The Port Adelaide Camera Club has changed its judging procedure. They no longer provide judges with a preview of images. I wasn't alone in being unhappy about that. Conventional judging attempts to create a spread of scores centred around seven out of ten points, ranging from a minimum of five for a very small proportion of images to a maximum of ten for those considered the best in the set.
Recently, I was invited to judge at the club. In the first session, I judged conventionally. During the tea break, I raised the matter with the president. She explained that the 'no previews' rule was the result of members' preference for their images to be commented upon and judged individually without reference to others in the set. Unconventional, but now I understand the reason for the 'no previews' rule.
In the second session, I judged following this requirement. Judged may not be the best word, as the process is more akin to a critique of each image, in which strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement are discussed. A number between one and ten is provided to summarise the quality of the image. There is no need for a spread of scores between images in the set.
I left the meeting feeling good about having come to understand the club's approach, but also thinking that it provided members with what they were looking for - commentary and advice.
I suspect that many judges would remain unhappy with the Port Adelaide club's approach, but I believe that the overall quality of images presented at club competitions is high; therefore, why not acknowledge that and refrain from attempting to create an artificial spread by splitting hairs between scores of seven and eight, eight and nine?
The system of forced ranking may suit those of us who are competitive, but I suspect the majority's interest is in learning and improving their image-making skills. Constructive feedback and encouragement are fundamental to this.
Port Adelaide Photography Club is attempting to address this need.