NZIPP Iris Photography Awards 2014
Another year of photography awards has come and gone and i’m filled with inspiration and excitement for next year’s awards! This year the NZIPP Epson/Iris Awards were held in Rotorua.
On the first day of judging I got 3 Bronzes in the landscape category and 1 Silver in the travel category. Now I know a bronze is an award, and we should be happy with that, but the truth is that I was a little disappointed in myself. Try and tell other people that and they look at you in disbelief. I know I should be proud, but we set such high standards for ourselves and when we don’t do as well as we want to, it can be a little emotional in many ways. You start to question your ability and it can really play on your mind. Crazy as it sounds
The second day my first print scored GOLD! I was over the moon and it made me feel so good! It was even more meaningful that it was a photograph of my brother and his wife, one which I created on their last visit to New Zealand. This photo was done completely in camera, one experimental slow exposure with multiple flashes
It was time for my next print to be judged, as I watched nervously on the livestream from home - boom, another GOLD! A great discussion from the judges and I was ecstatic
My last print came up and got a Silver and I was once again really stoked
I ended up becoming a finalist for the Portrait Classic Category with 2 Golds and a Silver, something I have never achieved before. I also got awarded my first bar to Fellow of the NZIPP.
But most of all, I have made some awesome friendships with true artists and beautiful people, who I am so grateful to call friends. To me, it’s all about growth, and entering awards is fantastic for that, but networking and friendships are just as important.
I can’t wait to see all the inspiring work next year, bring on Queenstown 2015!
