Okay, this is going to be a long one! And if you know me, I can be wordy so get your afternoon coffees out for this read 😛
I discovered the Shoot and Share competition last year and made it a resolution to enter for the first time this year. Thousands of images are submitted per various categories by photographers around the world, and the voting process is cleverly unbiased; it’s free to submit, the public votes, there are no judges and you cannot get others to vote for you. Winners in 20th place all the way up to 1st place are announced during the remaining weeks of the competition.
I didn’t really think about my chances when I submitted. That is, until I actually started voting on some of the most amazing work I’ve ever seen, at which point I concluded that I wouldn’t be making it into the top of any category. As voting ended and they began to slowly announce winners (starting with 20th place, 19th place and “upwards”), of which I never saw any of my images, I’d resolved to take this photo competition experience as a learning lesson to improve, learn and enter more inspired than ever next year.
But you guys…I was completely floored to discover that this image of Lex and her umbrella DID make a winning round – one of the final rounds actually! Of the 8,800 entries for the category “Emotion and Excitement”, my image placed in 2nd!!!
As I look at this photo more, I can see why it spoke so well for its “Emotion and Excitement” category. This was taken on the first warm day of summer last year, so it was the perfect day to bust out the hose and the clear umbrella. She told me afterwards “Mom, I was both excited and scared at the time.” Her emotion and excitement in that moment when the water first hit so clearly shows! Emotions, connections, love; I seek these like water in the desert when I photograph my own family AND anyone who graces the front of my lens.
I am so thankful for anyone who voted in this competition, and all the fresh inspiration that I can now bring to each shoot this year. I was so tempted to submit client images, but decided only to submit photos of my family and some close friends instead. Next year though, with the confidence I’ve gained, I’m thinking I may submit client images (I will notify said families beforehand of course to give ample time for you to have your submission removed from the competition). Check out my Vivi video (provided by the contest) that shows a roll-up of the photographs I entered, or scroll down further to see how my images placed in the competition. If you’d like to see ALL the winners from top 100 to 1st place, check out this page https://shootandshare.com/contest-winners/.
My Shoot and Share Results
For those following the competition, here are my results. For my first year entering, I’m pretty happy with the results. I’ve learned so much (with so much more to go!) and gathered so much inspiration from this amazing competition!
What do each of awards mean? Check out this handy guide which includes how the contest filters results to understand the breadth and magnitude of placing in this amazing contest! It’s also fun to check out if you like numbers and processes 🙂
Second Place Winner
“Emotion and Excitement”
Placed 2/8800
Top 100
in “Lifestyle/Family and Documentary”
Placed 54/19,330
Finalist Placements | Various Categories
Finals in “Lifestyle/Family Documentary”
Placed 504/19,330
Finals in “Share Joy”
Placed 326/5181
Finals in “Share Joy”
Placed 516/5181
Top 10 Percent | Various Categories
(Hover/click to see placement)
Top 20 Percent | Various Categories
(Hover/click to see placement)
Top 30 Percent | Various Categories
(Hover/click to see placement)
Thank you for reading! The shooting season starts now. If you’d like to schedule a photo shoot with me, please check out my current availability for the year and send me an email of a date you’d like to book: http://83lux.com/schedule
