Contest
Photography is my hobby. It’s fun creating memories of the magnificent places and spectacular sights that I encounter. Also, I appreciate the challenge of learning and improving my skills. And I enjoy sharing images with folks that warm to my images and stories.
Winning awards is never my objective. Besides, professional photographers are just so much better at creating knockout landscape images.
Photographers like Gary Hart, Don Smith, Ian Plant, Marc Adamus, and Mark Metternich are in another league. Check out their websites if you are interested in what “good” truly looks like.
One of the two camera clubs I belong to includes competitions. Again, my primary reason for entering images is to share my work. In addition, a thoughtful critique is very much appreciated.
A month ago, I was invited by another local camera club to share lessons learned from 18 years of landscape photography. One of the questions afterwards was “Landscape photographs rarely win our camera club competitions because judges are drawn to birds and animals. Don’t you get discouraged when you rarely win?”
Not if you’re taking photographs for your own enjoyment!
The Contest
I usually delete emails about photo contests. But a few months ago, Ian Plant was promoting a Best of 2024 photo contest on his site.
Ian, along with the other four photographers referenced above, is one of the professionals that made an early impression on me. Ten years ago, I attended his Patagonia workshop and absorbed much photographic wisdom.
So, instead of deleting the email, I went through my best images of 2024 and submitted a couple of them. To my surprise, my image of the Northern Lights titled “Friday Night Lights” took second place!
If you’re interested, the announcement page is at Best of 2024 Contest Winners There’s a link on the page to a video where Ian and Taya Iv discuss the images and offer insights regarding their appeal and possible improvements. If you want to skip ahead to my image, it’s at 29:15.
The Shot
Readers with sharp memories will recognize this image from my January 10, 2024, Friday Photo. Wintertime blankets chaotic and distracting foreground details with beautifully simplistic snow. This makes the photographer’s goal of moving the viewer’s eye through the scene much easier.
The rime ice-covered trees bent towards each other creating a wonderful frame for the background leading the eye through the image. And the small mound of snow in the foreground was an unexpected bonus.
The image is a composite of a pre-dawn image of the foreground and an early evening image of the Northern Lights. Both were taken near Coldfoot, Alaska last February.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus