RECENT AWARDS

at a wedding shoot this past weekend, an adorable middle aged woman asked me where they could see my work.  naturally i directed them towards my website and then she asked me if i had won any awards for my photography.  odd question i thought, "honestly..." i said,  "not for my wedding work, but i have been fortunate enough to win a couple of awards for my personal work."  i have never submitted anything for my wedding work, largely because i'm still searching for that perfect image that i know represents my voice but i do on occasion submit images from my personal work.  i've always liked competition and i've always enjoyed my work being reviewed by professionals in the industry who have a trained eye and know what to look for.  often times their honest critiques have made me a better photographer and allowed me to explore abilities outside of my comfort zone.

photography is truly a subjective art much like paintings and poetry, but there is always something in each image that can connect with an audience.  something that allows it to stand on its own and sometimes stand up above others.   i would love to be able to capture images that fit this criteria all the time, but sometimes images are made in the moment, you just happen to have a camera in hand when it appears.  other times, it's a carefully constructed composition which balances the elements of light, shutter and aperture to create the mood the way it was intended in the photographer's eye. heavyweights of the industry like Peter Lik, Ansel Adams or Walter Iooss know how to achieve both and ultimately has made them successful in connecting with their fans through their work.

as an amateur photographer, i'm always happy to get a couple of memorable images i know that not only mean something to me, but to others as well.  the validation is not essential, but it is nice to know that these accomplished experts connect with your work and would honor you with an award amongst the thousands of amazing entries that get submitted.  so for that charming lady who asked if i had won any awards and for the few hundred people who follow me, here are a couple of recent awards i have been fortunate to receive from the good people at the Worldwide WOW Photo Competition, based out of calgary.

2014 contest - "eager to learn"

2015 contest - "downtown mosaic"

as per submission requirements there is a short description for each photo, but i can certainly elaborate more in a future "from the vault" post.  stay tuned...i think you will enjoy the story behind each photo.

i still feel photography isn't meant to be judged but rather appreciated.  the old saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" really does ring true, but if judges can appreciate and connect with an image when they see one, i'm not one to stop them from letting people know about it.  semi-colon closed bracket.

de jesus.  still searching for the superbowl-oscar-grammy-stanley cup-gold medal photo. out.