In last week’s podcast, we talked about some of the things to consider when submitting to a juried show. In this week’s podcast, I wanted to talk a little bit about some of the things to consider when selecting those images for that juried show.
Before we dived in to talk specifically about the type of images, I thought it was worth pointing out that you need to make sure that your processing your images correctly. Specifically, when working with a JPEG, you need to make sure that you don’t have any JPEG artifacts or over sharpening of the picture.
When submitting to a juried show, one of the most important things you can look at is the overall composition of your photograph. I think it is important to make sure that you avoid any distractions in the image and that you can successfully focus on the subject and subject matter. One of the best ways to do this is with a grease pen. Print off a couple of copies of your image, and use the grease pen to mark up what your eye is drawn to and how your eye travels across the image. If you find you have been distracted by something, you know you need to correct that or select a different image.
Once you’ve taken care of the major distraction, it comes down to some basic composition and storytelling elements of the photograph. Focusing on things like compositional framing lines the use of triangles color all make a huge difference in our understanding of the photograph.
When you’re looking at a series of images which are looking for is the strength of all the individual photographs together making a compelling story. Often I believe it when you’re looking at a juried show with multiple images that are being required the best storytelling photographers win. So you may see a picture that doesn’t seem like it’s the strongest image of the competition, but odds are it was one of the strongest storytelling photographers who created that image.
At the end of the day, you need to make sure that you have the best image you can and the best story in an image that you can. You may not always win the competition, but at least you know you’re putting your best foot forward.
Don’t forget to check out my 2017 Workshops including the Perceptive Photographer Workshop focused on the introspection side of photography.