Print Comp

I just submitted my images for the Northcentral District Photographic Open Competition!  Submitting to print comp was never one of my goals when I started in this industry.  In my opinion, my clients were the only people who needed to judge the quality of my images.  "You like, I like."  My, how priorities and perspectives change with age and experience. 
Late last year I realized (as I was updating images on my website) that not only did I need to sit down and review my portfolio more often but I also needed to get my images in front of other photographers.  Pouring through the art that I have created was not an easy or emotionally comfortable task.  I'll admit, I winced at a few images in the 2009 collection, and I may or may not have cried when I opened up 2008 (wasn't that the year the economy tanked...it was a rough one for all of us).  On the flip side, however, I smiled when I saw how the lessons I learned early in my career shaped the images that came later.  My portfolio perusal turned out to be a positive experience. 
Whether I win, lose, or draw next week I'm just happy to have entered the playing field. 

This was in the 2009 folder. My lenses have gotten bigger since then, but I still fit into that blue dress!   ;-)