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Always Moving Forward 2018 International Print Competition

“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 earns a PPA international print competition merit award

The Stowaway

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

Reflections of a Life well Lived earns a PPA international print competition merit award

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 earns a PPA international print competition merit award

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.

Autumns Sentinel earns a PPA international print competition merit award

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.

August 10, 2018 Karen Hocker ,

2017 International Print Competition: Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

“If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” – John D. Rockefeller (1839 – 1937)

Sometimes stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to growth and success you would never have dreamed possible. With a big push (aka a kick in the rear) from two professional photographers whose work I admire, I took a big step and entered the International Print Competition sponsored by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). I wanted to push myself and my art to a new level.

I am proud to say that out of the four images I entered in the IPC, three of those images merited and one went into the Loan Collection. For every Merit I earn, I take a step closer to earning my Master of Photography (M.Photog.) degree from PPA, which they award for superior photographic skills. I still have a long way to go, but the journey has begun.

Eye on the Prize wins place in PPA IPC's Loan Collection

How Does It Work?

There are two rounds of judging. The first round is to determine which images meet the standard to Merit or not. Each image is judged against 12 standard elements by four judges who have been trained by the Photographic Exhibitions Committee (PEC) of PPA. In order to Merit an image much receive a score of 80 or more. Images earning a Merit are then placed on exhibit the International Print Exhibit at Imaging USA, the annual PPA convention.

Images that earn a score of 85 or more are then judged for the Loan Collection. These are the “best of the best” as judged during the competition. Images judged worthy to be in this collection are then published in the annual Loan Collection book and are exhibited at the convention.

Pensive Golden Retriever wins PPA IPC merit in print competition

Please Don't Leave Me Behind puppy image wins merit in photo competition

Although I am thrilled with the results of my first IPC, the most rewarding part of the experience was working with the wonderful mentors who helped me prepare each image for competition. I learned an incredible amount during that process. I am already looking forward to next year’s IPC and seeing what I can create for it and how that will influence my work overall.

August 17, 2017 khpSG17 ,