Oxshott Heath

Last night my camera club competition did not go well for me. I entered two images from my Vietnam trip and while I knew that all my images were more 'holiday' images rather than competition worthy images I was hoping I would do okay, but the judge was very harsh and not consistent in her marking. Understandably the judge was very lenient towards the beginner's club class and not too strict with the intermediate class, but when she got to the advanced class she said she was going to mark very strictly and she did. Someone scored the lowest mark I have ever witnessed, a score of 6.5 out of 10, and when there was a collective gasp in the room at that score she said 'yes that's correct, its 6.5 - I consider 7 to be the standard mark for a good image'. The norm with other judges is to award a score of 8 for a good image. 

Needless to say the 6.5 scoring image was for a landscape, and everyone was saying afterwards that there is a general trend against landscapes with judges at the moment. I recently read an article by a photographer who decided to do his MA in Photography at Falmouth University (a popular photography course here in the UK). When he told his tutor that he wanted to do his final thesis in landscape photography he was advised against it as landscapes are no longer popular - he decided to go against his tutor to prove that landscapes can still make compelling and worthy images, and thankfully he succeeded in doing that.

Today was dry but cold. Xena was in a playful mood on her walk and played with some of the dogs she met - other days she just ignores them.

I started making my Vietnam photo book today, I do enjoy making these books and I find the hours just fly past!