Contest Entry Strategy as a Part of Career Growth Plans
Monday, May 19, 2008 @ 03:29
When photographers are just starting out they often make the mistake of thinking that the more photo contests they can enter, the better chance they will have of fast tracking their career. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
Just as with any other career strategy, selecting the photo contests to enter and then following a select strategy for submitting entries, will result in the greatest chance of long-term career success.
The first thing to do is find out which contests feature the type of photography you like to do. For example, if you are just starting to break into the wedding or children's market, you would probably do better to enter contests that feature this type of work. Doing so will be easier for you since you will already probably have many examples of just what type of photographs the judges are looking for. This will be a real time-saver since you will not have to go out and shoot the photos you will need for your submission package. You will already have them and can just possibly enhance them, if necessary.
Secondly, carefully read the submission rules very carefully before entering any photo contest. Do you even qualify to enter the contest? Maybe it is only open to professional photographers already on staff with a studio that does lots of wedding work. Maybe the contest is only open to members of a certain association. If that is the case, you want to see if it would really be worth your while to join the association (and pay the yearly dues) just to enter the contest.
Finally, make a determination about the prestige (or lack thereof) of the organization running the contest. Especially if the entry fee is steep, you do not want to pay it if winning the contest will not even buy you very much. For example, if there is a $100 entry fee for a certain contest, but the top prize is only $1,000; is it worth your time and effort? Well, if the sponsoring organization can offer some definite benefits to the winners, like exposure in the pages of a nationally recognized magazine or inclusion in a well-known and well-respected online portfolio, then perhaps the contest is a good one for you to enter, especially if it features the types of photos you most like to shoot.
Regardless of which contests you decide to enter, approach the process with an eye to your future career plans. Devise a strategy and then employ it. Consider your contest entry efforts as a step on your career path and approach them with a very definite and well formulated plan in mind.
