Photo contests are an interesting thing. Some like them, others don’t. We all like some recognition for our work but not everyone likes the critique from judges. You have to listen to the critique without taking it personal as it isn’t meant that way. It is critique to hopefully help you to understand how an image may be better, that’s all. Sometimes you won’t agree, we are attached to our images after all. You have to take a step back and be objective, maybe that judge knows what he/she is talking about.

A version of the photo below was entered into a contest where it scored mediocre and garnered non favourable critique. I created the composition very deliberately the way I did but I was told the subject was too central in the frame and the foreground was too dark. I was confused as other judges have said if you want to bring attention to the subject, do it with light, darken the foreground to guide the eye to the true subject.. I got to playing and cropped to a new composition, avoiding most of that foreground this time and pushing the subject off-center as suggested.

Comments welcome.