2015 photo essay competition: a few judging reflections

I am very pleased to be invited by the students and young researchers of the 2015 IJE Photography Competition Competition Division for review. This is an exercise made to think in many ways. Through various articles, I saw the reality of the "coal surface" of epidemiological fieldwork, the activities and dedication of researchers, and the face of the most attractive research "theme". All of these are drawn by the power of photography.

In the course of the review, I was made to think about the format and quality tag of the photo article itself. Writing articles is a very different article than other articles in academic journals. The image itself is basic and must be the main one. If these images do not convey your story alone, you have a graphic illustration of the fieldwork to break other mediocre articles or some section of the picture. The image in the photo article MUST draw attention of the viewer, maintain it, and eventually have to change who sees them in some way. They show something they could not see before or pick something before they feel it. Reflecting the requirements of academic journals, text quality and its bibliography are also important. It is not rare for IJE to explore and promote this unique way of communication.

The quality of posted photos varies. The best picture for the photo article clearly shows the main subject. There are two ways to achieve this. First, it approaches the person or thing being photographed, and changes the shooting level as necessary. If your theme is a small part of the picture, it may have a small impact on your audience. Second, pay attention to eliminating background interference - by changing the normal position. It may be worth spending a while to earn personal trust - No one wants to see the object of the study look uncomfortable and objective. Edit your work mercilessly - each image should exist independently. The text is secondary, but please confirm that the quality of the text is suitable for international journals. There is no need to overwrite each picture. The more you count, the more words you count.

Finally I say you obey your instinct. Sometimes you can not plan the best picture, they just happen. After you take them, some pictures will be with you, and "paper" will be available to you at the right time. I took these pictures at Banksy's Dismaland in Weston-Marie, North Somerset, England in September (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy). There are many different photo articles that can be written ... but maybe this is another game for another day

Depending on the criteria of these competitions and what the judges are asking for, I will say that photographers must be genuine, not necessarily the theme but the photographers' feelings. Like paintings, Van Gogh's style is unique in that it derives from his experience rather than determining the best sunflower appearance based on the type of stroke. It is not for painting. As time went on, it became a way of expressing scenery, night of stars, and self-portrait. For example, when taking pictures, I would like to show my opinion on mountains and buildings. I do not mind "perfect" lighting and the best white balance. I saw it, I clicked. Through my picture, I want to evoke the feeling of detail. If my picture provides some detail, I see details and I have completed a part of my story.

I am very pleased to be invited by the students and young researchers of the 2015 IJE Photography Competition Competition Division for review. This is an exercise made to think in many ways. Through various articles, I saw the reality of the "coal surface" of epidemiological fieldwork, the activities and dedication of researchers, and the face of the most attractive research "theme". All of these are drawn by the power of photography. In the course of the review, I was made to think about the format and quality tag of the photo article itself. Writing articles is a very different article than other articles in academic journals. The image itself is basic and must be the main one. If the image does not tell you a story of your own, you only have a hands - on survey of photo books or some illustrations to break other mediocre articles.