“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. “- Henry Ford.

Growth can only come from stepping outside one’s comfort zone. Last year I did just that. I entered the International Print Competition (IPC) held by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) for the first time. You can read about my first steps in this new journey here on the blog.

Every year over a thousand professional photographers participate in IPC, submitting their images to be reviewed by a panel of four judges against the 12 Elements of a Merit Image. There are two main categories for which images are judged—Photographic Open or Master Artist. Images that receive a score of 80 or above earn a merit and are accepted into PPA’s General Collection.

This year I entered four images in the Photographic Open division and I am thrilled to say that ALL four images earned Merit awards. This means that I earned a Bronze Medal for this year’s competition. All in all my images scored a little better than last year. But it’s not the overall results that are important; it is the process and learning that comes with creating the images that are submitted for the competition. During the process I gain new skills as a photographer and artist that will allow me to create better portrait artwork for my clients.

Here are my entries for this years event:

The Stowaway

This puppy portrait earned an image merit and was accepted into the IPC General Collection.

Reflections of a Life Well Lived

My portrait of my girl, Babe, earned an image merit and was accepted into the IPC General Collection.

Double Scoop of Cute

These adorable puppy portrait created for a client session also earned an image merit and was accepted into the IPC General Collection.

Autumn’s Sentinel

This autumn portrait of an earnest black Labrador Retriever earned an image merit and was accepted into the IPC General Collection.

Now with the 2018 IPC behind me it is time to begin to plan next year’s images. I am looking forward to the challenge.