As photographers, we all like to think we know which photo is our best. Camera club judges have their opinions, photographers have theirs, but sometimes the biggest judge of all is the public.
This week I entered a series of photos from the 21 Gun Salute at Queen's Park on Canada Day into our camera club competition. Instead of picking a random collection, I chose the photos that people were already telling me they loved.
How did I know?
I looked at my Flickr statistics.
Within just two days, my Canada Day gallery had reached over 3,000 views.
That told me something important.
The public wasn't just scrolling through the gallery—they were stopping to look at that moment when the cannon erupted in smoke and the crew carried out the ceremony with precision. Sometimes the numbers tell a story that photographers miss.
The day itself was fantastic. I photographed the soldiers of the 7th Toronto Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, the vintage military vehicles, the ceremonial gun crews, and even had the opportunity to photograph some of the soldiers between the volleys. The military band added to the atmosphere, and the ceremony was a fitting tribute to Canada Day.
When the camera club results came in, those same photographs won.
Was it because they were technically perfect?
Maybe.
But I also think it was because they connected with people first. The Flickr views gave me confidence that these images had already found an audience before they ever reached the judges.
Photography competitions are fun, but nothing beats knowing that thousands of people have taken the time to enjoy your work.
Sometimes the best judge isn't sitting at the front of the room with a score sheet.
Sometimes it's nearly 3,000 people who simply stop scrolling because the photographs capture a moment worth remembering.
And for this photographer, that's a pretty good victory.
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