As a now-paying member of the camera club, I have the opportunity to participate in monthly competitions. Every member can submit a combination of up to 2 digital images and 2 prints (ink or analog) to submit for judging. There are 3 levels of participants (beginner, advanced, and master) and the top 3 placing photos from each month are then submitted for an end of the year competition.
Part of me loves the idea of a competition. After all, I recognize that what has driven me in most successful circumstances in life has been my desire to become the “best in the room”, and when I become the best in one room, I try to find another room in which I can climb “through the ranks”. Photo competitions offer the same opportunity.
Then again, part of me loathes the idea of competition. I picked up the camera with zeal 4-5 years ago in a effort to get out of the house, hike, reconnect with nature, and improve my mental health. But there was a lot I could learn about post-processing of digital images, and I decided to study to the point that I am now an advanced-level amateur in Lightroom/Photoshop. There was a lot I could learn about artificial light, and I decided to study to extent that I now have knowledge in a variety of styles of photography inclusive of portraiture with 3-light off-camera lighting set-ups. Competitions lean into the sometimes unhealthy side of my personality, which may encourage me to move farther and farther away from the purest reason for me to hold a camera to begin with.
I joined the camera club to try to (maybe) improve my social life and learn, not compete. I know enough about cameras to make a decent image … at least until cameras are replaced with computational photography. What I don’t know how to do well is how to think outside of the box. How to be creative. How to see things in a way that others haven’t and to create something meaningful from that newfound perspective. I know how to take pictures, not make images. I was hoping that maybe I could find a path to that thinking.
But, on the other hand, there is this Greg-thing.
When I was looking through the club’s website, I took a peek at the competition calendar. On most months, the photo competition submissions can be anything, but there are a few months this year that are for particular subjects: Trees in January, Portraits in March, and Birds in May. Each month has a different judge, each with their own interest or specialty. This month’s month’s portrait submissions are being judged by Greg Heilser.
Bear in mind, most of the judges are local newspaper photographers, but this Greg-fellow, his name is really, really similar to one of the venerable names in portrait photography: Gregory Heisler. “LOL, nah … just a really, really freaky coincidence,” I thought to myself. After all, one of the most respected portraiture photographers in the world isn’t zoom-judging photos from the camera club in Syracuse, NY. Well … not unless the website has a typo and he moved to town 4 years ago and teaches at the University.
Whoa.
Okay – so this is a big time opportunity. Not to impress … I know better after all. This is an opportunity to fail. This is a chance to do something the best that I can, and then hear why it isn’t good after all. This is a chance to learn. Or not … maybe he’ll just glance through the pictures quietly and tell us what he likes about the winners. Frankly, I don’t know what to expect … the criticism would be most useful, though.
So now I have been thinking over the last 2 days, trying to think about what I am going to photograph and how. Now I am bumping into the same challenges that I usually have: creativity. I don’t want to set-up a key-light reflector and rim light in front of a backdrop. I certainly could, but that doesn’t interest me. I have 3 ideas, one for each member of the family. Each is true to them, and this time, I’ll get the image of Christine in the basement the way that I should have gotten the first time.
I’ll think about if this what I really want next week.