my first competition

We are lucky enough to have the Format Photography festival where I live and after a bit of encouragement (I believe thats what my other half defined it as) I decided to enter two of my pieces the Format Street Photography competition. I never enter to win but at least I had exposed myself to the world (do you like that ? 'EXPOSED' - photography-heh. Obviously I don't mean showing my private parts or anything)

After a careful review of all the different categories, I entered one called Shoot from the hip. I chose this because the photographs I wanted enter were physically shot from the hip (See A dogs eye view. My experience of street photography for more details) Anyways I entered them, again reinforcing to myself that I wasn't going to win anything and it wasn't worth entering and to just forget about it.

Now reader I know what you thinking, this story is leading up to a happy ending with awards at the end - WELL YOU ARE WRONG. Nothing, not a bloomin sniff of anything. Everyday I checked my emails, the website - nothing. I didn't even get printed of and put up on the bloody wall. I wanted to write to the people who ran the competition and say 'OI My photos were SHOT FROM THE HIP' and 'Do you know what I went been through to take these photos ?.

After this short stamping of the feet, I calmed myself (By calming myself I mean I was told to shut up going on about it) It was my first competition and at least I entered it eh?

snapshots of life

I recently had cause to look up some old family photographs, especially of me forty years ago. Well as my mother enjoys doing those sorts of things and holds the entire stockpile of my family growing up, I let her do it. Once we got past the 'oh what a beautiful baby you were' stage and me asking 'why did you dress me in that  ?', I did manage to filter them down to a few that I had in mind.  The browny orange hue that were the photographs at that time were never ever going to be award winners but what they did very well is capture a moment in time.

One of the photos showed my very first steps, something you would miss if you took the time to set the camera up, choose your setting etc - one blink and it becomes only a memory, a story as opposed to a picture. Others showed my first birthday, a photograph of my brother and I. I did find some older ones of my grandfather in Africa in the army. When I saw other peoples photographs at the group I was going to, they had pretty much the same results but each was able to tell the story as to why the photograph had been taken.

I sometimes think that when you get deeper into photography, you sometimes forget that it is a lot of the time about capturing a moment it doesn't have to be all about stunning images. Just because it doesn't follow the rules or it just depicts a slightly drunken couple on a night out or your other half pulling a funny face doesn't mean its not worth while. No one will arrest you for it.

After all, if a photograph provokes a smile, some happiness and a story has it not done its job?