WPPI Print Competition Wedding Details
Oh, the score of an 80. While all I wanted when first entering the WPPI 16x20 International Print Competition was that score of an 80, now an 80 is frustrating. You see, based on the scoring system for this annual print competition, an 80 means that it is merely above average. The official WPPI 16x20 competition rules state that an 80-84 reflects a "good standard of professional skill, creativity and technique". Sounds pretty good, right? Wrong. When I’m choosing the best of the best from my work throughout the year I hope that that best is ABOVE a "good standard of professional skill, creativity and technique!" Now before you prepare your torches and pitchforks and your cries of "Oh judges, how could you?" you have to understand the judging system. There is a panel of judges, live and in person, who see every single physical printed print during the judging process at the WPPI convention in Las Vegas. Each judge has the chance to get up, look at, and study the print. Then each judge enters his or her score into a keypad and the average score is read out loud and assigned to the print as its’ final score. Judges have the opportunity, based on a variety of different elements, to challenge the final print score if they either deem it unworthy (or if there is an automatic challenge, which is another story altogether!). While I do feel that this image is way beyond a "good standard of professional skill, creativity and technique", I understand that I am the image maker and clearly I’m biased! Each time I enter a competition and get a score that is lesser than I feel that the print deserved I’m not angry. I’m just motivated to work harder, shoot stronger, and bring back more compelling images the next year! This image was shot in 2011 and entered into competition in 2012, and I still include it among my favorite images!Filename: 2012-silver-wedding-details-2.jpg. 1/320; f/1.4; ISO 200; 85.0 mm. 