5/25/2006

My father

convinced me to enter a couple of photo contests. I started off with the Spider Black and White Awards ($35 per entry). I submitted Crossing Brooklyn Bridge under the People section. I've always had a dislike for art contests in general. I don't expect to win anything - so I can't see any disappointment in store - but there's something about the idea of these contests that seems obnoxious. I haven't analyzed the feeling but it has something to do with the inability of anyone to quantify art. But I'll play the game and enter a couple to please my father who has been pestering me about this for about ten years.

When I told him that I had been receiving e-mail offers for years about entering contests he said that he almost hung up the phone on me - he was that upset.

My portfolios arrived from Light Impressions so now there's one more project to finish up. I've been too busy to even open the box and see what they look like.

Infrared is going on the back burner for a while. I have a hankering to shoot straight photography again with ye olde tri-x.

Sales have been downright dismal - but I have about five irons in the fire (whatever that means) and maybe one of them will ignite. I'm always curious about where these idioms come from: irons in the fire.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

After a bit of searching:
http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/HaveOriginsData.htm

emory said...

hey dave- I believe that most contests provide a means for the host to harvest money. Look at the results, look at who wins. Usually not impressive.

Dave Beckerman said...

Yeah. I told my father that I had entered a photo contest and he said something in Yiddish which roughly translates to 'A good life on your head.'

He was so excited that whether I win or lose - it was worth the $35.

I never entered these contests because, win lose, or draw - it just never meant much to me. I won some awards when I was in film school - and again - they were meaningless. Maybe more than meaningless because I didn't think much of the judges.

Of course - this is now a contest oriented popular culture (see American Idol) so maybe I'm just completely out of touch. Yeah. I think I am.

Spent some time photographing Matt and his daughter at the C.P. Zoo yesterday. If one of those shots is good - that's my reward.

Anonymous said...

The thing that put me off of most of the ones I've seen is that they get rights to all the photos submitted, even if they are not selected as winners. It seems to me that some of these contests are just a cheap way for the contest organiser to build a stock photo library.