Contest submission is tricky. I always find myself torn between submitting what I believe is the best image and submitting what I believe has the best chance to win. Trying to guess what the judges will be looking for is incredibly hard. Photography is art and no two people look at it the exact same way. Many times I have failed to place in a contest only to see the winning entry be very similar to a picture of mine that I rejected for consideration.
Yesterday I entered a contest sponsored by a company that makes photography backdrops. These types of contests are really just promotional tools for the company that sponsors them but hey, I'll take a free backdrop any day!
The theme of the contest is "Valentines." Right away, I'm at a disadvantage because I can only assume that the winner will probably be a picture that was taken using a background. I mean, they make backgrounds, they want to sell backgrounds. Are they really going to pick a winner that doesn't use their product?
Oh well, I decided to submit a picture that I think is unique and fun. I don't think I'll win but I do think it's a great picture! I call it, "No U-Turn."
This picture was shot during an engagement session last year, on Kennedy Blvd in Tampa. I used a neutral density filter to cut down the sunlight enough so that I could shoot at a slow shutter speed. Without the filter I would not have been able to get the cars to blur. There was a little retouching done, mainly to the grass on the island (I cloned the grass to cover some concrete).
See more engagement pictures on my website.
