| | THE 12 ELEMENTS OF A MERIT PRINT
By Tim Mathiesen
Image By Sidney Zeledon »»»
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| Introduction |
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| To the uninitiated, the first exposure to a print critique may be quite confounding. Are we considering works of photographic art, or updating basketball scores? |
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| Once you get used to this gamesmanship, and realize the benefits of playing the game yourself, sooner or later you will learn the art and the science, the rhyme and the reason, behind print critiques. To help bring about this epiphany sooner, rather than later, PPOC veteran and PEC member Tim Mathiesen recently conducted a presentation on the 12 Elements of a Merit Print. |
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| About TIM MATHIESEN |
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| Tim’s experience during three decades in the photographic industry includes everything from running his own studio to marketing management positions at leading companies on both coasts. Tim’s many honors include the ASP Fellowship, ASP Gold Medallion, PPA Master of Photography, and the Kodak Gallery Elite Award. He has been a PPA affiliated juror for 25 years, and is a PPA Jury Chairman. He has served as a member of the PPA Photographic Exhibition Committee for a decade, the last three years as committee chairman. |
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| The 12 Elements of a Merit Print |
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| The Photographic Exhibitions Committee (PEC) of PPA uses the 12 elements below as the gold standard to define a merit image. PEC trains judges to be mindful of these elements when judging images to the PPA merit level and to be placed in the International Print Exhibit at the annual convention. The use of these 12 elements connects the modern practice of photography and its photographers to the historical practice of photography begun nearly two centuries ago. |
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| Twelve elements have been defined as necessary for the success of an art piece or image.Any image, art piece or photograph will reveal some measure of all twelve elements, while a visually superior example will reveal obvious consideration of each one. They are: |
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| 1. IMPACT - Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. |
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| 2. CREATIVITY - Creativity is the external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought. |
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| 3. STYLE - Style is defined in a number of ways as it applies to a creative image. It might be defined by a specific genre or simply be recognizable as the characteristics of how a specific artist applies light to a subject. It can impact an image in a positive manner when the subject matter and the style are appropriate for each other, or it can have a negative effect when they are at odds. |
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| 4. COMPOSITION - Composition is important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. Proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the creator intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker. |
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| 5. PRESENTATION - Print Presentation affects an image by giving it a finished look. The mats and borders used should support and enhance the image, not distract from it. |
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| 6. CENTER OF INTEREST - Center of Interest is the point or points on the image where the maker wants the viewer to stop as they view the image. There can be primary and secondary centers of interest. Occasionally there will be no specific center of interest, when the entire scene collectively serves as the center of interest. |
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| 7. LIGHTING - The use and control of light refers to how dimension, shape and roundness are defined in an image. Whether the light applied to an image is manmade or natural, proper use of it should enhance an image. |
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| 8. SUBJECT MATTER - Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told in an image. |
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| 9. COLOR BALANCE - Color Balance supplies harmony to an image. An image in which the tones work together, effectively supporting the image, can enhance its emotional appeal. Color balance is not always harmonious and can be used to evoke diverse feelings for effect. |
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| 10. TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE - Technical excellence is the print quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing. Sharpness, exposure, printing, mounting and correct color all speak to the qualities of the physical print. |
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| 11. TECHNIQUE - Technique is the approach used to create the image. Printing, lighting, posing, film choice, paper selection and more are part of the technique applied to an image. |
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| 12. STORY TELLING - Story Telling refers to the image's ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image. |
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| By producing a competition print which incorporates a majority of these 12 elements, you can create a merit print. Personal experience may tell you that this is difficult to achieve. But with experience, the goal may be more easily attained. Don’t get emotionally involved with your work, to the point of not being able to accept criticism. To learn, you need to enter competitions. Through subjective analysis we all grow and become better photographers. |
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