10 Steps that Lead to the 1st Place in a Photography Competition

So many people try to win the contest and too many of them fail. So, are there any secret ways how to become a winner? How to win photo contest and let the whole world admire your work of art? Why not figure that out right away?


 

 

10 Steps that Lead to the 1st Place

 

Step 1. Find out more about the competition you are about to enter

 

There are many small and big contests that are performed monthly and yearly. Choose the one you like the most. If you are sure about your chances, then don’t waste your time on minor competitions.
How to find appropriate competitions? Use the Internet and enter keywords – photography competition 2012, photo contest, etc.

Step 2. How to win photo contest?

 

Learn its rules: every contest has its terms, requirements and conditions. Of course, this is the least pleasant step, as no one likes rules and limits one is put into, however, being well-acquainted with them means having more chances to become the first

Make sure that your photo is of required imagery, size, pixels, etc. When the photo doesn’t fulfill all the requirements, it won’t be taken into consideration.

It is also highly important to get acquainted with the past entry winners’ works and their styles. That helps in gaining insight into what the contest’s administration is looking for and what it expects to see. Your primer task is to find a common feature that unites all the pictures and make your own shots.

Step 3. Picking the photos

 

Choose a few photos that seem to suit the requirements the best. While choosing them, make a judgment on visitor votes, who liked pictures from the previous contests. This will help to figure out what details and pictures to pay special attention to.

Step 4. Don’t be too shy

 

One of the commonest mistakes of those, who participate in such contests, is the fact they are sure that their pictures are not good enough. Try to pick the best photos out of your portfolio. What’s the secret of such competitions? The administration is not trying to find something perfectly composed. The task is to get the photo that is unique, extraordinary, special.
At times, it is even enough to make a single shot that depicts a special moment and win the prize of the contest.

 

Step 5. Keep practising! 

 

Having talent doesn’t mean having wonderful photos. They say that to catch a moment it is important to be at the right place at the right time. But who knows when or where one should look for this moment?
Use the talent you have to catch unique moments that will give the photo an edge over hundreds of other competitors.

Step 6. Stay in the mood

 

How to win photo contest? Be prepared. Preparation doesn’t mean knowing the exact date of the contest or having the best photo ever. Preparation is keeping one’s mind thinking about it, being thematically oriented, looking for ways for self-improvement and taking more and more pictures.
Don’t lose chances to have great shots even after you’ve sent the picture. Professionals say that good shots are always around and the task of an artist is to use the moment.

Step 7. Work on the theme

 

Every competition has its theme. One can’t bring an ordinary photo and participate in the competition. One should bring the shot that suits the chosen topic. However, they say “keep to the rules, and don’t forget to break them”. What does that mean? The photo you choose should match the theme of the contest, but it also should go far beyond it, depicting philosophical context. Make the picture have sense. Try to be creative and interpret the given theme in your own way, adding your own flare and imagination.

Step 8. Stimulating emotions

 

The photo you choose, should provoke certain emotions, because everything that is connected with emotions becomes memorable, and it doesn’t matter much whether those emotions are positive or negative. Evoke senses of the viewers and steer them to recognize the emotion that is hidden within the photo.

Step 9. Submit the picture at the beginning of the contest.

 

Many contests are generally based on visitors’ votes. Don’t wait until the last minute to send in the entry. Some people tend to do this as they are afraid that their photos might be lost. However, this is a wrong strategy.

 

Step 10. Promoting the photo 

 

As many contests are mainly based on the votes of online site’s visitors, you are to promote your entry to the contest to let your family, friends and fans know to vote for you. Promotion can be done in social networks (Twitter and Facebook). When the picture you’ve chosen for the contest is eye-catching, you will definitely receive votes from site’s regular visitors, who always choose good photos.


The feedback on your photo is very important as well. Before sending the photo to the contest’s administration, give it to your friends, relatives and colleagues, who will become the main critics of your work. This way is especially effective in case you cannot choose a single photo out of hundreds of shots.


What types of photos are the most popular? To win popularity the photo should be impressive, and it doesn’t matter what things, emotions, objects, people or situations it impresses with. It should also be perfect from a technical point of view. Make sure that the photo is focused, correctly composed and exposed.


Of course, there is nothing more pleasant than to achieve a victory over other competitors. Saying that victory’s not the main thing means trying to soothe oneself. However, there can’t be several winners among hundreds of participants. If you are not chosen, you still should go on shooting to improve the technique and catch THE moment.

How to win photo contest? Keep to all the tips we’ve described and do everything possible to be in the right place at the right time.

Photography Tip—How To Pose a Car

Photography Tip—How To Pose a Car

 

 

To capture exciting and interesting digital photography of cars, you must understand how to pose the car just as you would pose a person as the first step in composing a portrait photograph. Many of the specific techniques are similar, in that you want to shoot from the best angle to show the car (person) at its best and be very attentive of all the little details of how the car (person) is “dressed” and “groomed.” This article will explore a number of these car-posing tips and techniques, preparing you to excel as a car photographer. 

A Clean Machine

It should go without saying, but just to provide you with a complete checklist: Any car or vehicle you photograph should have been thoroughly cleaned, polished, and even detailed. This includes the interior and engine compartment if you plan to photograph them. In addition, check that all the external parts are attached securely: no body trim hanging from the car.

Now, obviously, if your vehicle/subject is a classic car, luxury automobile or extremely expensive sports car, then the owner will certainly make sure it is ready to be photographed (He or she probably keeps it in this condition all the time). If you’re using your car as your first subject, then you should still have it cleaned and polished, if for no other reason than to see distracting reflections in the body and learn how to avoid, or mask, them.

Strike a Pose

The location(s) you’ve selected to photograph a car has a major impact on how you pose the vehicle in the location, which is all the more reason you need to understand the posing techniques below.

It’s best to start with photos from a front (right or left) 45-degree angle. These could include a low-angle at 45 degrees, a high angle closer to the car with the camera moved towards a head-on shot and two angles in the opposite direction from 45 degrees towards a side-on shot.

To find the correct position of the car for these first photos, you must take into account a number of factors. They are the direction of the light, the reflections it produces, the background and the space around the vehicle. 

As with most outdoor photography, you want the sun behind you or behind you and to either side. This can be an interesting lighting angle on a car. The camera is on a diagonal angle from the left or right headlight and the sun is at an angle that spills the light down the side of the car towards the camera.

Look carefully for unwanted reflections on the body and the glass of the windows. Then, reposition the car just enough to reduce their effect.

As you are deciding where to park your subject car, you must also be constantly checking the background. Some of the photos in this series will be from various angles, so you must be sure that the background is good for all the photos you’ll take.

The fourth factor, or the space around the vehicle, is also important. First, you want enough space to move closer and further from the car for wider and tighter views, and even to shoot some images with a telephoto lens. You also want to be sure there is plenty of space in front of and behind the car, which helps to emphasize and enlarge the appearance of the space on either side of the vehicle.

The other front angle and two rear angles are photographed much the same, except you turn the car 180 degrees or into any position, so the sunlight is hitting that side and the background still looks good. You also move the car to shoot direct front, rear and side views. Another variation to add to your first series of car photos (and all future photos) is to shoot every angle with the wheels straight and with one full turn to display the wheel design. Another detail is to make sure the brand name on the center cap of the wheel is level and can be read in your closer images.

Another tip for beginners: When you first start your car photography adventure, it should be just you and your camera, without a tripod, flash or other lights. Using a tripod and artificial light are more advanced techniques. It’s best first to develop the skill to shoot excellent, sharp images holding your camera.