Another Lake County Fair has come and gone. This was the second time in seven years that I haven’t won anything, but that’s okay. I was up against stiff competition, and many of my competitors spend hours using post-processing software. I don’t have that kind of time. I usually spend 15-30 minutes to bring out the highlights and eliminate the worst flaws, but I prefer my photos to look natural.
Of course I like to win, but that’s not the
primary reason I enter. I enjoy sorting through my photos looking for decent pictures
that fit the categories, and although I may not think a photo will win, I’m
happy to enter anything that doesn’t embarrass me. In other words, if I like
it, that’s good enough.
Photography is art, not science, and judging
it is subjective. It’s good to understand the traditional wisdom because there are
many times when following technical “rules” improve a picture. But not always. It’s
all in how the photographer sees his or her subject. Since the photographer is the
only person who knows what he or she is trying to say with a particular photo, ultimately
the artist is the only judge who matters.
And I’m fine with that.
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