by Roy Sewell

Possibly you are entering competitions but are having a hard time winning. You want to understand what can make or break a photograph in competition, but judges are not always clear about what they like and don’t like, or more importantly why.

Even if you aren’t competing you are probably driven to improve, and often it’s not obvious what to do next.

All of us photographers get stuck in ruts now and then. Many of us spend most of our time doing the same things we’ve been doing for a while; these ruts can be sufficiently comfortable and satisfying. Some inspired photographers recognize when this is happening, choose to tackle it, and somehow find a way to climb out and move up. The better you get as a photographer the more challenging this is.

Roy Sewall believes that the most constructive path forward is to constantly assess your photographic results and figure out what you could have done or will do better. This suggests we need analytical tools to assess photographs.

Over the last 8 years, Roy has judged 70 times at local and regional camera clubs. After listening to other judges for many years at North Bethesda Camera Club (NBCC), plus thinking back on his own judging, Roy compiled a thorough list of reasons that judges keep photos “in” or toss them “out.” His findings were that it only takes four “attractors” to make a great photograph, but there are over 60 “detractors” that can bring any photograph to its knees. These findings are the basis of the Critique Groups that Roy has run several times a year for the last five years.

“Taking Your Photography to the Next Level” illustrates each of these attractors and detractors with specific examples. The objective is to provide a well-defined basis for assessing one’s own photographs and learning from other people’s photographs.