It is a blessing for me, and only by the Grace of Jesus Christ, in my 2nd year as a child photographer I won 2 awards *can I applaud for myself? :D*

The 1st award I won: NIKON INDONESIA PHOTO COMPETITION 2011/2012, I won 1st place in: child & model category.

The 2nd award I won recently: NAPCP July 2012 Competition, I won 3rd place in: baby category.

Some of you might ask what is so important about winning a competition, or so what if you win an award?
*For the record, I,m not saying photographers that won AWARD is better than those who don’t.*
But for me, it is the time for me to challenge myself. I always have pride for all of my pictures, like all photographers out there whether you are a professional or a hobbyist, you will say that your pictures are GOOD or AWESOME.
But when you submit your picture(s) for a competition (national or international) your picture(s) will be judge by a panel of juries. Not just an ordinary person, but a group of people that really competent and surely a pro in his/her field as a photographer.
They will have judging criteria, such as:

1. Impact: the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. Story Telling also plays a part in overall Impact. This refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. What message does the viewer read, and what story does the image depict?
2. Technical Merit: the quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing. Retouching, manipulation, focus, appropriate depth of field, sharpness, exposure, composition and correct color are some items that speak to the qualities of the images.
3. Creativity & Style: important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. The photographer’s style can be defined simply through their use of light, color, or any element that enables the audience to connect with the image. Creativity is the original, fresh, and external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought.

So when I submit my pictures for competition it will be “judge” by a group of professional photographers among other pictures (from photographers). Does my picture has an emotional impact when people see it? How bout my photography technique? Does my picture has all the items to meet a qualified image? Do I have creativity and my own style? that whenever people see my images they will know instantly that those pictures were taken by me.

In short, whenever I have session with a child (newborn, baby, toddler, children or family), I have a set of standard, for my self, my own satisfaction. I will always challenge my creativity, my knowledge, my ability to capture every emotion 🙂

Submitting pictures for competition, is for my own growth, It is a promise to my self, and all of my clients that I am learning, I always try my best, that I have a standard for every pictures I take.
And winning awards is a bonus   😉

much love,

Rittar Rajagukguk