To insure quality photography for shows, societies are being urged to engage a photographer who is familiar with and uses lighting equipment, a gray card, appropriate backgrounds, etc. and many good amateurs are and do. Only quality slides are published in the Awards Quarterly and these are extremely important in future judgings for comparing and determining parental influence in new hybrids, making comparisons of flower quality, having a bench-mark for cultural awards and recognizing new species.
Also, it’s very important to an exhibitor to receive a quality slide because that is the record that is viewed at the end of the year for nominations to be sent in for national awards. If the slide is poor quality (over-or under-exposed, inappropriate posing, poor choice of background, etc.) that plant can’t even be considered. Each center sends in a nomination for each national award. Then the judges from the 27 centers vote on what they think is the most outstanding representative for each award. The bottom line is not only does it have to be a quality plant but also a quality slide.
Judges who serve as Judging Chairman of a show should make sure the photographer is aware of proper pose, background and bracketing requirements. If necessary, a judge should be assigned to the photographer to assure requirements are met.
Those of us who have won national awards all agree; we owe a big vote of thanks to the photographer.
Doris Dukes
Please include a self-addressed reply postcard in with the invitation. It is also in your best interest to fill out the card with the judge’s name and a box to check off such as:
If you’re serving coffee, juice, donuts, fruit, whatever, include this information as well as where and at what time. Some judges travel from quite a distance and will appreciate a continental breakfast prior to judging.
If there are several entrances into the show area (particularly true at mall shows), point out the entrance that will be open and/or the closest and most convenient to the “gathering area”.
Some judges would prefer to drive the day before and stay at a motel to avoid traveling in the early hours of the morning. Including a list of nearby acceptable motels and their rates and reservation number would also be greatly appreciated.
1. # Plants Entered --Means the number of plants nominated or pulled for judging. It does not refer to plants entered for ribbon judging. See item 2.
2. Scored and Rejected--Only when a plant is actually point scored and fails to receive the necessary 75 points does it fall into this category. Plants that are looked at (screened) but no one wants to point score are counted in the above category--# Plants entered.
Also, just a reminder about doing the show ballot. When a second ballot is required, ask judges for a score on the exhibit for which they vote. This is needed to average the point score for the AOS show trophy. Scores from the first balloting can’t be used. Most summary sheets are coming in with the award score filled in but a few have neglected to give this information. It is needed.
A definite improvement has been seen in the award descriptions. Some of us still need some reminding so here goes.
1. Colors modified by another color should be hyphenated. Ex. rose-pink, red-orange, red-mahogany, etc. But do not hyphenate colors such as reddish orange, lemon yellow, brick red, flesh pink, etc.
2. Whole descriptions should have only one period. If you add a comment to the end of the description, it is set off by the usual semi-colon, then end with a period.
3. If the lip is being described, the column, the side lobes, the anther cap are all included in with the lip description and set apart by commas not semi-colons. The semi-colon then comes at the end.
Finally, if there is something distinctive about the shape or form of a flower or its inflorescence, try to include it in the description. We often get very detailed about color and totally obscure about shape.
If you don’t have a copy of the AOS Style Book, please let me know and I’ll make some extra copies available. If you have one and haven’t looked at it lately, there’s a lot of useful information that is extremely helpful in writing descriptions. And don’t be afraid to pull it out and consult it at judgings. You would be surprised how many judges around you will wish they had the courage to risk what someone else might think of as “needing to do that” but the bottom line is that eventually you begin to remember without consulting the stylebook or some other more knowledgeable judge. Now you have become that knowledgeable judge.
All judges must submit a record of their judging attendance for 1997 including out-of-center judgings by the May business meeting. Some have turned this in but most have not. Please don’t forget this. Attendance deficiencies and necessary actions will be discussed at the Fall business meeting.
Joe received the Certificate for his work:: Coelogyne; and Donna, for her work:: Renanthera.
(A lemon to Orchids for its coverage of the awards in that it reversed the authors and their works. Shame!)