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Meet the Judges December 2016 January 2016 - part 2 of 1 2

Published 01/12/2015

Tom Lee's passion when it comes to photography is classical portraiture. 'I love the old-school approach of the great Hollywood photographers. That they managed to create some of the world's most iconic images with what could be considered primitive equipment by today's standards is remarkable.' But it was some of the original members of The Societies who really helped Tom in his photographic journey: 'Terry Hansen, Derek Avery, Phil Jones, and many others were the photographers who moulded my early career and taught me classical lighting and posing techniques.'

Judging photographic competitions has been a fixture in Tom's life for nearly 30 years - longer than he has been shooting professionally! 'I became involved with my local amateur camera society and judged the inter-club battles, but I didn't realise the gulf between amateur and professional judging until I became a member of The Societies.' Tom gained his own professional qualifications in 1999 and has been involved with the assessment of qualifications ever since. 'I like the idea that other people find my opinion to be of value to them,' Tom tells me when I ask what he really enjoys about judging. 'I also like to think that I'm giving something back to an industry that has given me so much.'

Many see entering competitions as important personal development and Tom is no exception. 'When photographers remain isolated, or only listen to family and friends who tell them what a great job they're doing, you can become complacent about your own abilities.' Judging can be a great way to keep moving your work forward; 'It's a big world out there, and subjecting your work to critique by your peers is a great way to find your level within the photographic community. The events and advice provided during competitions allows you to see another point of view.'

Tom still enters competitions himself, even after many years of professional practice and feels that judging others helps him improve too. 'One of my peers used to say that there's always a good idea that you can steal! We all get blinkered sometimes and occasionally we just can't see the wood for the trees.' Sometimes inspiration can be found in your fellow judges too - 'It just takes one or more of the other judges to turn the light on, and it can set you off on a whole new way of thinking about something in your own work.'

At the Convention in January, Tom will be giving a Superclass on composite images and a Masterclass about black and white portraits. 'During the Superclass on composite images we'll be working through a series of pre-prepared images to allow delegates to master some common techniques before moving on to more sophisticated processing skills. The main focus of the class will be making the unbelievable, believable!' The Masterclass will be more traditional in many ways, with insights into Tom's techniques for creating stunning black and white portraits. Tom will be using pre-prepared samples but also shooting live during the class too. 'Both of these classes will undoubtedly help those wishing to improve their own imagery. The composite Superclass is intended for photographers with intermediate experiences and a good knowledge of Photoshop, but the portraiture class is for everyone!'

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1st Published 01/12/2015
last update 09/12/2022 14:56:39

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