results of the Silver’s and Golds Bars (only 7 Golds!), here is a link to The Guild Facebook page. It’s amazing to see the outstanding images… But also lovely to see that my mentor achieved 2 of those 7 Golds (well done)!!
THE SCORING PROCESS
Entries are assessed by very experienced Judges in accordance with national competition judging criteria and graded as follows –
– A Platinum Bar .. Images of exceptional or outstanding quality (only awarded to the ultimate of images)
– A Gold Bar .. Images of particular distinction (very rare)
– A Silver Bar .. Images that are very well crafted (difficult to achieve)
– A Bronze Bar .. Images of a strong standard at a national competition level (something to be proud of)
– Classified .. Images of a standard worthy of acknowledgement relevant to the genre entered but which are not deemed award winning at national competition level. In many cases it is possible that with one or two small tweaks these images could have scored even higher, so feedback could be of value.
– Not scored .. Images that do not reach our ‘Classified’ level score will not be given a grade. Often images in this position do evidence competition potential, but require some things to be different for the image to score higher in a national competition. In some cases it can be just one thing that prevents a higher score such as dust spots which are clearly visible or the accidental inclusion of a business watermark. Feedback would be of value in these cases so it is well worth considering it.
Source: The Guild of Photographers
