Why I Don’t Compete In Photo Contests And Why You Should Consider It

My good friend and fellow mentor at The Oakville Camera Club Deepak Patel has posted an excellent piece on whether or not you should consider entering your photographs in a juried competition.

The Oakville club holds its annual gala and juried competition for club members called Capture Oakville and the images that get choosen for display are universally excellent.

Now when I say they’re excellent that doesn’t necessarily mean the photographer who shot the image was a master of photography (some are) or even a gifted enthusiast. No many of the images, including award-winners, have been shot by average, even beginning, photographers of all ages.

So if you have an image you think is worthy of consideration and you’re a member of the Oakville Club then why not submit your photo?

As Deepak says in his post competitions “can sharpen your skills and push you into new territory” and this is a good thing. It’s a great honour to have your image on display during the Capture Oakville gala. And the shock and joy of winning or placing second or receiving an honourable mention is worth all the anxiety and work. There are even prizes that get awarded.

So why don’t I enter the competitions?

First of all I shot as a professional for over 50 years. In that time, especially the years I shot for newspapers and national magazines I likely shot over 100,000 images and had thousands of those images published.

I also taught for a national retailer and had thousands of students take my courses.

And now I am honoured to be a mentor at the Oakville club.

So my point is I’ve shot a lot of stuff over the years.

So why not enter competitions?

It’s not like I’d be guaranteed a win LOL. There are quite a few amateur photographers in the Oakville club who on any given day can shoot my pants off.

While our club welcomes newcomers to photography and offers many opportunities to learn to become better photographers we also are blessed to have among our midst some very good professional-level members.

Where I am technically excellent and can shoot publishable images very very quickly despite the camera and circumstances I am not a photographic artist by any means.

Since my retirement some years ago my photography (Here’s my current online gallery www.streetshooters.ca.) is now all about my becoming an amateur (as defined as “for the love of”) and while I occassionally shoot a special event for non-profits and charities most of my efforts are focused on shooting photos I enjoy.

I am not in competiton with anyone else. I don’t wish to have my work judged on its photographic qualities. A lot of my stuff isn’t technically excellent.

What I am trying to do is share my love of photography(which started almost 70 years ago with my first camera a Kodak Bownie) and get back to shooting simply for the love of it.

If you live anywhere near Oakville, Ontario and you enjoy photography you owe it to yourself to consider joining the club. It has a lot to offer.