How to hold a Successful Show
The Photo Show Many hobbyists shy away from holding their own show. Why? Maybe because it is too much of a hassle, maybe they fear damaging or losing others photos, maybe they think no-one will enter or maybe they just are not interested. All of these reasons are legitimate ones, and with the exception of the last reason, this article will describe to you methods of overcoming these obstacles and the benefits of holding your own show. This article will appear in two parts, part one of this article will pertain to the Photo Show holder. Holding a Successful Photo Show. There are some key elements in holding a successful photo show. But perhaps you do not want to hold a show because you think it will be too much of a hassle? Well, guess again! Photo showing can be fun and easy if you follow a few guidelines and plan your show out. First of all you will need to decide on a classlist. This is very important since classlists are a determining factor in how many people will enter your show. For example, if you hold a show for only foals, you run the risk of fewer entrants. Why? Well you have narrowed your possible entries down drastically since most people own mares, stallions, foals and geldings and show a mixture of all of these, not to mention performance photos. It really is not worth the time and money for a shower to enter only 4 foal photos in a show, if that is all they have. I personally have about 250 photos, of which only 30 or so are foals. Another key factor in designing a classlist is to decided whether you want to have separate divisions for Novices and Open showers, and whether or not you will split you classes OF (original finish) and CM (customized). If you do not want to split Open vs. Novice, it is nice to have a few Novice only classes. I have found that, while not splitting Novice and Open does not affect your entrant numbers, you will find Open showers winning most of the classes. This is simply because they are more experienced, have a better grasp on showing, better photos and sometimes do more research (this is not to say that novices do not research breeds, etc.) This is why I think including a few Novice Only Classes, especially classes where set-up and props count, such as Performance and showmanship, is a good idea and not too much extra effort. Many times I have placed an obvious novice photograph over an open one because the model was a superb representation of its breed, and I could tell that the shower had put effort into the photo, but probably did not have access to high quality equipment. Splitting the classes OF vs. CM can make a difference. Some showers show only OF, these are the showers you risk losing if you do not split. Although there are some very nice OF models on the market, the eye tends to drift more towards ornate or lavish CMs, and OF showers seem to know this. I have had OF showers write me asking if the classes are split because, �While I do have some very nice OFs, they can not compete against a Drastic remade model.� And I agree, in most cases an OF can not compete because the artist has the ability to make the model more breed specific and �correct�, though there are some poor CMs out there. I often leave the classlist open by saying �Classes will be split OF/CM if there is a need�. This way, if you get a class with 80 OF models and 2 CMs, you don�t have to split it. I tend to not judge or split a class if there are under 4 entrants. This is a personal decision that I base on my own idea that there must be some type of competition in classes. I personally do not like winning a class when I am the only one entered, because I haven�t really won, I was just the only one who showed up! Now that you have decided how you will split you classes, how about coming up with a classlist. It is always a good idea to have gender classes such as �Mare�, �Stallion�, �Foal�, �Gelding�. These classes are judged by looking at the breed and if, for its gender it is a good representative. Other than genitalia, there are a few things to look for. Muscle tone is one. Stallions usually have large, more toned muscles than mares, and most times geldings (depending on what age they were gelded at). Obviously, a foal would not have fully developed muscles since it has not matured. A second thing I look for is the eyes and nose. Some mares have a glossier look in the eyes and around the nostrils than stallions, and generally do look more calm. Of course, judging is a subjective thing. Other classes to include are breed classes.These classes are judged on the models adherence to �breed standards�. Here, I would go for some of the more popular breeds for models, such as: Quarter Horse, Arabian, Appaloosa, Clydesdale, Belgian, Hanoverian, Trekhener, Paint, Thoroughbred, etc. Feel free to add some more exotic or less common breeds, but I would not go over board and try to include a listing of every horse breed, it just is not feasible and you will wind up cancelling more classes then you judge. I would add some classes like �Part-Arabians�, �Other Warmblood�, �Other Draft�, and �Other Pony�. These tend to tie-up any loose ends, and give almost every breed somewhere to enter. If you really want to have a place for every breed though, add �Other Pure Breed�, and �Other Mix Breed�. Also, you may decided you want your show open to exotics, longears and fantasy models. Add classes accordingly, but make sure if you are the judge, you know about the breeds or can find references material about them. Next, you may opt for color classes. These classes are judged on, you guessed it, the models� color. I personally look to color books for specific info on colors. This class can be the most complex to judge. How? There are so many shades of bay and offshoots and color variations it could drive a judge insane! I personally look for good, even color, good representation of the color (make sure to check what the shower has it listed as), and shading/highlights. For these classes, the photograph really must be free from poor exposure and blurriness to get a good idea of the true model color. Some classes to add are: bay, black, Appaloosa(pattern), pinto, chestnut, sorrel, palomino, etc. You may choose to add some color classes that are only model specific such as: Copenhagen, Wedgewood and Woodgrain. It is always a good idea to offer an �Other Color� class. If you stop here for classes, you have a halter show. Which means the models either show at Liberty (no halter) or at halter or showmanship(in which I handler can be present). I recommend for first time showers to hold a halter show. It has a smaller classlist, but not necessarily smaller turn-out. There are many showers who do not feel they know enough about performance classes, to warrant showing in them, or can not afford tack and props. Whether or not you stop here, you can choose to include Halter Grand Champion and Reserve Champion. This is not a class, but a title that a horse wins, usually based on points. Some people break titles down further to include �Breed Champ�, �Champ Stallion�, etc. I personally favor just �Halter Champ and Reserve� because this allows for a well rounded competition. Horses compete against each other in several different �types� of classes and the horse with the best score wins. I give the first place horse in every class the same amount of points as there were entrants, the second placer gets one minus this number, and so on. Then I tabulate the points each horse received from entering a �Breed�, �Gender� and �Color� class. The horse with the highest point value is the winner. This system is appealing to me because it actually gives the model who had to overcome the most judging the award. IE: If one model placed first in a class of 6, but another placed second in a class of 100, the second model had to work a lot harder to earn his placing. It also gives you an overall view of the model, because you are not only going by one class placing, you are going by three different placings Now, if you go on to include a performance division, make sure to have some knowledge and some reference materials about each of the classes you choose. You may want to break the performance classes up, I do. I split between Western and English and then award a �Western Performance Champion and Reserve� and an �English Performance Champ and Reserve�. You can even go on to award �Over-all Performance Champion and Reserve� by comparing both divisions and seeing which horse competed in both divisions and had the most over-all combined points from each. Classes to include under Western Performance include: Western Trail (you may want to split Arena vs Natural), Western Pleasure, Roping, Cutting, Gymnkhana, etc. In the English Division typical classes include: English Trail (same type of split), English Pleasure, Hunter, Jumper, English Games, Dressage, etc. After all this you may want to award �Over-all Show Champion and Reserve�, go about awarding this by looking for model who entered all three divisions; Halter, Western and English and look for the high point horse. Make sure to note on the classlist how you will go about deciding champions so showers know what classes they must enter to win �Championships�. Other classes you may want to add relate to the maker or size of the model, such as �Breyer Class�, �Hagen Renaker Class�, �Stone Model�, �other Make� and �Traditional Size�, �Classes Size�, �Stablemate Size�. You may also choose to add other animal classes other than equines, like �Dogs�, �Cats�, �Cattle�, etc. After you have made up a classlist, decide on a date. Try to plan a few months ahead to allow showers to get together photos, take photos and see your classlist. You will also want to include any rules, deadlines, etc. Such as �All photo must be in by June 12� or �Tack is not allowed in classes 1-11� and �Appropriate tack required in classes 40-45, list movement in 42.� Also determine what prizes you will give away, this is a great factor in shower turn-out. Usually the better the prizes, the more showers enter. You may want to list some base prizes, and have a sliding scale of prizes that corresponds to entrant numbers. IE: For 3-5 Entries : Stablemates by Breyer for Grand Champs/Reserves, 6-11 entries : Traditional models for Grands/Reserves, etc. These days it is not uncommon to see shows that offer flat ribbons for 1st thru 3rd. If you plan to have a few shows a year, it is a good idea to buy inexpensive ribbons in bulk, these types of prizes are a favorite of shower, especially those who like to display their achievements. Directly related to prizes and entrants, is cost or entry fees. Some people go the way of graduated cost, I personally steer clear of this because you wind up with a lot of change and miscalculated fees. Graduated entry fees may look something like this :