3 Things I Learned from the Shoot & Share Contest: A Rookie's Perspective

Now that the dust has settled from the annual Shoot & Share photo contest I thought I would do a little reflecting. If you're not familiar with the contest, check it out here. It's an incredible worldwide contest, and if you ask me, the only truly fair and subjective one that exists. I took a leap this year and entered 6 photos into the contest in various categories. Here is a visual to help explain the range of the contest this year:

Let me say upfront, I had no expectations of making it past Round 1. Read on to see how I did and the 3 things I learned as a rookie.

1. Holy Talent, Batman!

If there is a word that could better articulate how incredible some of the photo entries were, [insert that word here]. This contest opened my eyes and allowed me to make connections with some insanely talented photographers from around the world. This community is powerful, uplifting, and inspiring. I have many days where I feel on top of the world and confident about how far I've come with my skills, but then I saw some of the work entered into the competition and I realized I still have so much to learn. It's terrifying and humbling all at the same time.

2. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky

For the past 2 years I didn't enter the contest. Admittedly I was nervous. Nervous that my work wasn't good enough. Nervous that it would just bring up more feelings of inadequacy. But this year was different. Yeah, of course there is always going to be someone better than you. So after a little procrastination I used those same feelings to fuel and motivate me to enter a few photos. I culled through hundreds of photos and found 6 that I felt proud of. And what do you know... 1 of those 6 was a Finalist out of 300,000+ submissions.  

3. Phonetography?

Yup, the photo that earned the coveted finalist badge was taken with my phone. Go figure, eh'? I feel like I should quote something cliché here like it's not the expensive gear that makes a great picture it's all about composition and lighting, but I don't think this is the time or place for that. Ironically I challenged myself this year to put away my iPhone and document life with my "real" camera (Nikon D600). So maybe I should reconsider? Only kidding... I was very much a giddy child on Christmas morning when I would get the email updates from Shoot & Share that announced  "someone loves your photo" (the only way to know that you still have some skin in the game since winners aren't announced until the very end). Whether people liked my photo because it was beautifully composed or because of the subject matter was a gorgeous water villa in the Maldives, I'll take my finalist badge and wear it proudly!