Author: Admin PolyPhoto

For the longest time, Poly has allowed each member to enter three images in open competition each month. That policy worked fine when the club was smaller, but now that we’ve grown – 88 members at last count – we need to consider changing that number to two.

Here’s why this would this be an improvement:

1. Most members enjoy receiving feedback on their images from our judges. With 100 to 120 images entered in a typical open competition, we’re getting shortchanged because the judge has to speed through the images to finish on time, so critiques are kept to a minute or less per image. With only two entries per member, the judge could spend more time on each entry.
2. Judges and members become fatigued after a couple of hours of looking at photos, no matter how good they are. While members can leave when they want, the judge can’t. If the judge gets tired – and a few judges have mentioned this issue to me – images shown near the end of the competition may not receive the judge’s full attention which, again, results in an unsatisfactory critique. Fewer images means better critiques.
3. Because we need to vacate the PAB by noon so that it can be opened to the public, the judging needs to be finished by about 11:30 at the latest. This gives us time for our break and for the final viewing of the accepted and winning images. If we had fewer entries, we could finish judging before 11:30.Then, we’d have time to discuss some of the images during the review so that we can learn from each other as well as from the judge.

It comes down to a matter of quantity versus quality. Do we want to show a lot of images quickly or show fewer images so that we can consider each one more carefully? For members who want to share more images, Poly has a Flickr group and there are other options we can consider for critiquing each others’ images online.

There will be a formal rule-change proposal presented this month to be voted on at the October meeting. So, start thinking about how you will vote.

(by Jim Mildice in “Poly Speaks”)

This year, the Poly members who competed in the “Exhibition of Photography” did very well.

First of all, Kim Signoret-Paar, was first in the “B&W Architecture or Cityscapes” class, and that image was selected as Best in Show. She also had a second and a fourth in “Color Scenic – Spring” and in “Cell Phone Photography.”

If you will allow a baseball metaphor, Michele McCain “hit for the cycle” this year. She won a first, second, third, and fourth in “Our Best Friend, Color Scenic – Fall, Color Architecture or Cityscape, and Color Scenic –Summer,” respectively.

Beverly Brock won a first place award in the “At the Fair” class; and also picked up two Honorable Mention ribbons. Jim Collier has a fourth place in “Color Nature – Flowers,” and two Honorable Mentions. Darlene Elwin was first in “Color Nature– Other Plants and Trees.”

Joan Harris got three third place awards in “Color Nature –Flowers, Macro, and Fair Theme,” and an Honorable Mention. Alan Haynes got a second and a fourth in “Color Scenic – Winter” and “B&W Scenic –Landscapes and Waterscapes,”and two Honorable Mentions. Diane Marinos has a first place in “Color– People,” and four Honorable Mentions.

A total of 19 Honorable Mentions were gathered by: (in alphabetical order)
Mary Anderson
Marietta Baginsky
Beverly Brock
Jim Collier
Jan Handman
Joan Harris
Alan Haynes
Diane Marinos
Dorothy Mildice
Rick Wiley

Yesterday (Saturday, April 19th), Rick Wiley and Steff Strachan led a successful workshop at the PAB for Poly members.

The subject was tabletop photography and included setups for photographing objects under black light, bubble-encased flowers immersed in seltzer, glassware and a few others.

I didn’t count them, but I’d say there were around 15 Poly members in attendance and having fun trying new techniques. I’ve included a few photos.