2/12/2025
This is my final update on the photo challenge that my friend Amy put together last year. We had the wrap-up review a week ago. Amy is not hosting another competition this year. She is taking a year off but plans to be back next year. I have mixed feelings. The pressure is off, but... the pressure is off.
I finished up my last challenge update with a post about my November and December photos. The White-capped Albatross was well received. The feedback was that the rump of the bird was overblown a bit. I did a little editing afterwards to fix this, and the photo did look much better.
With the year over, it was time to focus on our final portfolio. We were allowed to use the same images or to substitute images, and I felt that I really needed to replace some of my submission. Some just were not as effective as I had hoped. Others had flaws that were only obvious once I had gotten feedback; it is easy to get attached to certain photos and overlook things. In some cases, I just had not taken the shot yet;. Photos I took later in the year worked a lot better than the ones I had at the time submissions were due. The months for the final portfolio still had the same goals as before (in order): "rule of thirds", fine detail, smooth background, singing, eye-level, birds being birds, perched, framed, habitat, water, multiple birds, and in-flight. Here were my final submissions, also in order.
The final review session was a bit different. There were going to be "winners". In short, the individual reviewers from throughout the year were given a form and asked to vote. The categories were: best of month (a month-by-month selection of what you felt was the best photo submitted for that month), most improved (most improved photographer for the year), and best portfolio. As for voting, I voted for myself exactly one time - I picked my perched shot for best of August, because I really like that shot.
While I did not win August, I did actually win three of the months. My shot of the female Long-tailed Duck from Utqiagvik, AK won June's eye-level challenge. This was a new submission; replacing a shot of a Louisiana Waterthrush. The White-chinned Petrel from my South Africa pelagic won best shot for October, and the White-capped Albatross won best shot for December. I was shocked. I hoped to win one but expected to be a close second, at best. The session ended with the announcement for best portfolio, and Amy started off with a couple of honorable mentions. They were both great photographers, and I had expected one of them to win. In fact, I had voted for one of them as best portfolio. As Amy started announcing the winner, it suddenly set in... it was me. If I was shocked before, I was even more shocked and humbled then. I think I stammered out something about how I would not have voted for me. I am still a bit astounded. Realistically, there were better photos submitted by other photographers. I did not submit the best image (or images) for the year. There were some really great photos submitted by a number of people. I just managed to pull together the best portfolio at the end. I attribute this to a couple of things. First, I think being well-travelled adds a bit of an edge. Second, I really listened to feedback. When I had photos that did not work well for a month, I was willing to trade it out or use it for another month.
Regardless, it was an amazing experience. Often, when looking at my photos, I feel that they... well, they look like my photos. I look at the work other people display, and I feel my work lacks a lot, at times. It is not to say that I am not proud of my shots. I stand by the work I do. It is just that I feel there are a lot of people who do better. I cannot think of a single photographer in the challenge group that, at some point throughout the year, did not submit a shot that I wished I had taken. Having the group take a moment to recognize my photos has meant a lot to me.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
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