I have one more shoot and then I am on holidays for a little bit. This weekend I head to Melbourne for The Australian Professional Photography Awards – fondly referred to as APPAs. I have entered and attended the last 2 years and both years I have come home with a silver award, and a few so close I can smell it!
When I tell people I have entered, they often say, “oh I hope you win” thank you, so do I!! But its not really a case of “winning”, there isn’t a gold, silver and bronze medal for 1st,2nd and 3rd. So I thought I’d explain it a bit before I head off for this years awards(party)!
There are 16 categories you can enter, and you can enter 4 prints. 2013 I entered 4 prints into the family category, 2014 and this year I have entered 4 images into the birth category. Technically you can “win” as every category has a “photographer of the year” winner.Thats a pretty big deal if you get that!!
So I have chosen my 4 images – that in it’s self is no easy task, out of the thousand of photos I have taken, how can I choose just 4! So what next.
Those photos are submitted digitally and then printed and mounted and sent in a special case (after rubbing Buddha’s belly) to Melbourne. Appa starts on Friday and today people in Melbourne starting unpacking and categorising all the prints.
Then on Friday the judging starts (I feel sick with nerves just thinking about it!), one by one, in no particular order images are revealed to a panel of 5 judges, these judges change throughout the process, judges will step down if they recognise a print and someone else will step in.