Each year the AIPP runs an enormous event known within the industry as the APPA's.
Its the most prestigious photography competition in the country and this year it saw more than 3000 prints entered from photographers from across the country.
It's a chance for your work to be judged by the most amazing photographers, not just from Australia but from across the world. Its enormous and for the last four days has occupied thousands of photographers minds, all full of nerves and excitement. All hoping their prints will be successful in the judging and with any luck may even score them an award or two.
To say it's exhausting would be an understatement. Perhaps the feeling could be described as the most nerve-wracking, intense three days of any of the entrants lives could be close, although even that doesn't seem to cut it!
For months the preparation goes in, selecting the right images, editing them to perfection, printing them on the most delicious papers you could ever imagine, making sure you have done all those things perfectly, making sure of that again just in case, mounting them as if preserving the most precious piece of art in the world and finally packing them in one giant briefcase looking container and watching Australia Post take all your blood, sweat and tears into the distance. Hoping they will treat that black box like its their own baby, hoping they understand that that black case contains your heart and soul, destined to be hung on a wall, under two bright lights, sure to show even the slightest imperfection, for 5 people who you look up to and admire to judge. Argghh...just writing that makes my stomach turn all over again! Sound scary?
What about the fact that there is then a room full to the brim of other photographers watching them do that. Watching each judge rise from their seat to go in and look so closely at your image that even the smallest imperfection would be as obvious as a billboard on a highway? Yes, its hard. Its almost as hard as putting yourself up on that wall for all to judge. Its not just an image, its everything, your heart and your soul there for all to see.
Its huge and its something that takes every ounce of courage to go through with, even those who have done it before find it hard.
But, I did it. Why..I still have no idea, in fact, and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking this but as soon as the competition begins I often have this sudden feeling of regret , I ask myself why oh why have I done this again, I am set for failure, is it too late to sift through thousands of the most amazing images you have ever seen to pull mine out and run?
But I didn't...I took a deep breath and sat and listened as the most talented photographers I know as they commented, judged and scored each print, I jumped for joy as my amazing friends scored awards for their work, I wandered the walls admiring the images. Some made me giggle, one even made my cry and it was then that I realised why we do this. It is the most inspiring and motivating event any photographer could attend. It reassures us why we do what we do, regardless of awards and accolades. We capture these memories that have the ability to move even a stranger walking by. That to me is incredibly reassuring and soul warming.
Anyway.... how did I go? I got two silver awards and something that gives me heart palpitations just thinking about it....A GOLD! An amazing, hard to achieve Gold ( I aint playing it down, I'm bloody proud! lol). I couldn't be more excited and to make it better two judges even scored it 98!
So thank you to the beautiful Poppa John for enabling me to catch that moment and then for allowing me to enter the print. It touches my heart every time I see it, I hope it does you as well.
GOLD AWARD
WEDDING PHOTO JOURNALISTIC CATEGORY
SILVER AWARD
ILLUSTRATIVE CATEGORY
SILVER AWARD
PORTRAIT - ENVIRONMENTAL
