NYIP Merit Award package arrived yesterday - I was a teeny bit bummed

[DVC Jen]

I know that sounds silly - and truthfully it is.

I was awarded a merit award for the entire Unit 3 photo project, but one photo had a stamp on the back signaling it to be the one that really caught their attention.

When I called to see where my unit 3 photos were (since it took so long for them to send them back) and was told about the award I really hoped it would be the shot of my daughter (portrait in full shade) or the shot of the lighthouse (backlighting) that ended up being part of a collage I made for my husband for his birthday.

It wasn't either - it was the quick shot I fired off to cover sidelighting. The shot the really meant nothing to me. I had been fighting my fall allergies and losing the battle. I knew I had to get SOMETHING - so I went out into my backyard early in the morning and got a few quick shots of one of the Texas sage plants that we have growing around the pool. I really like the fuzzy texture and pretty blossoms on it.... but it as just that - a quick shot.

I fully realize the instructors at NYIP are not going to take into account my emotional attachment to the photos I send it - but well - I was still hoping.

There were two really nice letters as well as the award certificate included. It is a great feeling to have gotten the honor of the merit award.

The entire unit was on lighting - here are the photos I submitted.

This is a collage I had made (for my daily photo on smugmug) using the 2
still life shots I had to do. The photo on the left is with window light only and the photo on the right is the same window light but with a reflector added.

This is the photo for backlighting - I used this as well as 2 others and made a collage for DH. It now hangs in his office.

This is the one in full shade - taken of my daughter Emily.

And this is the one that was stamped with the merit award seal. It is sidelighting - of Texas sage that is growing in my backyard.
The purpose was to show texture.

 

[allie5]

I can definately see why they chose the flower - it seems technincally, much better than the others - it I had to guess which one was a quick point n shoot I would probably have picked the lighthouse - its a beautiful shot but I feel the flower really has something more. The texture, the light, exposure is spot on and that would have been the one I'd have stamped for a merit as well (not that I have any particular expertise, I just get more from that pics than the others).

Congrats anyway - dont be too disappointed all of them are great!!

 

[DVC Jen]

I can definately see why they chose the flower - it seems technincally, much better than the others - it I had to guess which one was a quick point n shoot I would probably have picked the lighthouse - its a beautiful shot but I feel the flower really has something more. The texture, the light, exposure is spot on and that would have been the one I'd have stamped for a merit as well (not that I have any particular expertise, I just get more from that pics than the others).

Congrats anyway - dont be too disappointed all of them are great!!

Thanks and I totally understand what you are saying. The lighthouse was a quick spur of the moment shot too. LOL It was NOT taken with the thought of using it for the photo assignment. It was taken back in July - but I used it for the photo assignment because my allergies were KILLER and I couldn't spend more than a few minutes outside without being totally miserable.

And I am fully aware that the lighthouse and the photo of my daughter are special becasue they have an emotional attachment - and I simply need to "get over it" - to be blunt.

 

[jann1033]

jen jen jen jen jen jen jen so only one merit award for those photos? congrats really. they are all nice but the texture is great on the flower one

 

[DVC Jen]

jen jen jen jen jen jen jen so only one merit award for those photos? congrats really. they are all nice but the texture is great on the flower one

I know! I should so hang my head in shame.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

That is quite an honor, congratulations!

It's funny how everyone sees things differently. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you had an emotional attachment to some of the other pictures. Someone coming in and looking objectively starts with a fresh slate.

You should have seen my reaction when I submitted what I consider my best picture ever into a contest, and mine didn't get a darn thing while my son's photo, submitted for fun, won a ribbon! What an outrage, LOL!

 

[DVC Jen]

That is quite an honor, congratulations!

It's funny how everyone sees things differently. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you had an emotional attachment to some of the other pictures. Someone coming in and looking objectively starts with a fresh slate.

You should have seen my reaction when I submitted what I consider my best picture ever into a contest, and mine didn't get a darn thing while my son's photo, submitted for fun, won a ribbon! What an outrage, LOL!

LOL exactly! It is hard to be unemotional about our own work at times - especially when one of the subjects is your own daughter and the other was taken as a gift for your spouse.


congratulations to your son.

 

[GrillMouster]

They are all nice images, so don't be discouraged. For the merit award they probably want something that stands out. They've probably seen thousands, if not millions, of images of child portraits and lighthouses/palm trees/couples in silhouette by the water at sundown. A soft fuzzy flower is probably a lot different than what they usually see for the texture assignment. I imagine they get a lot of images of of rocks, statutes, trees, and other hard objects for this assignment. You get points for creative thinking, and the ligthing and exposure are nice, too.

 

[Amy]

Jen, those are all awesome shots, and you should be proud! Although I can understand the emotional attachment to certain photos.

Maybe you can think of it this way: you learned so much and have gotten so good that when you go out and shoot something "spur of the moment", it's an award-winning photo without your having to think about it and set up the shot and all that other stuff we mere amateurs have to go through just to get a decent shot. You're so good that award-winning photos just come naturally!

 

[DVC Jen]

They are all nice images, so don't be discouraged. For the merit award they probably want something that stands out. They've probably seen thousands, if not millions, of images of child portraits and lighthouses/palm trees/couples in silhouette by the water at sundown. A soft fuzzy flower is probably a lot different than what they usually see for the texture assignment. I imagine they get a lot of images of of rocks, statutes, trees, and other hard objects for this assignment. You get points for creative thinking, and the ligthing and exposure are nice, too.

Oh I am not discouraged - the teeny bit bummed part was really said tongue in cheek. I was so excited when I heard I had won a merit award I screamed so loudly my dogs started barking. Then I wondered which of the shots for the unit was the winner and kinda hoped it was one I had an emotional attachment to - but I am honestly very grateful that I won an award for ANY of them. I really do feel it is an honor.

Jen, those are all awesome shots, and you should be proud! Although I can understand the emotional attachment to certain photos.

Maybe you can think of it this way: you learned so much and have gotten so good that when you go out and shoot something "spur of the moment", it's an award-winning photo without your having to think about it and set up the shot and all that other stuff we mere amateurs have to go through just to get a decent shot. You're so good that award-winning photos just come naturally!

LOL Amy sometimes I wonder if I think TOO much before I take a photo of something. Kinda seems on the daily community on smugmug I belong to - the shots that are just random snappers to me are the ones that do that best.

Telling me something maybe?

 

[ElizK]

Your pictures are beautiful! It's so hard for me to be objective about pictures of my kids. I FINALLY (after 6 weeks!) got my 1st assignments back from NYIP a couple of days ago. For the "extra credit" portion, I sent a picture of my oldest that I really just love. I sent a picture of my younger DD for the portrait assignment that I was not particularly happy with. They really liked that one, and didn't like the other one so much. I was a teeny bit bummed, too!