This event is supported by:
So, your print didn't achieve an 80 or above?
Disappointed that you won't see your work exhibited in the Gallery? Don't worry, we've got you covered!
19-20 of January 2024, The Societies of Photographers Convention - London UK
Take a seat in the Judging Room and watch your work being critiqued without the pressure of a real competition.
After being a massive hit in Las Vegas 2023, The Judging Room is now coming to The Societies of Photographers Convention 2024, brought to you by Sarah Edmunds and Dario Righetto of Love Edits. World-class, experienced judges will tell you and show you what makes an winning print. Live, in-depth and with interaction.
Everyone entering The Societies 16x20 Print Competition can take part, and guests can watch. Knowledge is power, and this is your chance to learn exactly what to improve, transforming the print competition experience into an even more educational opportunity. Every print entry that checks the box for "donate for education" can be put through to The Judging Room in the event the print scores a 79 or lower.
The number of prints we can provide analysis for is limited, so make sure you check the box for "The Judging Room" or "donate to education" when entering the Competition, to be sure we are able to accept your print for critique.
Why submit? Because there is simply no better or faster way to hone your craft and become a better photographer!
Dozens of prints to analise
Camaraderie and friendly environment
Constructive critique non-stop
Print analysys
in depth
Open dialogue with the judges
Networking with your peers and success stories
On going lessons
International panel of judges
Experienced, qualified judges with a history of winning competitions themselves will tell you exactly how to improve your images and print entry.
Not to be confused with the actual print competition judging, The Judging Room is an additional educational experience taking place AFTER the competition on the trade show floor during The Societies of Photographers Convention, 19-20 January, right next to the gallery of merited prints (scoring 80 or above). The prints that score 79 or under (who have requested that prints be sent through to The Judging Room or donated for education purposes) will be brought up to The Judging Room for further analysis.
There will be NO ADDITIONAL SCORING. The idea of The Judging Room is for everyone not scoring the hoped merit of 80 or above (and therefore hanging in the gallery) to receive additional feedback from a variety of different judges, and with the possibility of feedback and questions from the audience.
(Note: the nature of this kind of analysis means that judges might have more to say about one picture than another. However, you may ask the judges a specific question about your print after they have finished commenting, if you wish, and time permits).
Anyone can watch, as this will be open on the show floor. Feedback will be constructive and educational.
In this edition of The Judging Room, we will focus on those prints that score 79 and below. If your print scores an 80 or above, it will be hung in the gallery and will not be put forward to The Judging Room. If you want to be sure that the print gets put forward to The Judging Room in the event you score a 79 or below, just make sure to check the box "Judging Room" (or donate to education) when entering your print to the Print Competition.
Check The Societies' website for deadlines for the print competition. Prints must arrive by January 4th. You must check the box "Judging Room" /donate for education when filling in the online form of The Societies of Photographers Print Competition to enter your images.
The educational experience is entirely FREE to everyone who has a show floor pass.
We are not able to ship any prints back.
Of course, that’s the whole point! These are not private critiques. It’s an educational experience for all.
The Judging Room by Love Edits aims to take more than the usual time to dissect, explain and analyse each picture. We are not able to give exact times for when each print will be discussed. Each print discussion could take anywhere from a few minutes to 15 minutes or more, depending on the image in question and how much the judges have to say, and if there are any questions from the audience.
However, we suggest that you come and attend as many sessions as possible, as we are sure you’ll take away something valuable from every print discussion!
No. The judges aren't there to challenge what has already been decided or to argue with their colleagues! Sometimes a score might be very close to "the line", at 78 or 79. This means it will possibly take only a few tweaks to work on for next year to get an 80 or above. The judges' goal is to really share their knowledge on how prints that land in the 70s zone could be improved, so participants and the audience can take that awareness and come back with winners in future years.
During the live print competition judging, the judges have to get through hundreds of prints and dedicate equal time to each, while also taking the necessary time to think about their score and enter the number. This can mean the time to talk is limited for practical reasons. Score challenges can result in more detailed debate, but challenges usually happen with higher scoring images that will be hung in the gallery.
The ones that don't make it to the gallery might not have had much discussion, simply due to the nature of how print competition works. That leaves a wonderful opportunity for a more detailed discussion of those prints for the very entrants who need it the most - those of us scoring 79 and under.
No, the experience is for those who are present on the show floor, so make sure you don't miss it!
Prints will be anonymous. If the print maker is in the room and wants to identify themselves and ask questions, they can. But you can stay totally silent and listen and no-one needs to know it's you!
Having said that, the judges are professional, experienced in judging and entering competitions themselves and know exactly what it feels like to be in your shoes. They are donating their time and experience totally free of charge in order to give back to YOU and try to help you improve your scores for next year and years to come. It's also worth remembering that most judges also have at least one or two scores in the 70s themselves too! There is nothing to fear.
No! This is a purely educational initiative brought to you by Love Edits and supported by The Societies, hosted by Love Edits at the Convention show floor.
Who are the judges?
The judges who have generously offered their time and expertise are seasoned and experienced award-winning photographers and international judges.
We will soon unveil the panel of judges for 2024 edition in London!
Stay tuned ;)
Angela Adams
Grand Master and FSWPP, Judge
(UK)
Scott Johnson
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge,
Fuji Camera Ambassador
(UK)
David Edmonson
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, WPPI Grand Master, PPA Master
(USA)
Sanjay Jogia
Multi awarded photographer,
International Judge, FSWPP
Canon & EIZO Ambassador
(UK)
Luke Edmonson
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, WPPI Triple Master, PPA Master
(USA)
Kris Anderson
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, FWPP, Master WPPI, EIZO Ambassador
(AUS)
Sarah Edmunds
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, FSWPP, Icon Double Master, Canson Ambassador
(UK)
Dario Righetto
Print expert, designer, watercolour illustrator, International Judge
(ITA)
Kelly Brown
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, AIPP Double Master, WPPI Grand Master, FSWPP, Canon and Canson Ambassador
Martina Wärenfeldt
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, FSWPP
(SVE)
Gurvir Johal
Multi awarded photogrpaher, International Judge, Double Master Icon/WPPI, FSWPP
(UK)
Terrie Jones
Head of The Society Print Competition and Judge training, International judge
Tracey Lund
Multi awarded photographer, FSWPP, Judge, Sony Photography Award Wildlife Winner
(UK)
Satnam Dosajh
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, Wedding photographer of the year 2020
(UK)
Jocelyn Conway
FSWPP, Judge & Chair
(UK)
Gary Hill
Multi awarded photographer, International Judge, FSWPP, Portrait Photographer of the year 2021, educator
(UK)
This event is supported by:
Where do you attend the Constructive Critique sessions at the Judging Room?
THE JUDGING ROOM by Love Edits takes place on the Show Floor of The Societies of Photographers Convention, on the 19-20 of January 2024, from 10am to 4pm, Novotel London West, Hammersmith.
Judges will be on rotation of an hour. Anyone is welcome to join the educational session.
Take a look at some moments from the last edition of the Judging Room
The first edition of The Judging Room took place during WPPI 2023, in Las Vegas (US).
It was a huge success, with many hailing it as the best part of the show floor. We discussed hundreds of images over two days (and we forgot to program lunch breaks), with an all-star cast of international judges.
Picture courtesy of: Michele Celentano, Jugbir Dhillon, Jerry Ghionis, Roberto Valenzuela, Scott Johnson, Tony Hewitt, Gurvir Johal, Sanjay Jogia ©
The Judging Room is brought to you by:
MEET YOUR COACH
Sarah Edmunds
British born, Sarah specialises in wedding, portrait and commercial beauty and fashion photography. She has been a self-employed business owner for 29 years and a professional photographer for 12, during which time she has lived and worked in six cities across three continents. Sarah is a Fellow of The Societies of Photographers in the UK (the highest recognised qualification) and Double Master of Icon Award and a print competition judge.
Recently, Sarah was one of six internationally renowned photographers chosen to judge International Portrait Photographer of the Year, and Professional Photo magazine’s Professional Photographer of the Year. Sarah is also a Chairman for the Print Competition of The Societies and teaches at their Judges School, she served as a judge for The Societies and the Swedish National Print Competition and will judge at the Greek National Print Competition too.
Follow Sarah on Intagram
MEET YOUR COACH
Dario Righetto
With 20 years of experience as Strategic Marketing Director in the professional photography printing industry, Dario was the instrumental factor and driving force behind the establishment of a valuable network of partners and influencers worldwide, overseeing international brand awareness and reputation, product design, and developing innovative visual and written communication strategies.
Throughout his long career, Dario heralded some of the most crucial changes in this industry, including Canon’s revolutionary HD printing technology. From 2018 - 2020, he was a member of the Canon Ambassador Program panel and played an integral part in selecting new Ambassadors for the brand.
Previously Dario founded a Creative ADV Agency in Venice, serving some of the best "made in Italy" luxury brands as well IT technologies. Before that he was an Officer of the Italian Air Force.
Dario is also a watercolor illustrator, with a passionate artistic background and visionary creativity.
He is a Judge for The Societies of Photographers and teaches at their Judging School. He served as a judge for The Societies and the Swedish National Print Competition and will judge at the Greek National Print Competition too.
THE SOCIETIES OF PHOTOGRAPHERS 2024 JUDGING ROOM SPIRIT
Learn to look at your pictures like a judge would!
HOW TO “SEE” WITH AN ARTIST’S EYE
The visual code in Art, how masterpieces in galleries and museums offer us a beautiful representation of harmony, balance, elegance.
HOW TO TELL A VISUAL STORY? DOES THE PICTURE CONVEY A MESSAGE?
What can we read into an image, what's the story line and what suggests the real meaning of the picture.
HOW TO PERFECT COMPOSITION & PRINTING
Let the judges explain composition and how to make your picture more impactful. See first hand how the print quality makes the difference for the good... or the bad.
HOW THE RETOUCHING CAN REFINE AN IMAGE
The editing can lift your work to the next level, but it can also affect the result, defeating your purpose. A light hand and the right techniques will guarantee the goal.
Connect With Us
© Copyrights by Love Edits. All Rights Reseved.