photo contests

When I first got a hold of my Canon Digital Rebel XT, one my first thoughts was how I could make money out of it. It's not that I did not love the idea of capturing moments. But the thing was relatively expensive especially for one of my stature, and it may be difficult to sustain it just as a hobby. (These were my thoughts back when I was not yet even aware of the existence of expensive L lenses and full-frame camera bodies, which are definitely many many times more expensive.)

In my search for a way to generate funds from my camera to be able to buy expensive lenses and other accessories or maybe even a full frame body, I came across a book with a good enough title that I bought it for 1295 PHP! The book's title was "Making Money from PHOTOGRAPHY in every conceivable way" by Steve Bavister.

One of the ways that Bavister mentioned was through winning competitions. And true enough, in my tenure as a camera owner, I have learned of at least 20 photocontests with prizes ranging from 10,000-50,000 PHP. In his book, Bavister outlined ten rules for winning competitions:
1. Be constantly on the lookout for competitions.
2. Read the rules carefully.
3. Whenever possible, shoot specifically for the competition.
4. Make sure your entry does not have any technical faults.
5. Try to come up with something special.
6. Actually submit your work.
7. Make your entry as attractive as possible.
8. Put your contact details.
9. Beware of competitions that require you to sign away your copyright.
10. Keep a competition diary.

I would say that these are relatively common-sensical. But I think it helps.

Unfortunately, to this date, I have never won any photo contest nor submitted an entry for any of them. But I'm still always on the lookout, checking if any of my existing photos will be worthy as an entry. I even sometimes think so hard what shots I would take for the contest. Maybe, the next time I come across a contest, I should actually submit an entry if a bright idea comes. Currently, I am thinking of concepts or photo ideas for these contests:

Go Beyond the Stick Photo Contest
Water is Life Photo Contest
"Walang Ganyan sa States" Photo Contest
Sand, Sun and Snapshots

Hopefully I'll be able to submit an entry for any one of these.