I don’t enter a lot of photography competitions. The ones I have entered were nothing more than a place to share my work and to get some inspiration, more on that in a bit. However, I had a great surprise the other day when I got an email from Trevor Current (@TrevorCurrent on Twitter) over at CurrentPhotographer.com. I had submitted the above image into their very first photo challenge with the theme being Abstract. I don’t think I had very many public votes but the judges felt I deserved 2nd place.

Wait… 2nd place?! I think this might have been the first contest where I won something with one of my images. Check out the official announcement and see the other great images that received 1st and 3rd. This site is also a resource that I have used many times. They have announced their March Photo Challenge, There is no place like home, so swing on over and check them out. So why did I enter? Read on after the jump.

Besides the little ego boost that you get from winning something, photography competitions can also be a learning tool. I personally like the ones that have a theme or subject and where you get to see every submission. This allows me to see other people’s take on the subject matter and may inspire me to try some new techniques or angles of though based on the theme. Its a great place to find many photos dealing with one subject in one place. I often peruse the images looking for something that jumps out at me and then I try to reverse engineer how it was taken. Especially with using artificial light, as I am still grasping those concepts. There are a ton of competitions out there but I am selective. I have entered several monthly competitions and projects over at Photographycorner.com, where I am a pretty active member. The community there is very supportive of learning and helps each other out, without the condescending attitudes that can be associated with the photography industry. I am careful with which competitions I enter as I value my work; which took a while to grasp. If there is anything in the rules that impede my personal growth or takes credit away from me as the photographer, chances are I will not enter. Those include copyright issues and other personal beliefs. If you decide to enter competition make sure you read the rules before entering.

It was a nice surprise to have my photo chosen and I found some great images that made me think.

http://www.willwohler.com/things/portraits-of-entry/ http://www.willwohler.com/things/portraits-of-entry/#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:29:29 +0000 Will http://www.willwohler.com/?p=1421

Well I have been thinking of doing some personal projects to keep me shooting and creating. I don’t know where this fascination came from, maybe the mystery of what lies beyond, but I have found some interesting doors in my walks. Each one has it’s own character, like a portrait of the residence. I do have a few rules to it. It has to be with my 50mm lens and has to be a straight on shot, no angles. Also, any indication of address, like numbers are not included, or removed from the image to protect the location. Enjoy the slideshow of the ones I have found so far. More locations are in the works.

Who knows what may come of it or how long it goes for, maybe a coffee table book or something. I just need something to keep my creative juices flowing and this is that thing for the time being until the warmer weather comes back around. Just wanted to share what I have been working on and thinking about.

]]> http://www.willwohler.com/things/portraits-of-entry/feed/ 4