Judging the MPA Master Photography Awards 2009, 16th-19th of august 2009.
Location: headquarters MPA in Darlington, England.
Sundaymorning I leave from Amsterdam-Schiphol airport at 9 AM to the Durham Airport.
Arriving at almost the same time, I am picked up to go to the MPA headquarter.
Everything is already prepared to have a good and smooth judging.
A long table with 5 seats and for each seat is a box to put in the score for the judging.
Everybody is coming in within next half hour.
Desi Fontaine is the chairman/women.
After a short catching up about the way how to judge we start.
Really focussed on what we are going to see I remember myself to be openminded, constructive in making comments and scoring according to the system from 69 poits up to 100.
Awareness about visual impact and looking for the controlled craftsmanship of the photography.
It is always a important notice to myself, for I think each picture deserves the same attention from me.
And I expect myself to fight for good scoring whenever a picture deserves the high score.
Also I expect my fellowjudges to make the same fight.
It almost sounds as a old president Bush saying: “Either you are with us, or you are against”.
This kind of war-scene is not very helping of course, with triggers the best in you.
Over 2000 images to go.
Excitement follows by disappointments, but always a group of fanatic judges there to make corrections towards each other aswell.
I know my kind of caracter is of a perfectionist, looking for emotional commitment achieved by real photographic creativity and craftsmanship.
Some images really are beautyfull of its classical ‘simplicity’, some hurt of lack of anything, some touch emotional the hart of my photographic love.
I always think that my judging should not implify my personal kind of photography-love. It is not what I love to see but what the photography show itsself in all the quality.
It takes a lot from my energy to stay focussed.
To know that we can make the best choices to be shown in the awardsdinner-evening.
It is hard working and now the television appears on the judgingdays.
Fantastic. Now people can see what we do.
It would be great if we could judge for a live transmission through internet.
People can even viste a special tv room to be part of next doors judging.
The ultimate learning experience.
I really hope this will be the future.
After some breaks and going towards 6 PM, I am relieved that we finish the first day with really good winning images.
It is wishfull that we should do more about writing about judging, where to look at and how to improve the quality of entries.
Lots of digital mistakes, lots of bad compositions, bad lighting, lack of report are showing aswell.
Never to forget that good photography only excitst because of its bad opposites.
Refreshing new kinds of imaging is rare, but exciting when it shows.
The positiv way of looking is that new names show up and young photographer show the future way.
Unfortunately that was not happening.
Still a lot of good work to look at.
I think photographers are very much ok-involved to be part of the MPA.
The profession only survives by showing a ‘together’ strength.
Customers who can see an organisation, with a huge competition and a qualification system that works, those customers know how to go to a photographer.
There must be a mutual interest.
To be part of this makes me feel proud.
Of course the judging is international, coming from Ireland, Schotland, Wales and Holland.
That shows the strength!
Point not to forget is the ever frustating categories way of judging.
On itself that is ok. But why on earth make things like UK-photographer of the year,
Uk fashion etc against Overseas photographer of the year etc.
It makes Uk look stupid even.
When I won the overal Overseas photographer of the year, I came back in Holland and told that of this international competition I was winning of the rest of the world, while in UK you only could become the UK photoographer.
I felt always this shows arrogance and discrimination of the UK.
Speaking to judges and organisations in England it was always the same answer: ‘we will not winn any competition if we are together with the overseas’
Totally nonsence of course. UK and any other country have the same kind of principles. About 80 % is everridge kind of photography, 18-19 % good and 1-2% outstanding.
That works in every profession the same aswell as in sports.
Colin promised this will be the last year as a seperate-judged categaries.
Same with some categories only for the UK, like the Pets category.
So next year my frustration will be gone.
It is evening, still sunday and time for the perfect dinner in Clowbeckhouse.
Talking and talking, getting late.
About life and more. That is what makes photography also something special. Talking
not just the photography, but the part that lives it aswell.
After a terrible sleep, better to say, no sleep, I get out of my bed at 8 AM.
Breackfast, and of to judge the second day.
After the first days judging the commercial-industrial photography we go into the social-photography like wedding and portraiture.
Another huge amount of images pass.
Scoring 99 poins where someone else scores 69......... Now the big battle begins.
Always talking to the image prevents it to make it personal.
But most I get into the 90’s aswell.
Very pleased that I could manage this image to be a winner.
That is what makes it sometimes interesting. Loads of images are very much scored the same with only 3-5 points differce. But sometimes there is this huge difference in the judging-perception.
Is it a covering up of bad photography, or is it pure quality of outstanding craftsmanship.
The digital time makes it much more difficult.
Opinions and perceptions can be drifting apart in this.
Sometimes the wrong category of the image, sometimes briljant styling and make up, but the photography aswell?
Sometimes the digital imaging is that strong with the graphic design, that even the discussion could be if this is photography.
This makes these called fights very interesting, and the open mind thinking very important.
Willing to listen to others talking about the image can make me move down or up.
There is no one reality, and accepting sometimes I scored too much is also part of getting along with my fellowjudges.
Each of them I respect completely.
I know it sounds like the perfect attitude, but be real, it is also just me writing.
I know I can be difficult, strong opinion, fighting for the image, using all I know to get them all to have the same way of looking into this.
My way of looking can really manipulate people. I know, but hey, I expect them to be the same.
No talking unless it is allowed by the chairman, yes sometimes that could be better.
But we are humans, with passionate feelings about some pictures. That makes it more than just completely silence and boring way of looking like there is no feelings involved.
Way from that we are all involved with our passions.
So I am the same.
In years I changed a lot, became more friendly and easier to go with.
Learning to make a strong point in a convincing way, but more the soft way of dealing with this.
Also to accept what is done is not always what would be my first choice.
After the ‘battle’ leave it as it is.
Shit, no. Not always to be honoust.
Again a full day of judging ends at about 6 PM.
Again a perfect Dinner and again, wine and talking.
I feel exhausted but also very happy.
The times you can talk with only fellowship qualified photographers are not that much.
Not to make a difference, but it is different than doing a workshop, a talk or a photoshoot.
It is like a big playgarden for me. Ultimate happyness yes.
The third and last day of the Awards-judging starts much better.
Had a real good sleep now.
So rested and strong for the last part, which is also the overall winnig images, the judges competition involves.
Fantastic winning images. I almost agreed with all.
I cannot talk too much about that.
Would be wrong. But that is the part only the best images stand up.
To finish with the, since three years, judgescompetition.
We all took an image on 16x20 with us.
Of course I wanted to win and took one of my last images with me.
Something really new.
Always a risk for most of my images that are really new do not win.
I hate that. I think that I am too close to my images to have a real open look.
Making those choices is very difficult.
We are allowed to take 1 image with us.
So wrong choice is clearly over and out.
New images also are too close in time.
After several months I clearly have a final feeling about it.
But to be clear..... I shit did not win.
So now you all know that I am a very bad loser, always try to talk like: as long as I love the image, I do not care what someone else says or thinks.
No way, I do care, and feel shit if I do not win.
But after some time I get real and see also the beauty of the winning images.
And it is true that I can accept different choices than.
So here is my story, I do care and I can feel angry about not getting what I thought would do good.
But I also know that this is way it goes and I cannot change this.
It is shit if some tells you that that highlight in the image took it down, while you deliberatly did this to make the image stronger.
And than a judge is like a God telling that he is wright and you are wrong.
At least that is how it can feel on thet moment.
But that is all in this game of course.
That is what I learned in years to accept.
A bad judged image does not judge the person bad. It is just the image.
Isn’t it the beauty aswell?
Pain is there because of the joy.
The neverending story that the one cannot be there without its opposite.
So that ends the third and last day of the Awards judging.
Going back to ClowbeckHouse.
Going for the third amazing dinner, the third amazing talking.
Going for another good sleep.
My last day is the day of judging the qualifications.
Associatship and fellowship.
The judging for this is in the Clowbeckhouse.
The breackfast-luch-dinner room is cleared to make space for the big stands.
The qualifiers arrive early.
I finish my breackfast really quick.
And than the judging starts.
Going out of the room the preparation of the first entry of 20 images starts.
Always exciting to wait, to read the stories that accomplish the qualification of the photographer.
Not to tell about each of the panels, it was a fantastic day.
Totally new and refreshing photography.
Great associateships that were upgradet several times to fellowship even.
It always makes me emotional to see that someone gets his/hers fellowship.
So amazing to see the work they did, the effort to make things work.
Only very few did not pass.
And that was obvious the once that did not listen to the mentors that tried to help them.
Qualifications is not that easy to judge when it hits the borderlines of a pass or fail.
It is good to have judges to talk with eachother about this during the thumbs up and down. A good panel of judges don’t need so much to make a point.
The rule for me: If a mistake is not taking more attention than the impact of the image, than hell with the mistake.
Sometimes it is a deliberate breath of fresh air to make a kind of a-symphonic image.
If than it even improves the way of ‘centre of interest and storytelling’.
Than it makes an image even briljant.
In qualifications that is so nice to do, because you can show your control over more than one image.
It makes it more believable.
Choices choices in life. It is always the issue.
Sometimes ok, sometimes not.
It is going towards 3 pm if we are ready.
Time to relax a little, drink a cup of tea, one last cigaret and back to the airport.
Last hugs and kisses.
Thank yous, see yous. Always last looks in the eyes. And of I go.
At the airport I start to realise the days that passed were amazing shit great.
Dreaming this I arrive in Amsterdam, looking into my wifes and oldest daughter
beautyfull faces. Home again.
Henk van Kooten
Ps
My image for the judges competition
