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Scott Johnson - photographer - part 2 of 1 2 3

by Scott Johnson Published 01/08/2016

The big draw for me at the Convention that year (and still is), was the 20x16 print competition. For me, it is the best way to learn about posing, lighting and print quality. When I first entered in 2013, I really didn't have a clue about any of these. I'd won a few gold awards in the monthly competitions, but this was a different level entirely. I picked up a few merits, but what was more valuable as far as I was concerned was listening to the judges critique my work. It was invaluable. They were pointing out posing errors, lighting and basic composition that could have been improved to raise my score. I left not disheartened, but inspired to do better, and put what the judges had said into practice.

In 2014, I entered about the same number of images, but this time with the quiet optimism I'd pick up a few more merits. And I did! I left the judging room with my chest puffed out. It wasn't until the Friday morning when I walked through the lobby at the new Hilton Metropole that I noticed something - a Gold Rosette. One of my images was a finalist in the wedding traditional category! I was shocked, happy, but in shock! Everything I had learnt the previous year was working. At the 2014 awards evening, I found out that I'd in fact won the Wedding Traditional category and placed third overall!

A year later, I attended the judging, armed with the knowledge of two year's' worth of live critiques and a winner's rosette, I submitted more images, and I did even better, TWO Gold Rosettes! Second in both Wedding Traditional and Open! I was speechless. It was also in 2015 that I gained my Fellowship with both the BIPP and SWPP, so all in all, it was a pretty good year! Gaining my fellowship with the SWPP meant that I was allowed to start the process of becoming a judge myself, something I was, and still am, very passionate about. Since gaining my fellowship, and with the help and guidance of Terrie Jones, I was allowed to shadow the judging of the monthly competitors for the following nine months with my mentor Kevin Wilson, and good friend Richard P Walton. It was then I really learnt what is to be a judge and critique work. More importantly, both Kevin and Richie asked and valued my opinion during the process, which really helped as it gave me the confidence to talk openly about the images we were judging. They both gave me valuable tips on my delivery of a critique and also pointed out things that I was initially overlooking.

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1st Published 01/08/2016
last update 09/12/2022 14:58:58

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