Not Accepted, but ...

Last week, I mentioned that I entered another contest. I don't think I mentioned which one it was. On a whim, I entered the following picture in the DC Fotoweek Cherry Blossom Contest (I'm paraphrasing the name, forgive me):



And, I submitted the following pictures to the NCCF contest:





I didn't receive official word about the first contest, but I'm 90% sure I wasn't selected. The winners were selected last week, and the work was displayed on Friday.

What about the NCCF contest? Well, no go either, but I'll get into that shortly.

So, why aren't I not upset? Two reasons:

1) Art is subjective, not objective. It's hard to take things personally when this is the case.

2) The chances were not high to begin with - thousands entered the DC Fotoweek contest, and the NCCF contest accepted entries for all art forms - not just photography. So, for the NCCF contest, I was competing with other types of art as well.

Back to NCCF - I assumed that since the notification deadline (on Friday) passed, then that would be it. I wasn't expecting to hear from them.

But, I did! The coordinator emailed me personally to tell me that she loved my work, but that she wasn't a member of the jury, so, unfortunately, I was not selected. She referred to me as AN ARTIST!

I thought I would be upset - but really, the NCCF email was encouraging. I felt that someone noticed my work. That's a huge step. Photography is my hobby and not my career, so it isn't as though I failed at anything - I didn't. I felt that I came close, and that there are things I can do to help influence my outcomes the next time.

Plus, she referred to me as AN ARTIST! :)

I also drew some parallels between all of this and my job - which is sales in the technology world. For some reason, I feel encouraged to keep pushing at my job, too. My customers and prospects will notice. Maybe not all of them, but enough of them for me to do well. All of this puts a lot in perspective!

Tomorrow - contest resolutions.

Current Events - Shutdown and Contest

As some of you may know, the government is headed towards a shutdown. This affects many things, but as far as my photography is concerned, it affects the following:

1) My plans to see the Spring Flower Show at the National Arboretum

2) The Cherry Blossom Kite Festival - which should not have been postponed in the first place, but that's a different story

3) All public museums, which means that even my backup plan of shooting butterflies isn't going to happen

So, what will I do? I'll have to wait it out, for sure. I've had a long week, and could use the break. The weather isn't so great, either. I searched through some online challenges, but haven't been inspired, yet. We'll see. :)

In other news, months ago, I submitted some pictures to Getty's Call for Artists page. I finally received word that my pictures had been reviewed. However, looking at these selections:


I guess I'm not super optimistic. I think the next round, I'll submit a different mix. The submissions open up again in May, so I have some time to think about it!

NCCF Contest - Submitted!

Yay me! Wish me luck!

I'm taking tomorrow the rest of the week off, to prepare for the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Kite Festival. Have a great one!

Contests - Please Lend me your Ears/Eyes

February is a short month, and I realized I forgot to do one thing I'd done consistently over the last few months - enter a contest. I'll forgive myself, because if this is all I've forgotten in my hectic life, then I'm in decent shape.

With that said, I considered entering two contests in February, but with later deadlines:

FotoDC's National Cherry Blossom Photo Contest: This brings me to one of my plans - I may brave the crowds and attend the kite festival. I love colors, and it would be a good experiment for me. I have cherry blossom pictures, but I think something original and fun would be better. We'll see if I actually do this.

This one isn't so much a contest as it is an auction: NCCF's 9th Annual Art and Soul Charity Auction: This would involve submitting a picture (or three) for consideration. If selected, then I would mat, frame, and donate the work. I love NCCF, and I think this would be great, but I'm a little afraid to enter, honestly. Some considerations:

1) What size photograph? I've honestly never seen my pictures blown up and magnified. I don't know what they would look like. I've emailed the organization to find out if there is a minimum size. If I can get away with an 8x10, I'll consider it.

2) What do I even want to enter? Something abstract like this?



Or something more precise/detailed?



Something ... unusual?



I don't know! Anyway, one step at a time. When I'll find out what the size requirements are, I'll make a decision. I'll also try not to let March run away from me. I will find a way to enter four contests - I hope.

A corollary to all of this is how I would print my work if it were accepted. I've researched some options, and will cover them tomorrow.

Contests for this Month - Vote for Me!

As you may know, I resolved to enter at least two contests a month. This is important to me in order to 1) Increase exposure to my work and 2) Win - at some point.

This month, I decided I would not wait until the last minute to submit my pictures. A novel idea, yes. Anyway, here is what I selected:

Pictures2Win - Photos Taken at Unusual Angles - I submitted this picture:



If you click on the above link, you can vote for me (which would be great).

Silicon Beach Trainings Photography Competition - I submitted these:





Unless you're a member of Flickr or Yahoo, I don't think you can comment on these, but Flickr is free for a basic account, so any help is appreciated. :)

I was tempted to sign up for a macro photography contest, but am going to hold off until next month. I have a feeling that more of those will surface in the spring, anyway.

Stay warm! Till tomorrow!

Contests

As you may know, I resolved to enter at least two contests a month. This month, I found three good ones - so I managed to exceed my goal. Here is what I chose this month:

1) Pixel Induced's Black and White Photo Competition. I submitted this:



2) SnapAlley's Up Close Contest. I submitted this:



3) Tamron's Fall into Winter Contest Four. I submitted this:



I realize this was taken with a point-and-shoot, but that's the point. I wanted to try my luck with it.

My Day 3 post is coming soon - stay tuned!

November Contests - Vote for Me!

As mentioned in the past, I've resolved to enter two contests monthly. This will help me continue to promote my work, as well as grow. Here's what I've chosen this month:

One of my bird pictures from Key West:



Please click on the above link and vote for me! (the picture is on the bottom right of this page, at least it was the last time I checked).

The second contest I entered was Outdoor Photographer's Nature's Colors Contest. Here are my entries (and links to vote for me):

Picture 1



Picture 2



Picture 3



Picture 4



Thanks for any support you can provide! Till tomorrow!

Contests and Considerations

As I mentioned in a prior post, I'm entering two competitions every month. There seems to be no shortage of contests - whether it's magazines, online events, or galleries. However, not all are appropriate for me right now. So, here's the criteria I've chosen:

1) Online only - any contests where I have eventually deliver framed prints or anything similar is not going to work right now. It's too big of an investment. Also, online is fast and easy - it suits my traveling lifestyle.

2) Relatively low fees - one contest charged $15 an entry. That adds up! Right now, I'm not going to spend more than $30 a month on entry fees. If I start making progress, I'll adjust accordingly.

3) Direct fit - I always browse the previous winners' work to make sure my work is in line. This is why I rejected the National Geographic contest. My work isn't exactly what they're looking for. I really want to be smart about my submissions, and not just approach this randomly.

So, what did I choose? I entered Smithsonian Magazine's 8th Annual Photo Contest. Here's the picture I chose for The Natural World category:



The next contest (I have promised myself to do two a month, after all) will hopefully be one where I can submit some of my butterfly or floral shots. In my opinion, they're my prettiest, as well as the most difficult to execute from a technical perspective.

Till tomorrow!