Nature's Best Backyards photo awards - Featured Vision

Who says "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?" Here are some great nature photographs where some of the photographers never traveled further than their own backyards!

Nature's Best Photography magazine publishes the winners of the Nature's Best Backyards 2008 photo contest. The contest is also sponsored by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Canon, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Discovery Channel.

Daily doses of Featured Vision can be found on my Twitter tweet: YourPhotoVision. They are also archived on Twitter, under the hashtag: fotoINSPIRED (#fotoinspired).

Why Should I Enter Photo Contests or Shows?

Participating in photo contests and shows is a good way to share your photo vision with others. It can increase your recognition and reputation; and for some people it can provide the incentives and the competition to drive the creative process.

A few words of caution: 1) Be careful not to give away your rights. Read the rules and fine print. Avoid those contests that have language such as, "...all entries become the property of..." These contests are just a way for publishers and corporations to obtain cheap images. Reputable contests and shows will never require you to give up your copyright.

2) Make sure the prize(s) are worth the effort or the entry fee(s). In some cases, just the recognition of winning or even being selected to hang in a prestigious show or gallery (in the case of a fine art contests) are more than enough compensation. If the judge is highly respected, just being able to mention in your resume that your photography made it into the show can be a real feather in your cap.

3) Start small. In the beginning, enter local or regional contests or shows rather than at the national level. The competition at national contests can be fierce. The number of entries in a contest like The Great Outdoors Photo Contest is often in the tens of thousands. Setting your sights too high in the beginning, and having a long series of disappointments at the onset, could smother creativity.

My first contest was a regional contest among my local peers, the Intermountain Professional Photographers Association. I walked away with the "Photographer of the Year" award. There was no prize money, but the local press coverage (which included running the above picture and my face) really helped to jump-start my reputation in the community and the confidence in my photo vision.

The Great Outdoors Photo Contest

National Geographic Traveler (NGT) and Photo District News (PDN) are sponsoring "The Great Outdoors Photo Contest." The entry deadline is less than a month away: April 20, 2009 -- but you can extend the deadline to May 4th, if you're willing to pay an additional $10 per entry.

The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers. There are five categories: 1) Parks and safaris, 2) plants, animals, insects, and gardens, 3) beaches, islands and underwater, 4) scenes of the natural world, 5) outdoor sports and activities. Entries will be judged on basis of creativity (34%), sense of place (33%), and capturing the moment (33%).

There will be a prize awarded in each category, (for both amateur and professionals), and a grand prize awarded in both the amateur and professional contests. The two grand prizes are five-night stays for two at Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya Hotel in Mexico (with a retail value of $6,000).

Entry fees are $12 per entry for amateur submissions and $35 per entry for professional submissions. Winners will be selected on or about June 1, 2009, and notified by e-mail by June 15, 2009. The Amateur Contest winners will be published online by NGT after June 15, 2009; and the Professional Contest winners will be published in the August issue of PDN.

Contest entries are to be submitted electronically to the web site, www.TheGreatOutdoorsPhotoContest.com, where full details are available. You can also get an idea of your competition because the site has images of the "Latest Entries" (the contest began on February 6th)!

My Comments: Typically, I'm not a big fan of photo contests, because many are just a cheap way for publishers and corporations to obtain use of your images; however, NGT and PDN are top-notch companies and assure that "You retain copyright to your photograph and the Sponsors may not sell your photo entry for a fee."