Entering a Photography Contest

The best way to assess an individual's photography talents can be to enter a photography contest and be judged by their peers. After putting all the work into learning about photography and gaining the skills needed to take decent photographs, entering a photography contest can seem like the next appropriate step to take. It is a way to have your work viewed by other photographers, thus advertising your skills on a wider level. A photography contest generally comprises of various levels and areas of photography and so it is important for the contestants to be certain of categories that they should be submitting their work to. It can be necessary to pass certain requirements and/or to pay fees in order to enter a photography contest.

Some photography contests only allow amateurs to enter and this can keep the contest fair, as it will not pit a total amateur against a professional. This is also why there tends to be different categories and skill levels. The category is important, as it can be very hard to judge macro photography against general wildlife photography. Entering a photography contest is a good idea for any photographer whether they win or lose. It can give the photographer an idea of how they may improve their work and also give examples of what their peers are working on in the meantime. Entering many contests can provide the background to enable a photographer to win contests in the future. Losing a contest does not mean that the photographer is bad at what they do; it simply means that they did not provide what the judges were looking for at that time.

Winning a Photography Contest

Winning a photography contest can be a stroke of luck for many people. Some win on their first try by simply having an excellent piece of work on show. Nobody is perfect however and there is always room for improvements. The contest will probably have some requirements or be looking for a certain type of photography in particular and it is important to bear this in mind. Entering the same contest every time it runs can be helpful as it may provide background into the type of work that appeals to the judges and so the contestants can aim for this in the future.

Entering a wide variety of contests can be advantageous on various levels. It can advertise a person's work to a large amount of people and begin establishing a photographer's name in the field. The various judgments and critiques can be more useful than compliments as they help the photographer focus on areas they need to work on. Winning a photography contest can also be helpful to those that are interested in becoming professional photographers, as winning competitions can be a nice addition to a resume, especially if the contest is particularly prestigious.