I'm late watching this but 2 years ago all of this would have gone straight over my head, especially focal planes. You have taught me so much, forever thankful you create this content
Thank you so much for this video. It is valuable information coming from someone who has been involved in the judging process. I really appreciate your honesty and directness.
Your work is stunning! I binged your videos and dramatically improved the quality of photos for a doggy on a scooter photoshoot for a movie poster. It was a game changer! Would love to get polished enough to win a competition award one day!
Always good info in your videos and this is no exception. I really appreciate the section on etiquette as that is something I don't think is covered normally.
Thankyou Jess for sharing this. So helpful & much appreciated once again. So much goes into entering competitions and i certainly have started realising this.
Thank you for the helpful tips and advice 👌🏼 I for one, really appreciated the feedback you gave, and immediately could see why I got the marks I did. For me, I feel the tips today & my feedback will contribute in helping me with entering any future competitions - so thank you!
So many good words of wisdom in this one. I used to do contests many years ago and now I'm looking to get into it more seriously this/next year. It's good to remember that you can do poorly in a competition and still have a beautiful image. There's sooo many reasons you may not win but it doesn't necessarily mean you're a "bad photographer".
Really appreciate the feedback I received, and was not expecting to get any feedback! I hope to enter again next year once I am able to upgrade my lens from a very old nifty fifty to something that can get a better quality and sharpness!
Thankyou for this vid Jess, I entered 2 images into the tog awards, neither reached merit but I was very happy with my feedback which said my images were of a standard professional level as they were images from my first dog sessions (the comp closed a couple of days before all the portfolio building shoots I had set up typically), so as a new professional this was a big win in my books to be told by other pros that I'm working at a pro level Very helpful video for someone like me who's aiming to do better next time! I am hoping to be able to do one of your portfolio one to ones at some point for some more in depth critique 🤞🤞
Thank you, for this Jess! 🙏 I really want to enter at least one competition this year and I was struggling with what I needed to do and you have answered so many questions, I really appreciate the time you took to do this. I have missed your videos.
Really appreciate you putting together this video and for the feedback I received on my images in the tog awards. Looking forward to entering again next year with another year of practice and learning under my belt.
Extremely insightful. Thank you for yet another golden nugget of info. I love entering comps for the feeling of doing better than I did last time. Hard lessons learned along the way. Very useful and frank video. Thank you
This was a fantastic watch and resonated very closely, a future question would be how to take a leap into photography if your reliant on another job as your main income? Especially if you have another secour well paid job and a reliant family on your income.
There's no 'one answer fits all' for your question, however, my suggestion would be to first define your niche. Make sure you have the essential gear. Start building a portfolio. Learn as much as you can and practise to improve your skills. Establish an online presence, either a blog or a website or even a Facebook page. Then start with part-time gigs. Make connections in the photography world. As your part-time business starts to grow and you gain confidence in your abilities, start considering the possibility of transitioning from your current job to photography full-time. Set financial milestones, save money for any necessary investments, and create a realistic timeline for making the leap. Most importantly, understand that this will not be an easy journey. Hope this helps 😀
Thank you so so much for this video, haven’t even watched it yet but I’m quite sure it will help me out - same as everything in the Mtog membership. Thank YOU For sharing all the knowledge with us 💙
Such a great video, Jess! We were discussing this topic recently and questioned, what do judges actually looking into, do they look at the actual photo or do they look how the photo is made in photoshop...and now with AI progressing in such high speed and recent controversy at Sony awards, photography may be loosing its essence for a while...You mentioned that judges leave a feedback but there are so many entries. I think it is brilliant although might be subjective in many ways...Do they selectively give a feedback or you can request a feedback even if you did not pass any levels?
It depends on the competition for feedback. Most do not give any feedback because of the time. This year for our awards we gave feedback to every photo. I personally wrote for over 1000 images an individual comment. For AI suspects we would request the raw files and have done this year. We also pull RAWs for category checks and rule adherence. Sadly this too adds lots of time but it is needed!
@@ThatPhotographySpot thank you so much, Jess. The reason I'm asking about feedback is that I didn't get one. So I'm thinking the feedback may only be given to the finalist list? I wasn't the one so I would not know what is wrong and what needs to be worked on. It wasn't photoshopped as others though so I was thinking that was the case.
Thank you for the information! May I ask: does the nose of the dog always need to be also in focus with the eyes? You mentioned that in studio the nose AND eyes should be in focus, but does that also apply to the outdoor images? Also need both eyes to be in focus or is that possible one eye is out of focus but the nearest is in focus? Thank you :-)
I've never really taken part in competitions....thinking about it I have a couple of questions. 1. Do you shoot an image for the competition or do you find competitions that suit images you've already shot? 2. If an image fails in one competition would you enter it in another or does it simply get one chance and that's it?
1. Both but usually the latter. I tend to shoot with all these things in mind now out of habit. 2. Yes, I would try different ones if I think it is worth it. I also learn and adjust based on the feedback too. I see the image in my own way sometimes, and the judges see it in a different way, so there are always improvements that can be made. The image is sometimes hoped to merit, other times to score 90+. If it gets 88 in one competition I will enter it again for the latter somewhere else. Most of my top images retire after around 3 entries but sometimes 5 if i am assessing what does well in different places 🤓
@@ThatPhotographySpot Thanks great feedback....I might give some consideration, and have look at some contests that I don't think are focused on a 'style' I'm mainly a people photographer 'studio based'...and so much of contest stuff I see casually now is heavily processed for a 'painterly look' which is not something I am a fan of...but maybe I'm just not looking wide enough. if there are any lists of contests worth considering out there...I'm sure that would make be a great little video on how to find the right contests to enter etc.
I'm late watching this but 2 years ago all of this would have gone straight over my head, especially focal planes. You have taught me so much, forever thankful you create this content
Thank you so much for this video. It is valuable information coming from someone who has been involved in the judging process. I really appreciate your honesty and directness.
I was glade to share it ☺
Brilliant as usual. Thank you for ALL you do
You are welcome ☺
Brilliant video, really enjoyed it :) 9 years since my first workshop with you, and you are still an inspiration :)
Aww thank you ☺🙏♥
Your work is stunning! I binged your videos and dramatically improved the quality of photos for a doggy on a scooter photoshoot for a movie poster. It was a game changer! Would love to get polished enough to win a competition award one day!
Keep it up 😊
Always good info in your videos and this is no exception. I really appreciate the section on etiquette as that is something I don't think is covered normally.
I felt it was important to include it 😀
Thankyou Jess for sharing this. So helpful & much appreciated once again. So much goes into entering competitions and i certainly have started realising this.
I'm glad my video is helping people understand how much actually goes on during competitions 😀
Thank you for this! So helpful and I 💯 cherish the feedback I was given. I appreciate you and your team for all the hard work you do. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind words ♥
Thank you for the helpful tips and advice 👌🏼 I for one, really appreciated the feedback you gave, and immediately could see why I got the marks I did. For me, I feel the tips today & my feedback will contribute in helping me with entering any future competitions - so thank you!
That is exactly why I give feedback, so you can take it on board and do even better next time ♥
So many good words of wisdom in this one. I used to do contests many years ago and now I'm looking to get into it more seriously this/next year. It's good to remember that you can do poorly in a competition and still have a beautiful image. There's sooo many reasons you may not win but it doesn't necessarily mean you're a "bad photographer".
Well said 😀
Really appreciate the feedback I received, and was not expecting to get any feedback! I hope to enter again next year once I am able to upgrade my lens from a very old nifty fifty to something that can get a better quality and sharpness!
Thankyou for this vid Jess, I entered 2 images into the tog awards, neither reached merit but I was very happy with my feedback which said my images were of a standard professional level as they were images from my first dog sessions (the comp closed a couple of days before all the portfolio building shoots I had set up typically), so as a new professional this was a big win in my books to be told by other pros that I'm working at a pro level
Very helpful video for someone like me who's aiming to do better next time! I am hoping to be able to do one of your portfolio one to ones at some point for some more in depth critique 🤞🤞
Well done! ☺
Thank you, for this Jess! 🙏 I really want to enter at least one competition this year and I was struggling with what I needed to do and you have answered so many questions, I really appreciate the time you took to do this. I have missed your videos.
You're so welcome ☺
Really appreciate you putting together this video and for the feedback I received on my images in the tog awards. Looking forward to entering again next year with another year of practice and learning under my belt.
I'm glad this video has been useful 😊
Extremely insightful. Thank you for yet another golden nugget of info. I love entering comps for the feeling of doing better than I did last time. Hard lessons learned along the way. Very useful and frank video. Thank you
I'm glad it helped ☺
This was a fantastic watch and resonated very closely, a future question would be how to take a leap into photography if your reliant on another job as your main income? Especially if you have another secour well paid job and a reliant family on your income.
There's no 'one answer fits all' for your question, however, my suggestion would be to first define your niche. Make sure you have the essential gear. Start building a portfolio. Learn as much as you can and practise to improve your skills. Establish an online presence, either a blog or a website or even a Facebook page. Then start with part-time gigs. Make connections in the photography world. As your part-time business starts to grow and you gain confidence in your abilities, start considering the possibility of transitioning from your current job to photography full-time. Set financial milestones, save money for any necessary investments, and create a realistic timeline for making the leap.
Most importantly, understand that this will not be an easy journey. Hope this helps 😀
Thanks for this video, very insightful into the world of competition.
You're welcome 😀
Thank you so so much for this video, haven’t even watched it yet but I’m quite sure it will help me out - same as everything in the Mtog membership.
Thank YOU For sharing all the knowledge with us 💙
You're very welcome. Definitely watch it, its full of useful tips 😉☺
Such a great video, Jess! We were discussing this topic recently and questioned, what do judges actually looking into, do they look at the actual photo or do they look how the photo is made in photoshop...and now with AI progressing in such high speed and recent controversy at Sony awards, photography may be loosing its essence for a while...You mentioned that judges leave a feedback but there are so many entries. I think it is brilliant although might be subjective in many ways...Do they selectively give a feedback or you can request a feedback even if you did not pass any levels?
It depends on the competition for feedback. Most do not give any feedback because of the time. This year for our awards we gave feedback to every photo. I personally wrote for over 1000 images an individual comment.
For AI suspects we would request the raw files and have done this year. We also pull RAWs for category checks and rule adherence. Sadly this too adds lots of time but it is needed!
@@ThatPhotographySpot thank you so much, Jess. The reason I'm asking about feedback is that I didn't get one. So I'm thinking the feedback may only be given to the finalist list? I wasn't the one so I would not know what is wrong and what needs to be worked on. It wasn't photoshopped as others though so I was thinking that was the case.
Thank you.
You are very welcome 😀
Thank you for the information! May I ask: does the nose of the dog always need to be also in focus with the eyes?
You mentioned that in studio the nose AND eyes should be in focus, but does that also apply to the outdoor images?
Also need both eyes to be in focus or is that possible one eye is out of focus but the nearest is in focus?
Thank you :-)
Hope you enjoyed the video. For awards both eyes and the nose needs to be in focus 🤓
I've never really taken part in competitions....thinking about it I have a couple of questions.
1. Do you shoot an image for the competition or do you find competitions that suit images you've already shot?
2. If an image fails in one competition would you enter it in another or does it simply get one chance and that's it?
1. Both but usually the latter. I tend to shoot with all these things in mind now out of habit.
2. Yes, I would try different ones if I think it is worth it. I also learn and adjust based on the feedback too. I see the image in my own way sometimes, and the judges see it in a different way, so there are always improvements that can be made. The image is sometimes hoped to merit, other times to score 90+. If it gets 88 in one competition I will enter it again for the latter somewhere else.
Most of my top images retire after around 3 entries but sometimes 5 if i am assessing what does well in different places 🤓
@@ThatPhotographySpot Thanks great feedback....I might give some consideration, and have look at some contests that I don't think are focused on a 'style'
I'm mainly a people photographer 'studio based'...and so much of contest stuff I see casually now is heavily processed for a 'painterly look' which is not something I am a fan of...but maybe I'm just not looking wide enough.
if there are any lists of contests worth considering out there...I'm sure that would make be a great little video on how to find the right contests to enter etc.
entered my images for Swpp award. 5 judges 2 agreed 3 disliked. Close. maybe will enter again. Only because of this video.
Definitely try again next year 😀
Guilty as charged....I left a watermark on my entry, should have checked it but I didnt , doh!
You'll remember for next time ☺
@@ThatPhotographySpot 'everyday is a school day ' as they say, well done to the team for all their hard work in judging the competition.
@gale saunders Thank you so much! ☺
Concise as always. Great vid - thank you.
Thank you for your kind words ☺