Just another pretty face?
Interestingly, just near the start of SoFoBoMo, there is a contest called Photography Book Now. Thanks to Chantal Stone for mentioning it on her blog. The gist of the contest is to put together a book and enter it in the contest for a chance to win $25,000 USD. Not a bad take at all! Further, there are a couple of 1st prize takes of about $5,000 each in camera and equipment.
If you’ve been reading this blog for long, you know of my disdain for contests. Perhaps disdain is a bit too strong, more of a preference not to participate. The value of my own work is to be judged by me. Do I fear the judgment of others about my work? Not really; however, sometimes, I must admit, it can temporarily sway me and cause me to move in another direction. Usually, a course correction is done in short order. There is no way to judge a contest objectively. It rests solely on the subjective ‘feelings’ of the judges and their unique life-experiences as to which books/photographs will win.
Regarding the judging criteria:
A panel of judges will be tasked with evaluating the best of the best. Books will be judged in their entirety: the whole, which is more than just a sum of the parts. Additionally, judges will look to excellence in these six categories:
* Cover Design
* Strength of the photography
* Subject matter of the book
* Page layouts
* Editing and sequencing
* Emotional impact of the overall book
I would argue that, perhaps, the cover design and page layouts might be able to be judged somewhat objectively; however, the strength of photography, subject matter, and emotional impact … well, probably not. What I consider a strong photograph may be rather weak to you. A book with emotional impact for you, might be a real yawn-fest for me. It depends on our background and experiences.
Each of us who is participating in SoFoBoMo is doing it for a personal reason, not for the accolades received by our peers or perhaps a big whopping $25,000 check. We each have our own reasons. I wonder, though, if we were to take our SoFoBoMo book idea and consider submitting to ‘Photography Book Now’, how much would the content and layout of that personal work change? We know that the current trend is for hyper-saturated, flashy, wow-the-senses-photography. So, would you change your book to have a chance to win the money? Does that diminish your artistic integrity?
They say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Value is in the same category. Your idea, 30 days of walking with your dog, the last 30 days before your husband goes back to Iraq, 30 days of shadows around the house, or 30 days of moving, to name are few, are all very valuable, yet, if entered in the contest, may not have emotional impact, or value, for anyone but you.
We have this insane desire to slice, dice, separate, rank, and judge everything around us. As part of my life’s journey, I am doing my best to take what comes to me and simply appreciate it for what it is without judging it to be better than, the best, first, last, good, or bad.
I am so happy to be participating in SoFoBoMo because it’s not like that, at least for me. It’s about putting your personal vision out there without the fear of what others might think about it, or how they may judge it. It’s about getting it done. It’s about silencing the inner critic for a month. That is its value to me.
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6 Responses to “Artistic Integrity?”
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I was thinking of participating in that, but I’m so swamped with work/projects it’s just not going to happen. I guess that’s actually a good thing though, or at least a mixed blessing since the “work” part I’ve discovered is a bit stifling at times because the vision of the client is not always that of the photographer especially if the client is also an artist. It’s fun and very interesting to do but we have struggled to achieve the required results. We are either going to be best friends at the end of this project or bitter enemies! Actually we get along very well which has made the work a pleasure, exhausting, but a pleasure.
I wanted to do the book because I saw it as a wonderful learning experience and it would be purely an outlet for my vision. Now I just have to do it when I have more time.
I look forward to following your progress though.
Paul, interesting topic. In contests such as this, I just think we have to be clear that this is a matter of the judges choosing their favorites. Different judges—different results. I am a major proponent of healthy competition, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Not being someone’s favorite is never a fun thing.
Anita, I too, like competition in some things, like sports. However, in other things, like art, where the outcome is based on ‘fancy’, I’d rather not. I guess, for me, competition can be waged where an objective outcome can be determined. Other than that, I just like to enjoy the show.
I always get a laugh from the Academy Awards choosing “best” of all the categories, when they really mean “most popular among the voters”. In terms of my photography, I certainly have focused my energies in directions other than contests, because I know I am suspectible to blowing “rejection” out of proportion. If I get rejection from a client that is specific and I can address the issues, but the contest world doesn’t appeal to me. Most of us love the clarity of sports competition and in a creative endeavor–it ain’t gonna happen. Still, some folks obviously get a big charge out of it. Different taste.
Ah, you showcased the colors of early spring today! What a joy after such a long winter this year.
Can’t wait to see your book!
I look at things similarly. I don’t, however, ever expect photography or any other form of art to be judged objectively. I never expect it and I wouldn’t want anyone to expect me to be objective about art either.
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
I can’t remember to whom that quote is attributed, but I like it. When we (photographers in general) put our work out for judgement, we tend to worry too much about what a judge will think and how they won’t see our idea. I think photographers tend to compete in an effort to gain validation for their efforts, and yes, I think those photographers do tend to shoot towards the judge rather than shooting for themselves.
I went through my own phases of the desire for competition, and I did learn a lot from it. The most important lesson was simply that art is a very subjective issue. I don’t compete often anymore, and my desire for the ‘attaboys’ has subsided. I enjoy this because I can now shoot what I want to shoot and be very happy with it. I shoot with my own goals in mind and I’m perfectly capable of knowing whether the goals are met or not. I don’t need external validation. *IF* external validation shows its face somewhere, that’s just a bonus.