As a professional photographer and a slightly introverted solopreneur, putting my work in front of my peers and judges is a bit scary. However, I want to continue to challenge myself and learn and grow as a photographic artist. 

I watched my first image competition at a photography conference I attended in April 2019. I came away so inspired, and on the plane ride home, an idea for an image just popped into my mind. I’d never really thought of my photography in this way. My work tended to be more organic and about documenting what was right in front of me and not so much about planning the creation of a photograph, if that makes sense. During the remainder of my flight home, my thoughts wandered, and it struck me how much our dogs change over relatively short periods of time, especially in their first year of life. I wondered what advice or wisdom would they bestow on their younger self, and could I tell that story through a photograph? I took steps to bring my photographic vision to life, and it's featured below titled "Fatherly Advice.” This image showcases Archie, a standard poodle and is a composite of two photographs of the same dog taken roughly one year apart.  

It was time to step out of my comfort zone. I participated in two competitions over the last six months as an accredited member of the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). These juried exhibitions showcase images that are both creative and cutting-edge, as well as technically executed to perfection. Some of the best photographic talent in the world lives and works in Canada and enters this PPOC image competition in the hopes of being selected for the Salon Exhibition. 

A group of highly qualified jurors has the monumental task of viewing and objectively judging in excess of 800 images. If an image receives a score of Accepted, Merit or Excellence by the jurors, it is deemed worthy of being accepted into the Salon Exhibition. 

I submitted two images at the regional level (British Columbia) and four images at the national level (Canada). 

I’m proud and honoured to say that I’m now an Award Winning Photographer! Both entries submitted at the regionals achieved awards, and 3 out of 4 entries submitted at the National level were selected for the Salon Exhibition by the PPOC. I received valuable feedback from the jurors and inspiration to continue improving my photography skills in professional and personal endeavours. 

Achieving awards is undoubtedly exciting, but just participating in image competitions teaches me so much about myself and keeps me motivated to push my abilities even further.

With photography, lifelong learning is part of the journey. It’s one of the things I love the most about my chosen profession and hobby. 

The camera does not make the photographer; rather, it is creativity and seeing things in different ways that captures attention. 

Image competition is not for the faint of heart, but entering my photographs in image competitions is an excellent way for me to step out of my comfort zone, try new things and flex my creative muscles. Thus fulfilling my personal goal to improve my photographic skills and learn new things while also benefitting my clients as I continue to be inspired to improve my work's calibre and creativity.

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You can see my award-winning images and their ribbons showcased below and I even got some press from the TriCity News. Click here to read the article.