Professional Photographers of America (PPA) has an incredible member benefit known as International Photographic Competition. I feel that this one benefit has been worth the price of PPA admission and has helped me develop the photography skills I have today.
Sandhill Cranes – Artist entry from last year – General Collection Merit Image
I do believe there can be a misconception of what this is all about because of the name. The word competition can scare off a lot of folks. It gives them the opportunity to give excuses. “My work is not ready to compete.” “I don’t need to compete and win awards to validate my skills.” “I’ll never win.” And other similar thought patterns that keep them out of the game. I can tell you when I first started my work was, how you say, less than stellar.
YOU DO NOT GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION TO WIN AWARDS! Notice that the caps lock was on for that last sentence because it’s supposed to sound like I am shouting. Yes, awards can be a sterling byproduct of imaging competition, but that’s not why you compete. YOU COMPETE TO BECOME A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER! I see every photographer that gets into image improve their work in a relatively short period. Those that put it off tend to stagnate and their progress is much slower.
Keeping Watch – Artist entry from last year – General Collection Merit Image
The act of choosing your images. Working on them to remove every possible flaw you can find and putting them before a jury of fellow photographers for feedback is an incredible education. I can’t tell you the number of times I put my best work out there for comment in this process and… Well, let’s say I was less than pleased with the result. Occasionally I would even think to myself, “What the heck do those judges know? They weren’t there and didn’t know what I had to go through to create that image! My client loved it!” After a time away fro the sting of not getting the result I was hoping for wore off I reviewed the judges comments with a calmer frame of mind. And I’ll be darned! They were right. It could have been better had I taken into account the post processing, composition or capture suggestions when producing the image.
Sarasota Magazine Designs – Artist entry from last year – Loan Collection Merit Image
And that’s what imaging competition is all about, competing with yourself to become better. Each year you try to do better than the previous one. Eventually, the awards start to come, and that’s great. But, even after I attained enough merits for my Master of Photography Degree and Master Artist Degree and Imaging Excellence Award I still compete. Why? Because I am still trying to be better than, I was the previous year. Imaging competition keeps me sharp. It eeps me pushing the envelope to learn new techniques and perfect my craft. In short, it makes me a better photographer.
You can Stream the IPC and tune into the learning. You don’t need to be a member of PPA
Wanna be a better photographer? Get in the game! Don’t wait “until you are ready.” If you wait until then, you’ll never be ready. If you aren’t already in you can get an idea of what the judges are looking for in the images by watching the competition online. If you already are in you know that the International Photographic Competition judging process is coming up this Sunday, July 31 thru Thursday, August 4 and will be streamed live. Tune in when you can. There’s an education to be had by being exposed to imagery. More education as you hear the judges speak to the challenges of why they believe an image deserves to be awarded a Merit, or not.
Also returning this year will be the IPC Live broadcast hosted by renowned Florida wedding photographer and co-host of The Photobomb Podcast, Booray Perry, Cr.Photog., CPP. Each day at 10:15 am and 2:15 pm EST, IPC Live will feature live critiques, interviews with the judges, and live Q&A sessions.
If you have any questions about the process, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Happy to help you.
When I travel to speak sometimes, I get a little behind on my blog posts. For good reason. This past weekend I had the honor & privilege of sharing some knowledge and judging imaging competition for the New Hampshire Professional Photographers Association. What a great group! If you are in that neighborhood & not a member of this association you are missing out big time on great photography education and camaraderie with fellow photographers.
I can’t speak highly enough about Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Affiliates. Education. Yes, there is a lot of it available online and through DVD and streaming products but I have to tell you nothing beats in-person education. Weirdly enough, your learning opportunities are magnified, and you learn as much or more during the breaks sharing ideas with fellow photographers over a cold beverage or hot meal.
I’ve been a member of PPA since 1997, and as soon as I moved to Arizona in 1999, I became a member of the Arizona Professional Photographers Association (AZPPA) and, in spite of living almost two hours away, have been attending monthly meetings, conventions, and special events. That’s a lot of commuting time! I added to my education by using audio training on sales and marketing during the drive back and forth.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I am a huge proponent of the imaging competition system. The state organizations that are PPA Affiliates are a great place to get your feet wet in the process. Most state affiliates have an annual competition with some of the PPA Approved Jurors on the panels. Also, they have some form of image critiques and networking with other photographers who are familiar with the best practices in competition. Please don’t let the word competition hold you back. It is not a battle against the other photographers for awards. It is a challenge against yourself to be better than you were the previous year. The awards start coming as you improve. I’ve seen it time and time again, those that get in and participate find they improve their photography skills exponentially. Those that say, “I’m not ready’ seem to progress at a MUCH slower pace.
Networking is another large part of belonging to associations. Getting to know the other photographers in your area can be a great help to you and your business. What do you do if you become ill or have an accident just before a big job?? Do you have backup people in place to make sure your clients are served correctly? Also, many photographers share leads with fellow photographers with overflow business or with genres of photography that they don’t pursue. Sharing ideas on lighting, posing and pushing each other to become the best they can be. Sharing time by heading out for little photo trips together. All these things tend to start with joining your local affiliate.
What are you waiting for? Here’s a link to the PPA Affiliate list.
Become the best photographer you can be. Check out the next meeting in your state!
Around the time when the calendar was going lower as it progressed toward Anno Domini from the time Before Christ. There was this dude named Aristotle who was a scientist but more importantly to today’s discussion a Philosopher. Even back then he recognized that we need to practice – a lot – to become the best we possibly can be. He might have been near the first to recognize the phenomenon but he assuredly was not the last. Repetition has been touted by all the great instructors as one part of how to become good at what we do.
I believe that a major part of the secret is that little secret sauce of making it a habit. Once formed habits self-perpetuate. This makes it an almost unconscious route toward excellence. We still have to program our habits to be good ones moving us forward and not just rote repetition. We need to continue to study, to learn and to practice what we learn. The secret is to make practice the habit and just make sure we program the practice properly.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not and act, but a habit.” Aristotle, 384-322 B.C.
I feel in order to practice properly we not only need to keep at it, but we need to have some outside help in reviewing our practice. One of the ways I continue to receive outside perspective on my imagery is to participate in Professional Photographer’s of America Photographic Competitions. I respect the jurors and their opinions (FYI I am also a PPA Approved Juror) but I also sign up for the critiques to get additional feedback. It’s not like I need the feedback to earn PPA Merits and awards. I have been fortunate and hold the Master of Photography and Artist degrees and have managed a few awards along the way. The awards and degrees have not been the ultimate goal but been byproducts of my participation in trying to learn more about my craft.
There’s no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be the image maker I am today without my participation in PPA’s Photographic Competition.
I encourage you to practice. To learn. To repeat again and again. And seek feedback so you have some outside opinions to help you on your way.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – I am in no way suggesting that the feedback you get will always be spot-on. You still need to run the information received through your own filters. But, I have found on many an occasion that information to be extremely valuable especially when time has passed and I can view my work with a more critical, and less personally involved, eye.
Arizona PPA convention awards. (I made Arizona PPA Top Ten for the 16th time in 17 years) Pushing the envelope of creativity. Infrared imagery. Basics of photography exposure. How image judging works. Bob Coates Photography new web site. Lumix luminary & some new camera gear features.
I was excited to receive a call while on vacation with my wife in New Mexico from PPA headquarters. They were calling to share the news that I was named to the Top Ten in the Illustrative Category. I learned I was eligible for a Grand Imaging Award. Unfortunately, I did not earn a GIA Award but I was named to the World Photographic Cup – Team USA It was quite and honor to have an image be recognized at that level.
A photo taken by a friend as I headed across the stage during the Grand Imaging Awards at the PPA Convention in Atlanta, Georgia last week.
Here’s a better look at the image. It was created using a macaw that I photographed at Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Florida. The bird was extracted from the scene and duplicated numerous times into a spiral nautilus composition. Texture, smoke, shadows and color layers were added to add more depth and dimension.
This is the final image.
Here is an earlier version on the way to the final.
Original capture – Tech info from original capture Lumix GX7Lumix Vario 35-100mm f2.8 1/250 sec f2.8 ISO 400
For infrared conversion of my cameras I use LifePixel. Infrared allows you to put an older camera to use and opens up a new time time of day for productive image creation.
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Lightning, waterdroplets, sound, time-lapse, HDR sequences, smiles and much more control for your camera!
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Sandhill Cranes – Artist entry from last year – General Collection Merit Image
Keeping Watch – Artist entry from last year – General Collection Merit Image
You can Stream the IPC and tune into the learning. You don’t need to be a member of PPA
What are you waiting for? Here’s a link to the PPA Affiliate list.
