That's a wrap! The official results from this weekend's Professional Photographers of Canada Image Salon are in. All four images were successful, which I'm enormously pleased about! (Especially considering that it was my very first competition.)
The final score was 1 Excellent, 2 Merits & 1 Accepted! For those unfamiliar with print competition scoring, images selected for inclusion in the Salon receive a score of “Accepted”, those which stand above the rest receive “Merit” and the small number which are deemed to be truly exceptional images are awarded the prestigious score of “Excellence”.
Here’s a run down of how the images scored and a bit of back story about how each was created.
Sway
This image of Hydro the Koolie was my Excellent image.
This was a last-minute addition to my submission, funnily enough. An excellent fellow Canadian photog convinced me to submit this one in lieu of a weaker shot. Whew!
This shot was literally from my very first foray into studio action photography. It was probably the second time I'd even set up my lights. I was enormously lucky to capture this shot of the charismatic Hydro the Australian Koolie at this event. Not half bad, I say!
Elegance & Style
This shot of these stunning Salukis scored a Merit.
I absolutely adore working with sighthounds in studio (if you've not noticed already!). Their fine features and regal poise are a dream come true as far as I'm concerned. I have big plans for future shoots involving them, as soon as this lil' pandemic is a bit more under control.
This is Bee and Beatrix. I met their owner almost purely by happenstance while looking for a special model for an entirely different model call. I fell in love with these dogs, and their owner is simply marvelous. This shot was taken at my impromptu "home" studio when I was displaced by a house fire for many months. I really enjoy how special shots arise from bizarre and unplanned situations.
Sea Wolf (aka, We Dream in Colours Borrowed from the Sea)
This shot of Bazinga the Australian Koolie was taken shortly after sunrise in Toronto (at the Scarborough Bluffs, for those familiar with the area). This was taken at the epic photo collab done with the amazing photographer Claudio Piccoli and dog trainer Sara Brueske. There's a great behind-the-scenes video of the shoot floating around somewhere. Have you seen it? Needless to say, the experience behind capturing this shot (and so many others) is one of my all-time favourites.
I love the momentum in this shot, as well as the way the serene colour pallet contrasts with the energy of the dog's expression and movement. The whole thing is right out of a surreal dream.
This shot scored Merit at the national print competition. I am thrilled with my overall performance at the event! I learned SO much when spit-shining my images to perfection and can't wait to apply that knowledge to future shots.
Pardon me?
This shot of my own dog, Cohen, is the oldest of my 2021 Image Salon submissions. This was taken before I had much in the way of camera gear, and zero studio lighting or props. It was achieved by punching a hole in a large piece of draft paper which was suspended on a kitchen chair. Pretty high-tech, eh?
This shot scored a mark of Accepted. It’s a cute and fun image, but lacks a bit of quality. It’s a smaller, noisier image. But it’s a shot that is close to my heart, and I’m very happy that it was accepted to the Salon.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped teach me the ropes and prepare my submissions this year.
HUGE congratulations to all the winners. You guys just blew me away with your skill and artistic eye.