Entering Photography Awards is scary!…

Awards

…But I won’t stop doing it!

Maternity image being judged in photography print competition
One of my prints being judged at the Convention

Wow!!…what an amazing few days we spent in London attending the annual Societies of Photographers Convention.  The event also hosts a prestigious and very tough print competition!

I decided to put myself well and truly out of my comfort zone this year when entering the photography awards and I entered 6 images!…2 Children, 2 Newborn and 2 Maternity .  The standard is incredibly high and people enter from all over the world!

Outside the comfort zone…

I am always a bundle of nerves….eagerly watching the expert print handlers with their white gloves unwrapping the next entry and delivering it safely onto the light box….the moment you realise it’s yours they are carrying is truly terrifying!…my heart races, my palms go sweaty and I think I forget to breathe!…having your work scrutinised by a panel of experts makes you feel so vulnerable and it’s at this point that my bestie Eleanor is usually linking and squeezing my arm saying lovely things to try and calm me down… and I always do the same for her when hers appear! 

The scores are in!…

5 individual scores are recorded from each judge and the chair delivers the average score as your final result. 

One of the judges is then invited to comment on your print, say what’s good about it and maybe give pointers to improve and work on in future….this is the part that is such a golden learning opportunity…(even when it isn’t your photo!)

Anything 75 and above is a fantastic result and meets the standards of professional practice… 80+ is a Merit and I had hoped for at least one of my entries to reach the Merit standard as it then goes to be hung in the Convention gallery for all the visitors to see.

children fine art portrait winning merit award for Lizzie Worley
My first SWPP Merit Award!
newborn photograph winning merit award for Lizzie Worley
…and then I got another one!

These 2 both scored 81, and my others were 77, 78, 78 and 78!

The only person I actually ever feel in competition with is me and I just love the whole experience of learning and bettering myself each year! A massive bonus is that I can also see that my client work continues to improve as a result!

I have the best mentor ever which definitely helps…

Lizzie Worley Luminosa Photography and Kelly Brown
Me and the lovely Kelly

When I first started my journey into newborn photography, I invested in training courses from the best in the business! I first met the lovely Kelly Brown over 5 years ago and I pretty much bought the whole of the www.newbornposing.com back catalogue!

Fast forward to now and I am proud to be a founding member and a part of the fantastic community she has created at www.kellybrownonline.com. I have learned and continue to learn from this wonderful, inspirational lady and am now so proud to be able to call her my friend.

Best of friends

Being a self-employed photographer can be a lonely affair, but It was a few years ago while watching a print competition that I met my beautiful friend Eleanor Whibley. I love that we now go to all these work events together and this year, she absolutely smashed it and won her first globe trophy scooping 1st prize in the Children category…I could not be prouder of her and may have cried like a baby when she won!

Lizzie Worley and Eleanor Whibley
My partner in crime

Just do it!…

If you are still on the fence about giving it a go, then why?….what have you got to lose? The road to improvement has to start somewhere..so why not here?

If you still need convincing, just drop me a line and I will persuade you! www.luminosaphotography.com/contact

HAPPY SHOOTING!!

7 Comments

  1. Garrett

    I love this.

    Reply
    • Lizzie Worley

      Thanks Garrett!.. you inspired me! 🙂

      Reply
    • Anne Mcguire

      Amazing! And well done with your beating images.
      Xx

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth Smith

    Wonderful news! A learning experience is just a judge away ……….. I too dig deep for the courage but once you take the plunge ….. Oh what a tingle and thrill. Love and congratulations Lizzie. Xo

    Reply
  3. Edna Merced

    Congratulations on all your wins, Lizzie! I absolutely enjoyed picturing a glimpse of your recent photography journey in reading this blog post. I look forward to reading more. I’m hooked!

    Reply
  4. Ruthie Meiri-Newgrosh

    We’ll done you talented lady <3

    Reply

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