Just finished my 3rd monthly contest, and have been happy with my progress. I am assuming I've been doing things right in the past, but just haven't honed the process quite well. At least now, I feel that I'm making good use of my investment, both financial and my time, in this hobby. Honestly, I'm just aiming to pass by contests but more importantly, learn new things, gain confidence to appreciate my own work and maybe develop my style in the process. It's all about learning for now, and I'm happy that I've been improving bit by bit. I don't expect to always be on the positive side but I do feel more motivated now that I know I'm making progress. I hope I keep the momentum.
During the second contest which was an On the Spot Contests on the field, I got my two photos in the Top 15 which was really surprising. I focused on one thing: taking a unique shot, something that will differentiate me from others - which has always been a goal of mine. Ironic because I was feeling pressured to shoot since I haven't been shooting for a while. It took a while to get into the groove, and I still wasn't satisfied since I didn't get the shots I wanted. But I was happy I was able to get some shots (those unexpected ones) that are good enough to submit. It also helped to get mentored by Corrine and Armi who kinda pose as the "motherly" figure in our club. I also showed my photos to Angela who offered to help select shots. I had a shot that I knew was unique but I thought was imperfect because of certain objects caught in the frame that I thought was distracting, turned out to be a great shot after some adjustments made to the highlights and shadows. The other shot I submitted I really wanted to submit it cause it was a moment in time, complemented with some technical techniques like reflections, etc.
I continued to do well on the third contest. Contrary to my default mindset, I forced myself to again ask for the help of others. This time, I got mentored by two of the best photographers in the club, Angela and Jeff, I felt really lucky they were so welcoming, I kinda feel guilty taking away some of their time but I was happy I tried and asked which resulted in getting more than I expected. On a side note, this feeling seemed familiar, back in high school when I managed to get the courage to ask for help from one of our teachers who I look up to, after making a mistake of being too shy which resulted in a lost opportunity to succeed. I didn't get to the Top 15 for this, but I passed!
Yesterday was the 4th contest I entered. I've spent the whole month or so selecting a photo from my archives. This time, I asked another member Arlene to vet my entries and it was pretty helpful. And I got at least one in the Top 15. The thing is, because it's the end of the year, they don't publish the scores of the Top 15 which in a way makes it hard for me cause I don't know where I stand, but I guess they do give feedback during the mtgs anyway so I still benefit from learning real time.
So far so good, I'm motivated as I mentioned and I'm ready for my next contest which is another on the spot contest. I'm joining the club on an international trip to Fukuoka next week. Of course, when I succeed like this, I have this tendency to feel the fear of failing again, that's something I have to work on. Like my mentor Angela said, Aim High!
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