Last night was the monthly meeting of T.A.P.P.A., the Tampa Area Professional Photographers Association and, as usual, I entered three images in the print competition. I entered in the "Weddings and Social" Category.
I won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! Woo-Hoo!
The only problem is that I was the only person who entered this month. :)
I just don't feel right bragging about a sweep when it was a lock from the start so I'm coming clean on this one!
However, it did afford me the chance to see how my images stack up against each other. I often find that other photographers rate my images in a different order than I do so I purposely entered three distinctly different images to see if they would rank in the order that I would put them in.
They did.
Here they are: 1st, 2nd and 3rd!
Still an educational night for me. Chuck Vosbergh, a great photographer, told me that he voted for #2 because he liked the motion and energy. I'm always happy to hear what other photographers think about my images.
I also wonder about image #3 and wonder if it would have ranked higher if I had included the original image before being retouched. There is actually a strobe sitting on a tripod right in front of the couple, providing the light. I think that most people assume that the light on the couple is from the sun. Would someone rank that image higher if they knew that it required a strobe that was then removed with Photoshop? Is a picture "better" if it's harder to do? I don't know but it's a good question...
The Florida Professional Photographers Association has voted to accept a new member designation, "Non-Professional Photographer." In the past, to be a member in the guild you had to have a business license. They are now moving toward letting photographers join who are pure hobby shooters. I think it's a good idea. I meet people all the time who are passionate about photography but don't want to get a business license just so they can join the guild. These are people who would benefit enormously from the programs that we offer and the mentoring of professionals who are available to teach them how to excel at their hobby. It will be nice to be able to bring some of these people into the guild. Imagine being someone who loves photography and who can now sit down and have dinner with a table full of professionals every month and ask questions about technique, lighting, etc...
Booray Perry is an award-winning wedding photographer in Tampa Florida.
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