點開新光三越國際攝影展的網路頁面，翻閱歷年獲獎的作品，不難發現總有些主題是容易獲獎的寵兒。隨著時間的更迭，相似的主題若是出現的頻率太過，就必須要創造出差異性或亮點，才有機會。今年投稿的攝影主題內容與趨勢，不難猜，正是從 2020 年開始至今尚未平復的新冠疫情有關，同樣是疫情的主題，透過攝影師的不同切角，以跳脫凡俗思維的創意用攝影敘述「顛倒了的日常」、「不再出行的旅途」、「窗內外的視界」等等。

Among the winning works of the past years on the SKM PHOTO website, it’s not hard to find that some subjects are favored. As time goes by, if similar subjects appear too frequently, photographers should create differences or highlights to gain more chances of winning. The content and trend of the photography subjects this year are not hard to guess—the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic since 2020. Photographers deal with the subject of the pandemic from different angles by thinking out of the box and depicting “reversed daily life,” “journey no longer,” and “sights in and out of the window” with photography.

如何在按下快門之前，已知自己的作品即將鶴立雞群？關於這點評審之一的袁緒虎老師有此見解，首先參加攝影比賽的攝影者是「使用」或「利用」攝影這一創作技法，所謂的「使用」攝影便是將相機的參數設定好，將攝影器材的拍照功能及畫質完整呈現。而「利用」攝影則像是透過攝影技法帶出畫面中真正要表達的故事及意涵，這一種作法之下，創作的本質就需有強烈的論述基礎。
創作之前必須要先有想法，再有做法，最後才有說法。如果沒有想法，就按部就班地將作法做好；若是前兩者都沒有，就很靠個人天賦你得要有好的說法，來說服觀者看見你作品所要表達的內容。」如若想法、做法與說皆能表現的完整，將五張作品的連結性強烈表述，掌握得當就相對容易跳脫凡俗，吸引眼球。反之，因為是五張的系列創作，一旦有其中一張畫面論述不夠，故事變得鬆散就容易失掉評審的青睞。

How do we know that our works will stand out before pressing the shutter? One of the judges, Mr. Yuan Hsu-Hu has an insight on this. First, the photographers who participate in the photography contest “use” or “utilize” the creative techniques of photography. To “use” photography is to set the camera settings to perfectly present the camera functions and picture quality. To “utilize” photography is to bring to life the stories and meanings that photographers really want to express. In this way, the creative essence requires a strong basis of argument.
Before creation, there should be the thought at first, then the method, and finally the interpretation. Without the thought, a photographer should follow the steps of the method one by one. Without the former two elements, a photographer should create a reasonable interpretation with personal talent to persuade the viewers to see the content of work being expressed. If the thought, method, and interpretation can be completely presented and the five photos can be strongly connected and properly handled, the works can stand out and attract attention. On the contrary, if one of the five photos in a series is loosely connected to the discourse, the story will not be favored by the judges.

從「說故事的人」轉換為「聽故事的人」，會說故事之後，才發現最好的故事是會先感動自己的那則。2022 年的新光三越國際攝影大賽評選一共收到九百多件的作品，在近五萬張的照片之中所選出的作品，皆符合攝影品質、創意、構圖的標準，然而，有的時候畫面除了可以帶出創作者想傳遞的故事之外，更多的時候人們也能夠透過成像，回推拍一張照片須歷經的過程與辛苦。此時此刻看見的就不是作品，而是攝影師熱愛攝影，為呈現畫面不辭辛勞的熱忱。
From “story tellers” to “story listeners,” we have found that the best story is the one that touches us first after becoming story tellers. The appraisal of the 2022 SKM PHOTO includes more than 900 works. All of the works selected from nearly 50,000 photos correspond to the standard of quality, creativity, and composition. However, besides the stories that the creators intend to tell, people can trace the process and hardship of when a photo was taken while viewing the image. At that moment, what can be seen is not only the works but also the photographers’ passion for photography and their efforts in presenting the image.