For many, many years I have been a huge fan of photography. From the greats like Dorothea Lange and Henri Cartier-Bresson to Annie Leibovitz and Herb Ritts, I have always been a fan. For a few years (more than a decade ago) I was blessed to be educated at Orange Coast College (OCC), a school that is ranked in the Top 5 in the country in Photographic Studies. After struggling through the transition from film to digital, about a year ago I saved up and purchased a Nikon D40 DSLR – and my world changed. I now have more images than I know what to do with.
I have dabbled in color and black & white, portraiture, nature, and architecture, but have always drawn the biggest joy from just hanging out with friends and shooting events, moments, and people as they occur in everyday life. As much as I love and admire wedding photography, I prefer the spontaneous moments as they happen.
Something I have never done before is enter a photo into a contest. This year, as I researched and contemplated my future in photography, I thought that I should look into exhibits and competitions…just to see how my work compares to the work of others One of the first events I thought of was the photo contest at the OC Fair. After looking into it, I found that the deadline had passed. Next was the Huntington Beach Art Center. Funny enough, the deadline was just a few short weeks away.
This showing was open to anyone – work had to be done within the last two years, and it would be a non-juried exhibit…no competition, no pressure. I looked over my portfolio and settled on a few images. With a little discipline, I narrowed it down to one and filled out the paperwork. I did the work, showed up and turned in the photo, sent out the emails and waited. On Friday, June 26th the show opened.
That smile was plastered across my face all night long. Nothing beats the feeling of looking up on a wall to see my framed picture (the one of the building, street sign and sky is mine). I was nervous, but it was a great night. The show runs until July 29th, 2009 and there are tons and tons of great art. I was very happy to be a part of it!
