Recently, my continual hard work, education, and willingness to accept technical criticism in order to improve my craft, culminated in my first-time-ever entering into Professional Photographers of America's International Print Competition (IPC), where one of my images received Merit Collection status, as well as inclusion in the Showcase Book, that is compiled from images that receive a 5-0 merit rating among 5 judges. Pure Gold did that.
Pure Gold is a simple image, taken of a Golden Retriever named Tioga. Taken in studio with basic lighting, and processed in PhotoShop Elements, it is an image that needed little post-processing help, because I got it right in camera. I got it right in camera because I have invested time and money in becoming a professional photographer, understanding my equipment, my lighting, and my subjects (which are primarily pets). Being able to take a client image and compete with it, then have that image succeed, is a big thumbs up in terms of the quality of work afforded to my clients.
My 8 year journey, to date, has seen personal family setbacks and heartbreaking loss. Still trying to schedule clients amid that family turmoil and loss, served to hold me back from entering print competitions for a while. Deciding on what type of certification I would pursue, then finally finding the time to do so, was another huge consideration. Digging deep for the motivation to continue on some days, when the world was especially gloomy--all played a role in where I find myself today.
This past month I also entered Professional Photographers Association of Pennsylvania's Capture 2020 print competition. Here I had two images receive merit acceptance, with one receiving the highest print score in the Animal Portrait category, and the other being my first-ever challenge to myself in competing outside my comfort zone in the Illustrative category (hummingbird).
Yet another adventure!
This is a blog circle, with the theme this week being "adventure." To see more adventurous photographers, start here with Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper Photography, then look for the link at the end of each blog to move on to the next circle member. Enjoy!