Print Competition

The first time I went to a print critique at the local PPA (Professional Photographers of America), I thought it was a casual meeting when other photographers would look at and offer feedback on each other's work. Boy was I in for a surprise! I decided at the last minute that I wanted to go to the meeting, so I printed my images at Costco. That was mistake number one. The color balance was way off and every thing looked just a little weird. But I didn't think it would matter since it was just a friendly chat between friends. Um, no. Print critique is a big deal, judged by some of the most respected names in the industry like Arizona's own, Kay Eskridge, and my shabby prints just weren't going to cut it. Thankfully, I was right about how friendly the people there were and Kay gave me some great advice. I learned a TON about what types of images do well at print critique and most importantly, what not to do again (see aforementioned Costco prints...).

At the beginning of May I went to my second print critique and I was much more prepared. Below are two of the images I submitted and what the judges suggested.

The first image I chose was this one that I named, "Old Soul." I love how the horse looks right at you like he knows something but he's not going to tell you what it is.

The judges felt that this was a strong image, but that the mountains distracted from the horse. When I made the image, I liked the mountains because it gives the horse a sense of place and because the line of the mountains echos the line of the horse's neck.

I received two suggestions on how to improve the image--either make the mountains darker so that they're the same intensity of the horse or to remove them completely. Below you see the image with darker mountains. I wasn't happy with this version because I felt it made the mountains even more distracting.

This is the final version of the image. I removed the mountains entirely and added a border. One of the other suggestions was that for print competition it's a good idea to give the image a "treatment" that gives it some context/framing on the page. Much better! We'll see how it does the next time around.

This is the second image I submitted. It's one of my favorite images that I've ever taken. I just love the tenderness between the two. As soon as I saw this image come up on the back of my camera, it took my breath away. It's so cool how such a simple, everyday moment can have such beauty. And I was so honored that the judges felt the same way and this print did merrit. In fact, one of them said that it was her favorite image of the night!

And here it is after implementing Kay's suggestion to use a black border and make the image smaller in the print to give it a more intimate feel. This is very different from how I would display it in a family's home but it's interesting to think about all the different ways there are to present an image even within a single canvas. It's definitely broadened my perspective on what's possible to do with the work I create for my client families.

So what does all this mean and how does it help me in real life sessions? Look for ways to make the image even more simple, and in doing so to make the subject shine so that the viewer can see what's truly important. This is what I strive for, what my heart longs for and, my mission every time I pick up the camera.

Hugs,

Miki