A club I belong to, Photo Venture Camera Club, hosts a contest each month with a topic that changes each time. It’s always an exciting event, they bring in a successful experienced photographer to judge all the entries, and we all wait in suspense as the judge critiques each and every image, saving the winners for last. This month’s topic was “Unusual Perspective,” and this month I was the winner!
You may recall a post from last month, Fighting Flamingo Style in which I talked about winning third place in the club’s January contest. I am completely elated to have received these awards. I think oftentimes people see a piece of art that they admire, and they assume the artist already knows their work is good. Well, let me just tell you, we don’t. I, as well as most of the photographers I know, constantly question the value of our work. We go through processes of self-critiquing and examination, all part of the growth cycle that drives us to refine our art, to become better, to take risks, to distinguish ourselves. However, it is so easy to be too hard on ourselves, as I often am, and over time that can become discouraging. But these moments of success make me realize why I hold myself to such a high standard, it’s for the quality of my work. I am driven to continue to become better and better at what I do, not just to win contests, but to be proud of the work that I produce. Winning contests is not my reason for creating beautiful images, but receiving this honor makes me feel like I am on the right path.
There is a story behind this image. My husband and I took a weekend getaway to Chicago this past October to see one of our favorite bands, Poster Children. We had a few hours to spend between dinner and the show, and let me tell you it was a rainy, cold, miserable night. Finally, the rain stopped and the sky cleared, and we went to the Willis Tower (though it will always be named Sears Tower to me!) for a different view of the city. Now, I am a big advocate of having a camera with you at all times. I carry my camera almost everywhere I go, but I didn’t have it with me on this particular night. I anticipated being out in the rain past 1am in an unfamiliar city, on the train and in a club where people may or may not “mosh”. This particular night I decided it was safer to leave my camera in the hotel, and boy did I regret that decision! When we got to the top of the tower, I looked out on the city and saw the incredible night time views, it was breathtaking! So I asked my husband if he would mind revisiting the tower with me the next night, and he agreed. So the next night we rode to the top again, this time with my camera and tripod, and I got my images. This particular image was taken out on a ledge with a clear bottom. I put my camera (Nikon D700 with Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens) face-down on the see-through floor and let it expose for about 30 seconds. After 25 seconds of exposure I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Time to go” said the security guard. “Just 5 more seconds please,” I said.
Laura, Congratulations on your winning entry. I’m really proud of you. It’s a beautiful picture. Sometime maybe I could have a copy of it for my home photo gallery. You are really becoming a success at your photography!