Award Winning Print – San Antonio Print Competition

"Tribute" - Winner 1st Place: Professional Photographers of San Antonio Feb 2010

I gotta say I’m not a fan of talking about myself, so as you read this, don’t think I have a big head. I was honored with my first “first place” photographic win last night at the Professional Photographers of San Antonio guild meeting and print competition last night.

Each month, the best professional photographers in San Antonio get together to eat, talk, and learn about our craft. Along with great food and people, we challenge one another with a print, portfolio, and album competition. Print competitions help us see our photos in a different way and we grow and learn through the critique process.

Let me tell you, it’s a nerve wracking experience to put your work out there for all of your peers to see and critique. Self doubt is something everyone deals with and it’s hard to lay your self out there when failure is a certain possibility. After all, there is only 1 first place winner. But from my meager understanding of the process, success or failure really isn’t the point (although, I have to admit success feels pretty good). The point is to become a better photographer and create images that are visually exciting and alive.

I started to write a little more about photographic prints vs viewing a photograph on a computer screen, but I think I am going to save the discussion for another blog entry!