“It is always a huge honour to be asked to judge any kind of photographic competition, but having little clue what I might be in for, and little forethought as to how I might judge something as broad as ‘Things’, it was daunting in equal measure. However, I needn’t have worried. As soon as I started looking at the entries online, it immediately became apparent what my starting point would be. Does it interest me? Does it force me to stop and look and read further? From there it became easier. There were the usual competent but fundamentally uninspiring entries, there were unfortunately entries I felt were in the wrong category. There were those trying too hard and falling down, and there was a smattering of really-good-but-not-quite-there entries, stories which had a lovely backbone, but needed a little more fleshing out. Finally, after much consideration I settled on about 5, then 3.

 I personally would like to thank the AOP for their continued support of emerging talent in our ever-changing industry, and all those who made the effort to take part. Don’t be upset if you are not included as a finalist, participating in competition is all part of the learning curve. Competitions show us what is out there, and what people are up to – they also demonstrate how differently we all see the world. Try to understand what the judges have seen in the finalists, whether you agree with them or not. And something you should learn asap as an image maker, is that your work will always be judged, and very often by people far less qualified than you! Take it in, don’t reject it. It’s all part of the creative business.”