I got nominated!

I couldn’t believe it when I got the email, that’s why I haven’t posted it here but, my contribution to International Photo Awards 2022, IPA, got nominated. It’s a series of photos I took one morning during maybe two hours at Batu Bolong in Canggu, Bali. I was, and still am, so fascinated by the temple, surfing and the sea, I tried to put all three in my photos and basically that are the photos I submitted. Think it was a good opportunity for me to submit a series of photos which are centered around one, or three, theme. And I didn’t win, but that really doesn’t matter. Or, of course it would have been super nice and a big opportunity for me. But, my photos got seen and I got to show how I see the world and maybe some people have discovered the beauty of the sea, surfing and the temples of Bali.

So I will continue to submit photos to contests and exhibitions, it’s easier when you already have a couple of sets of images which are ready. I’ve read that you have to continue to try, and enter contest, and you can submit the same images to many places. What I’ve noticed it’s that different organisations prioritise different kind of styles. And it’s not that my images are not good, it’s just that they don’t suit the contest of are in fashion at the moment. It’s ok. And I think it’s better to develop your own style than to try and fit into what’s fashionable at the moment.

https://www.photoawards.com/winner/zoom.php?eid=8-1659167021-22

The official contribution to the contest. And below are my official badges. When I was looking at Instagram and I saw other people posting these, and still was in doubt if I had been nominated, when I finally found them on Photoawards site I got assured that it was actually true.

So yes, I will continue to enter contests. And, by doing so I learn a lot not just about entering contest but also about what kind of photos I like to take and it’s an opportunity to spend more time with my photos and look at them as a set, a body of work. Having a body of work sounds super pretentious I know, but it’s actually true. And makes me proud, it’s not just a “nice click” it’s photographs.