I haven't been very interested in contests or shows since early on when I entered a couple of shows, only to be completely dumbfounded by the judging. Not that I thought I should have necessarily won, but that the judging was just so poor in general. Really fine images were overlooked in favor of crap (that's a technical photo term). Eventually I entered the Comm Arts Photo Annual Competition for a couple of years - to no avail, became frustrated, and quit entering any contests for awhile. It's not that the Comm Arts Photo Annual isn't filled with awesome imagery - it is - but there are always a few photos that come from what I like to refer to as the Stevie Wonder School of Photography - and actually that's not really fair, because I'm sure Stevie could take much better shots than the ones that seem to 'sneak' in every year. Some of these images I look at and am at a total loss. Never the less, a year or so ago I started entering different contests and shows again, figuring that I know I have good stuff and I can't worry about subjective judging - sooner or later some judge(s) would like my stuff. In the last year I've have had quite a bit of success. So now it's my crap instead of someone else's crap that's gotten in - it makes all the difference in the world.
Last year I won one of the sub-categories of the International Photography Awards (Historic Architecture) for a series of shots of Hovenweep National Monument and was 'nominated' for the International Color Awards for a shot of the Grand Canyon. Lately I've been selected for an international fine art show in San Diego and a national ASMP fine art show in Fort Collins CO.
The show in San Diego is the Art Of Photography Show and received over 12,000 entries from 46 countries, and 102 images were chosen. It would be easy to think that now I'm the sh*t, after besting those kind of odds. But just as you can't afford to get all down when you don't get selected, I don't think you can really get too fired up when you do. I'd be willing to bet that there were more than a few images not selected that even I would have chosen over my own if I were being totally objective. All that being said, it's a lot better to get in than not - it doesn't suck.
The show in Fort Collins is a national ASMP show at The Center For Fine Art Photography that they chose 50 images for. The image of mine that got in was one that I sent more or less as an afterthought - Liane chose it and I didn't think it had a chance (maybe Liane has an eye after all.... nah).
I guess what it boils down to, is you just never know. Unless, of course, you do.
This is the print showing in San Diego starting the 25th of April running through May 23rd.
These next four images are the Hovenweep series from the IPA competition.
Here's the Grand Canyon shot from the ICA.
This is the print showing in San Diego starting the 25th of April running through May 23rd.
And finally, here's where the Hobbits live. This is the print showing in Fort Collins starting from June 6th to July 3rd.
1 comments:
i have an eye. in fact, i have two.
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