Photographing for a Merit | Greenwich PhotoGrafx – An Expression of Life! | 08886 |

“View the whole scene, with critic judgment scan, And then deny him merit if you can. Where he falls short, ’tis Nature’s fault alone. Where he succeeds, the merit’s all his own.”
~ Charles Churchill

If the judging in the professional Print Competitions were to be so kind, many a aspiring professional Photographer would not be so queasy about the idea of entering their images and work into such competitions.  The thought of well qualified and highly skilled 6 Master Photographers glazing over your work as merely “Acceptable” (god forbid “Unacceptable”), “Average”, or arguing over why its NOT “Deserving of a Merit”, can be quite unsettling.

But aside from the sense of acceptance among peers, and the rights to brag about awards or “Merit” prints, there is tremendous educational and learning potential towards improving one’s quality of work.  The Print Competitions not only offer insightful criticism from judges on one’s own images, but are also an opportunity to see and hear critique of some amazing work of other professionals that can simply leave you in awe!  The images are judged against, and the maker must aspire to, as many of the following 12 elements of a merit image as possible:  (1) Impact  (2) Technical Excellence  (3) Creativity  (4) Style  (5) Composition  (6) Presentation  (7) Color Balance  (8) Center of Interest  (9) Lighting  (10) Subject Matter  (11) Technique  (12) Story Telling.

At Greenwich PhotoGrafx, 2012 was our 2nd year entering our work into the Regional Print Competition hosted by Photo North East (PNE) open to the members of the National and State Level Professional Photographers Association (PPA) members in the Northeast District.  This year, both Nidhi and Ajay entered 4 images each for the PNE 2012.  A humbling experience to say the least, with 1 Blue Ribbon (Deserving of a Merit) for Ajay, and 5 Red Ribbons (Above Average) and 2 White Ribbons (Average) secured between Nidhi and Ajay.

Here are both Ajay’s and Nidhi’s entries for PNE 2012 with the outcomes for the PNE 2012 (be your own judge, and your comments are most welcome!):

Grain Farm In The Snow – Ajay Kathuria (Blue Ribbon)

The Snatcher – Ajay Kathuria (Red Ribbon)

Clinton Red Mill – Nidhi Kathuria (Red Ribbon)

Pink Rose – Nidhi Kathuria (Red Ribbon)

Hot Wheels – Ajay Kathuria (Red Ribbon)

Sunrise Over Lake Harmony – Nidhi Kathuria (Red Ribbon)

Captivating Gaze – Ajay Kathuria (White Ribbon)

Keeping Track – Nidhi Kathuria (White Ribbon)