I recently entered the 2016 Shoot and Share Contest. This year the international contest had over 225,000 submissions and over 14,000 images in the high school senior category.
Excerpt from the contest website:
"The Photo Contest is a way to bring the community together and share what they love. We allow photographers from all over the world to share their work, and inspire others. By sharing our best shots, we can congratulate those who are doing an amazing job and encourage others to continue.
The Shoot & Share Photo Contest is unique because it’s all about the photos. It’s not about one photographers’s popularity vs. another’s or the ability to rally social media for votes. It’s not about your financial ability to pay for more entries to flood the photo pool."
So, why did I enter? I wanted to know:
- If my skills were improving over the course of my career
- If my skills are keeping with current trends
- If people with objective opinions feel like my photographs are sound
- Where my photography skills lie in comparison to peers in the field
Overall, I was pleased with my results. But, first, I have to thank all the seniors that choose me as their senior photographer this year! I could not have entered the contest without them!
I earned:
- 6 Photos in the Top 30%
- 7 Photos in the Top 20%
- 1 Photo in the Top 10%
I really enjoyed getting to see so many other images from photographers in the Senior Portrait industry. Whether or not you decide to use Coffee and a Camera Photography for your senior portraits, you should get your photos taken by a professional. There are SO many talented photographers all over the world, and you deserve amazing photos.
I was blown away that my images made it this far into the contest after seeing the quality (and quantity) of images. I look forward to continuing to improve my art so that I can provide better and better images for you!