Top Ten 2017 - Columbia MO Photographer

This year I decided to take the plunge and enter images into the Print Competition at the annual Missouri Professional Photographers Association convention. The last time I entered competition, I was fresh into photography, barely knew anything, and let's just say it did not go well. After a few years to grow, learn, and improve all around, I decided it was time to jump back in. I was so anxious about choosing the right images, presenting them properly, and doing everything I could to make them sing so that the judges would love them as much as I do. I had the assistance of my mentors Debbie and Noel, who are a big part of the reason I got into photography to begin with. That's a story for another post!

The way the competition works is that a group of Master Photographers judge, critique, and score the images. Participants are able to watch their images be scored and listen to the critique to learn how to improve for next time. It is like laying your most prized possession out for everyone to see and hoping it doesn't get ripped to shreds. Print competition is scary. You're showing these images that you are so passionate about, and praying that someone else sees why. It feels like if they don't like the images, they don't like you, which is obviously crazy but that's how it feels!

As I sat and watched my images get judged, I was all butterflies in my stomach, anxious, and on edge. When it was all said and done I was able to breath a sigh of relief! Two images merited! I was elated. My goal on entering was to get just one merit, and here I was with two! (You have to have 25 merits as part of becoming a Master Photographer.) I was over the moon and thought that was it. Two days later I found out that my cumulative scores had gotten me into the Top Ten of 2017. I almost cried. You all know how emotional I am, and it was completely unexpected.

Listening to the critique on these images has given me valuable insight on how to get even better for next year. There were so many images that I wanted to enter, but could only use six! Narrowing down the images might be the hardest part, so I guess it's time to start creating and narrowing down images to prepare for next time!