Award Tips

Are you a wedding photographer and/or family photographer and do you like to participate in competitions? Then I like to share some award tips with you on what you might pay attention to when submitting your photos.

A disclaimer to start with: I share these tips based on the photos I saw as a jury member for @thisisreportage. I also judged for @fearlessfamilyphotos and @inspirations. By sharing these tips I don’t want to claim that I’ve mastered them all myself. I just noticed a number of things while judging and I would like to share them with you! And it’s not like I win awards all the time. In fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult to win an award. More and more talented photographers are emerging and the level is extremely high. So winning an award is really special, also for me.

Ready? Set. Go!

Watch your skintones! Make sure that the skin color of the people in your photo is natural and that they don’t suddenly turn orange, greenish or yellow. If you are unable to get those colors right, convert the photo to black and white.
For @thisisreportage and @thisisreportagefamily, no form of posing may be visible. Nothing should be staged! Even if you submit a photo where a group of people is ready for a group photo in the background, but in the foreground, for example, something funny happens with a few children, the jury members will be asked not to reward this photo. This also applies to the story of which the photo may be part of.
Create a clear storyline in your story and pay attention to the order of your images! For me as an outsider, the story must also be logical to follow.
Less is more! Use as few photos as possible to tell your story. Too much of the same makes a story boring.
Make sure that the images are consistent in terms of editing. Alternating color and black and white is of course possible, but if your color style in the photos changes or if you use a lot of contrast in one photo and little in the other, this distract from the feeling of the story.
Think carefully about which photo you start a story with and which photo your story ends with. A nice eye-catcher to start your story with is important, but make sure it fits into the storyline. Your final photo is just as important! Make sure it fits in with the rest of the story and provides a nice ending.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

Remember that photography is also a matter of taste. What appeals to me may not appeal to someone else and vice versa. If your photo or series does not win an award, that says nothing at all about the quality of your work. Of course you can be disappointed. I feel disappointed too when there’s another round without a win. But try not to become insecure about it and keep believing in yourself and your work!

Good luck!