One of my prints recently won Best-In-Show at the WPPA quarterly print competition. I’ve been a member of this local PPA chapter for a few years and have won awards in many of their quarterly print competitions. It’s such an honor to win because I have such high respect for my fellow members. I’m competing against some very established and experienced photographers and also new rising stars in the industry.
As a professional photographer, I find these competitions very valuable because each print gets judged and critiqued by certified judges and master photographers. Of course, constructive criticism can sometimes be frustrating (don’t want to lie and say that criticism is always music to my ears!), but it’s also a powerful learning experience.Â
The award-winning photo below is a candid that I had captured at the Renaissance Faire a few months ago. When I was growing up, I would always see the Renaissance Faire commercials on TV, so Alice and I were excited to go this year. The judges said that the lighting and expression of the guitar player is what makes the photo so powerful.
Some of my other entries that scored high but did not win ribbons included some High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos I had taken in Central Park, NYC.  HDR photos are created by taking several images of the same subject and then merging them together to bring out the photos’ highlights and shadows. These were my my first attempts at creating HDR photos and I look forward to mastering this new technique.  This one was taken at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. The judges loved the lights and reflections in the water but said it lacked a central subject. I guess I will have to go back and do it again while some ducks are swimming in the water!Â
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This is a photo of Central Park’s recently-renovated Bethesda Terrace Arcade. The judges felt that the cropping and details in the highlights could be improved. This can be done on the computer and will not require any bird control tactics.
