newsflash: VPP Print Competition

Last week I attended the 81st Annual Vermont Professional Photographers’ Convention at the Equinox Resort in Manchester, Vermont. It’s always fun to socialize with fellow members, sit in on some classes and watch the print competition.
I have learned so much from print competitions over the years. I love to see the variety and artistic level of the other members’ work. And while it can be painful to watch a print that was entered get picked apart by the panel of six judges, it is equally as rewarding to watch the judges give praise to an image they enjoy. Either way I always learn something valuable about color, composition, and the importance of not losing detail in the blacks and whites. One of the things I love so much about photography is that I always have so much more to learn. The print competition, although subjective, inspires me to always do my best work!
Each year Andy and I think of the print competition in plenty of time to gather our 6 pieces of work and get them printed. Unfortunately, each year we wait until the week before the competition to actually do it. It’s not that we love to feel the pressure of getting things done, it’s that life and work always come first. Next year we’ll be on top of it! ha ha!! So for that reason, Andy entered one print, one album by himself, and two albums that we made together. I entered four prints and the two albums with Andy.
We were quite pleased with the results which you’ll see below….

“Groovy Kind of Love” was taken at Kristen and Jason’s beautiful wedding last September. It won the “Member’s Choice Award”, the “Kodak Gallery Award” and a “Court of Honor.” Congratulations to Kristen and Jason for this award winning moment!

Andy and I made a digital wedding album using Tonra and Sean’s lovely wedding images and titled it “An Autumn Wedding.” We won the honor of the “Vermont Wedding Album Award.” Congratulations Tonra and Sean for helping us to win this honor three years in a row!!

The rest of the images were blue ribbon winners….

Andy created a fun engagement session album with images from session with “Valerie and Jason” in Burlington last fall. 

Andy and I created a digital wedding album with some of our favorite images from Bina and Andy’s wedding.  The judges loved the colors on this one!

“Wonderland” was taken at the Tunbridge Fair.  It was an outtake from the Vermont Vows/Well Wed shoot that I was involved in last fall.

“Young at Heart” was a grab shot from the Tunbridge Fair shoot above.  I was immediately smitten with this wonderful farm woman’s sparkly eyes. 

“Attraction” was from a photo safari that I took with the Vermont Professional Photographers’ on a sunny day last June.  There was an award given to the highest scoring print from that day.  This one scored an 80 which won a blue ribbon.  But Terry Norris won the award with his image “Burning Bales.”