What makes a great photomarathon photo?

Judging photographs is subjective; one person might love a shot that another would ignore. As with any competition, the judges will have agreed guidelines as to what should score higher, but this isn’t a precise science. At the end of the event, you will have submitted a gallery of twelve images, one for each topic. But how will the judging panel choose the winners?

There’s no right or wrong answer to what makes a good photomarathon entry, but our bottom line is entries for each topic should address that topic in an imaginative way, have impact, and be well-presented. We value good ideas over technical perfection. We value humour. So when you’re taking your shot, think about what you can do to make it stand out. Experiment with a few options – shoot the first thing you think of then think again and shoot something else. What often works is simplicity, but don’t be afraid of trying some complex ideas and cluttered images too. They might work.

For the overall gallery, it’s not just a box ticking exercise counting the “likes” that a gallery has earned, it’s about the impact of the images together – consistency, style, quality, originality. In previous photomarathons, we’ve seen galleries where every image involves reflections and mirrors, featured food and drink, or where the whole set has been presented in a film noir black-and-white style.

There are lots of so-called rules in photography, but don’t be a slave to them. Move around, change your angle of view, use archways and windows to frame your subject within your image, move your camera to create a feeling of motion, or use a long shutter speed to let the world rush past you. Look up, look down, look at tiny details, and look at the broadest panoramas. We are encouraging you to be creative, there are no wrong answers!