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.

We hope all these tips help you to win the contest. You can take participation in free daily contest in site www.photorush.com. Winners get a chance to compete for real money.

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.

The author of this article is Yauhen Zaremba. He is CEO at www.photorush.com. Connect with him on is his Linkedin Profile.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/10-steps-that-lead-to-the-1st-place-in-a-photography-competition#ixzz23JpH3EUy