It’s that time again, the time when Wedding and Portrait Photographers from all over the world get together and, learn, and have fun, and learn. Vendors get to show off all their new and wonderful products, and photographers get to compete in WPPI’s 16 x 20 Award of Excellence Competition. Last year was my very first time entering and it’s so addicting. I like the affirmation, I love to compete, and I like to win! There is so much talent out there it’s crazy! Going into this year, I had a little more knowledge than last year, which is good. I learned a little on what to submit, why photos won, why they didn’t. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that some photos didn’t win (not mine….I can’t believe some of mine do!) but the judges are some of the best photographers in the industry and are very knowledgeable in making great decisions. This year I entered a few images. A couple of them have won awards already in different competitions, while others have won in WPPI’s 8 x 10 competition. So we will see how it goes. I’m keeping my fingers crossed but the competition is pretty tough, the world is full of amazing talent!
The photo above, taken of my bride Lalantika Medema was photographed in August of 2010. This amazing photo received an Accolade in WPPI’s 8 x 10 competition.
This photo was taken in March of 2010 while driving home from Sun Valley Idaho. Taken in the middle of the desert this car is something I had always wanted to photograph. I love how it looks like a painting and was edited by the amazing and talent Jonathan Penny. A different version of this photo received an Award of Merit from Professional Photographers of Orange County in 2010.
Those of you who know me may recognize this little man. He is my son. Although he is NOT, this photo is entitled “orphan”. This photograph received an Accolade in WPPI’s 8 x 10 in 2010. We will see how it does in the 16 x 20
This image is a favorite of mine and I use it a lot for advertising and marketing material. Although it has never been entered into a competition yet, I have high hopes for it. Although what concerns me is that it is nothing new. Meaning that judges usually look for images that inspire, images that are fresh and different. So not sure how many other sunset images we will see this year, but I have positive vibes!!!
The above photos was taken in August 2010 at my client’s home as she was getting ready for her wedding. I had this vision, even with the photoshopping of an image that depicted “her” through her details. I wanted the image to look much like a painting than a photo so I knew I had to add some texture and do some creative editing. Many times when I do this, I feel like I ruin a picture more than make it better. My bride, Cindy, Loved her shoes, she has tons of English Antiques in her home, and her bustier represents how beautiful she is. Anyways, it was so fun to create and earlier this year it won an Accolade from WPPI’s 8 x 10 competition. I’m hoping it does well in the 16 x 20!
These two images were fun! The first one of the iris was taken in Laguna Beach CA, in my clients backyard on an Easter shoot. I love it. But taking pictures of nature and landscapes are not my strength so we will see how this image does! The next photo was given a Merit Award from NAPCP. I’m not sure how it will do in WPPI’s 16 x 20 competition, but again, we will see!
I believe that judging starts on Saturday at WPPI, and although I would love to be there to see it all, listen to the judges feedback, I wont be able to make it until Sunday. So I will need to just see what happens when or if the prints are hung in the hallway to see how I did and to experience the other award winning prints from this year. Walking through the gallery is probably one of my favorite things to do at WPPI…..the talent blows me away!