This past weekend I travelled to Rotorua for the annual NZIPP Iris Awards. I entered 8 images in the awards this year, and was attending the judging with a great sense of self doubt and forboding. I had a very successful year at the awards in 2013 with two silver and 5 bronze awards in my second year entering, and going into the same competition trying to equal or better that result had me losing clumps of hair.
The Iris awards is the most prestigious photography competition in New Zealand, and they don’t hand out medals very often for average everyday work. Photographers use the awards as a creative kickstart to create totally unique and incredible photography that pushes the limits of the medium.
I struggled a lot with even entering the awards this year, believing I had nothing worthwhile. I was concerned that, unlike most, I was planning to enter images from actual client sessions and weddings, shots that embrace my simple and light aesthetic (whereas iris judges usually prefer complicated and dark…)
I’m reminded of this little infographic that I’ve seen doing the rounds on facebook:
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That is pretty much me in a nutshell.
One week out from the entry deadline I started work on, shooting and creating what would become four of my eight award winning entries!!
The first of my prints to be judged was in the landscape category – a shot that I truly felt was my strongest hope of my 8 entries. I waited nervously in the judging room for my print to come up right near the end of the huge category – with over 130 other entries. I was thrilled to receive a bronze award for this image that I took at Cashel Rock outside of Dublin during my adventures in Europe in May.
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My next three prints were judged the following day, and two were also awarded Bronze awards. I was so relieved to receive 3 awards from 3 entries, but I had no idea that this was just the beginning!
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At the end of the Portrait Classic category, the image I genuinely felt was the weakest of my 8 entries was due to be judged. I had been advised by many friends not to enter this image, and I was wavering myself until the print came back from the lab. I chose to print this image on metallic paper, to quote an unnamed judged “I saw your print [boggly eyes] I wanted to lick it!”, metallic paper has the same effect on me – it really has to be seen to be believed.
Even so, I felt for sure that this print would break my streak of bronzes and drift off into nothingness as ‘professional standard’. I could not believe my ears when the first score was announced as 86! Silver with Distinction! Not only that one of the judges elected to ‘challenge’ that score and set about talking the other judges into rescoring MY LITTLE PRINT into the gold range!! Gold awards are about as rare as hens teeth and the idea that they wanted to give one to ME?! A happy dance was required.
My favourite quote from the judges debate was from Katherine Williams (practically my favourite human ever): “This portrait absolutely has an enduring quality. Everything about it is timeless and will be loved forever, which is one of the main reasons we practice our craft. These sisters will love this image until the day they die and for that it is well worthy of a gold award”
I went to bed feeling – I’ll admit it – like a complete and utter fraud. As much as I love my gold award winning image, the number of great photographs I had seen during the day made me feel as though I had fluked my gold award, and that many other more deserving images should have won. Especially as I was expecting my next three images to continue you bronze streak (AT BEST FINGERS CROSSED) the next day.
Day three was the wedding classic category, and portrait creative. My first print up won another bronze – which I was thrilled with, but which also confirmed my fears…
I was brought to my senses a few hours later when halfway in to the 130+ print wedding category my sixth image was judged. I love this photo of dear wee Kate from Amanda and James’ wedding earlier this year. She was such a good little girl on the wedding day, and being from London, her little British accent took the level of cuteness to 11/10. Even so this is a fairly ordinary image from a wedding. I’m known for my ability to capture natural expressions and decisive moments during a wedding day. I expected the judges to see this shot as good solid day to day work, achieved at most weddings by most photographer: ie. professional standard, or a bronze award at best.
My mouth fell open again when this print scored 80 in the first judging and Ian Poole elected to challenge it even higher!
The end result for this print was 85/100 – silver with distinction!
Colour me surprised!
My last two prints ending up being judged in separate rooms at almost exactly the same time! And both attracted elective challenges from the judges – this debate and feedback is the main reason for entering Iris and watching the judging: to hear critique and accolades from some of the most respected photographers in Australasia is beyond valuable. I ended the awards with TWO MORE SILVERS! Making my haul 8 awards from 8 prints, including 4 major awards! I’m still a bit stunned by it all!
I made some crazy goals after the 2013 awards. I actually had the audacity to put it into writing that I would attempt to win a gold and achieve my masters medal this year. When I wrote these goals I was dreaming. Dreaming really big. Crazy big. I never in a million years expected to actually achieve BOTH OF THEM. I have the sickly sensation that this is me at the top of the hill, and the only way is down.
But bugger it, it worked last time. My goals for next years Iris Awards: win 15 points and get not only my fellowship but a bar to Grand Master (bahahaha!), and, or, god this is embarassingly impossible, be a finalist in one of the classic categories.
Better get to work.
