The annual Georgia National Fair‘s photo competition had a record number of submissions this year. The number of entries to the Beginner and Advanced classes were up, but the Open (or professional) class had a lower count than last year.
Why? I’m not sure. Maybe the pros in Georgia are too busy, maybe they don’t care about the Fair, maybe they just don’t know about the contest. As a pro photog, I love participating in the fair’s competition for several reasons.
#1 – Cash prizes
Sure, you don’t win $1000 or $10,000 for a winning photo. First place only brings in $20, second place $15, and so on. But hey, cash is cash. I came away from this year’s contest with about $375. That covered all my expenses in printing my photos and leaves me with enough to replace my 50mm f/1.8 when I drop or lose it for the fourth time. Speaking of cash…
#2 – It’s free to participate
Most photo contests that offer cash prizes have entry fees. The Fair has been and always will be free. Your only expenses are shipping/driving to Perry, GA to submit/pickup your prints. And of course the cost of printing and matting or mounting the prints. But that last expense is also a benefit because…
#3 – It’s an excuse to finally print your digital images
Too often we make beautiful images and they just sit on our computers in a virtual world. Granted we share them on Flickr, Facebook, and other social web sites but there is something about seeing you image in a tangible medium.
My wife and I have a rule each year that we don’t print and submit any photos to the Fair that we don’t want to hang on our walls afterward. That way, even if we don’t win anything, we’ve got some physical prints we’re proud to put up in our home. It gives our home’s walls an annual face lift!
Another thing I’ll do is give my wining prints away. A lot of my work is done in third world countries for non-profits. On several occasions I’ve given them a print I took of their work or subjects that I exhibited at the Fair. It makes it special when I tell them it’s an “award-winning print.”
#4 – Learn to shoot subjects you don’t normally (and enjoy it)
I’m pretty stuck in my ways. I enjoy photojournalism, landscapes, and concert photography. Animals, flowers, still life, and textures aren’t subjects I seek out. That said, throughout the year and with the Fair’s contest in mind, I do push myself to try some different genres. This year it paid off as I won the Award of Excellence for Monochrome Photography with an image of sheep in the Animals category. I also placed in the Plant Life and Textures categories.
Sometimes professionals get burned out shooting the same thing over and over (think senior portraits or engagement sessions). By delving into some other subject genres you might end up spicing up or improving your normal photographic pursuits.
#5 – Your images are seen by tens of thousands of people who otherwise would never see them.
The Fair attracted nearly 440,000 visitors this year! Granted, they didn’t all wander in to the arts building and look at the exhibits, but a lot did. My winning photos definitely get looked at as they show off their flashy colored ribbons. As a pro, that is some great publicity! As a visitor peruses the exhibit, if they see your name with a ribbon over and over again, they are going to take notice. Everyone in the photography business knows that name recognition is HUGE. Business aside, photography (and any creative art) is not about what you get but what you can give. Your great images on exhibit can…
#6 – Inspire young and/or amateur photographers
Over 1200 photos were submitted in the Beginner class this year, double that of the Advanced and nearly triple that by pros. Obviously, there are tons of amateurs who take their photography seriously. The building where photos are exhibited also hosts a dozen other art competition exhibits, many geared towards youth. When my best work of the year hangs in that gallery, I can hope that some aspiring photographers will be motivated and inspired to keep working to improve their skill and vision. After all, I was in their shoes not so very long ago.
If interested, you can see my winning photographs from 2011, 2010, and 2009 on my blog. I hope to see some of yours next October at the Georgia National Fair.
Great blog post–I really want to be more involved my own artistic world (music and writing) but I have not made the time.
What a great way to encourage others. I stumbled upon your website a long time ago and every year when I got to the fair I look for your pics. They are always outstanding…moving, beautiful, and unusual. I’ll never forget the alligator that you captured half in and half out of the water. I’ve toyed with the idea of putting some of my pics in at the fair, but have never worked up the nerve. I’m far from professional…still getting comfortable getting out of auto, but every now and then I get one that I really like. Thanks for giving me the kick I needed to start thinking about what I might put in. Never hurts to throw your hat in the ring!