I absolutely love the annual Shoot & Share contest. This is a free contest any photographer can enter. There are 25 categories of photos, and the photos entered are completely anonymous. The judges are the hundreds of thousands of people all around the world viewing the photos online and casting millions of votes to pick the winners. It’s a massive phenomenon every year here in the photography world. For a few weeks, everyone votes and gets inspired by the work of others, and secretly looks for their own work to pop up in a voting segment, too. You’re able to favorite images so that when the results are out, you can track down the artists whose work you’ve been admiring throughout the contest. It is such a wonderful and inspiring way to start the year.
I have entered photos into the Shoot & Share contest for three years now, and every year I go “all in” and enter the max of 50 images, because I love seeing how the rest of the community gauges my work. This year I am so thrilled to see that 14 of my photos placed in the top 30% or higher, out of over 400,000 total photos entered. For the first time, I even had one photo place in the top 100 of its category. My best year yet!
So here goes, my Shoot & Share 2018 Contest Results:
Top 100
I have to admit, my jaw dropped a bit when I saw that this image of Michelle and Malcolm placed 53rd in the sea of almost 37,000 entries to the Wedding Couple category of the contest. This was my first wedding of 2017, and the sunset we had that evening in Benton City, Washington, was unreal. I knew the instant I took this series of photos that they would be some of my top favorites I’ve ever taken, and that is still the case. What a way to begin the year!
Top 10%
Coming in the top 10% of their categories were these stunners. Michelle and Malcolm are featured again in the Wedding Couple category, in what is one of my personal favorite photos that I’ve since used on all kinds of my marketing, I love it so much.
Then there is a shot from my ballet partner shoot at the Olympic Sculpture Park, from the People Portraits category, which makes me SO HAPPY because I absolutely love getting dancers in front of my camera.
Finally, a shot from our trip to New Zealand made it to the top 10% of the Travel/Landscape, out of over 16,000 entries, and I almost feel like I can’t take any credit because New Zealand is just so dang naturally beautiful I hardly had to do anything. This one I took in Glenorchy, New Zealand, which has a sign on as you enter that says, “Welcome to Paradise.”
Top 20%
I had five images place in the top 20% of their categories. The first shot, from the Bride category (of over 14,000 entries), is one of my absolute FAVORITE images from Dana and Nick’s amazing Woodinville Lavender wedding last summer. It shows off the lavender fields, Dana’s stunning dress, her tattoo, and her perfect hair and makeup, and it was one of those I showed her from the back of the camera because I knew the instant I took it it was a winner. A shot of Nick and Dana’s rings in lavender also made it to the top 20% in the Wedding Details category.
New Zealand again did some heavy lifting with another shot in the Travel/Landscape category. This shot I actually had my husband take—that’s me you see walking out there on that strange strip of land—but to be fair, I set up the shot so it would look how I wanted. ;) Again, this shot is from Glenorchy, New Zealand, aka Paradise!
This shot from Heather and Jeremy’s Anacortes wedding placed in the top 20% of the Wedding Couple category. It is one of my favorite shots from their day, and one I’m especially proud of because I just happened to look over and see the way the light and shadows were playing in that spot and had a vision for the shot I wanted to make. The instant I saw it, I came to grab Heather and Jeremy during their reception so that we could make it happen for real.
Finally, a shot from one of my favorite engagement sessions at Rattlesnake Lake with Mary and Gabe placed in the top 20% of the Engagement & Couples category. I loved this session so much and came away with so many favorites. The colors of the evening and the energy between these two were just so beautiful.
Top 30%
This image is from a styled elopement shoot I arranged at Rattlesnake Ledge, and I am so stinking proud of how well it did in the Styled Wedding category because it is exactly the shot I had in mind when I put this shoot together. I love the way her dress and the ribbons from the bouquet billow out behind her in the wind, and the way they are looking at each other. The views from that spot just never disappoint.
Next up is yet another New Zealand photo from the Travel/Landscape category. I’m telling you, New Zealand is seriously the most picturesque place in the world.
A shot of my best friend Cammi’s engagement ring from their sunset engagement session in the Sandia foothills made it to the top 30% of the Wedding Details category. I am a sucker for ring shots on cacti, and that sun flare just makes it that much more yummy.
This shot from Cassie and Matt’s engagement session at Rattlesnake Ledge made the top 30% of the Engagement & Couples category, and I will be forever grateful to Cassie for showing me this amazing and somewhat secret spot among the trees.
Last but certainly not least, one of my other favorite images from Dana and Nick’s Woodinville Lavender wedding hit the top 30% of the Wedding Couple category. I just love this one—the landscape, their pose, the bright sunlight. It’s the perfect embodiment of their day.
So there you have it! I am so proud of the growth that I have made as a photographer in the last year. I feel like I finally felt my style come to life, and it’s so gratifying to see so many people agree with me in their votes. And I’m so stinking excited to hone in on my skills and style even more with this year’s work!
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I absolutely love the annual Shoot & Share contest. This is a free contest any photographer can enter. There are 25 categories of photos, and the photos entered are completely anonymous. The judges are the hundreds of thousands of people all around the world viewing the photos online and casting millions of votes to pick the winners. It’s a massive phenomenon every year here in the photography world. For a few weeks, everyone votes and gets inspired by the work of others, and secretly looks for their own work to pop up in a voting segment, too. You’re able to favorite images so that when the results are out, you can track down the artists whose work you’ve been admiring throughout the contest. It is such a wonderful and inspiring way to start the year.
I have entered photos into the Shoot & Share contest for three years now, and every year I go “all in” and enter the max of 50 images, because I love seeing how the rest of the community gauges my work. This year I am so thrilled to see that 14 of my photos placed in the top 30% or higher, out of over 400,000 total photos entered. For the first time, I even had one photo place in the top 100 of its category. My best year yet!
So here goes, my Shoot & Share 2018 Contest Results:
Top 100
I have to admit, my jaw dropped a bit when I saw that this image of Michelle and Malcolm placed 53rd in the sea of almost 37,000 entries to the Wedding Couple category of the contest. This was my first wedding of 2017, and the sunset we had that evening in Benton City, Washington, was unreal. I knew the instant I took this series of photos that they would be some of my top favorites I’ve ever taken, and that is still the case. What a way to begin the year!
Top 10%
Coming in the top 10% of their categories were these stunners. Michelle and Malcolm are featured again in the Wedding Couple category, in what is one of my personal favorite photos that I’ve since used on all kinds of my marketing, I love it so much.
Then there is a shot from my ballet partner shoot at the Olympic Sculpture Park, from the People Portraits category, which makes me SO HAPPY because I absolutely love getting dancers in front of my camera.
Finally, a shot from our trip to New Zealand made it to the top 10% of the Travel/Landscape, out of over 16,000 entries, and I almost feel like I can’t take any credit because New Zealand is just so dang naturally beautiful I hardly had to do anything. This one I took in Glenorchy, New Zealand, which has a sign on as you enter that says, “Welcome to Paradise.”
Top 20%
I had five images place in the top 20% of their categories. The first shot, from the Bride category (of over 14,000 entries), is one of my absolute FAVORITE images from Dana and Nick’s amazing Woodinville Lavender wedding last summer. It shows off the lavender fields, Dana’s stunning dress, her tattoo, and her perfect hair and makeup, and it was one of those I showed her from the back of the camera because I knew the instant I took it it was a winner. A shot of Nick and Dana’s rings in lavender also made it to the top 20% in the Wedding Details category.
New Zealand again did some heavy lifting with another shot in the Travel/Landscape category. This shot I actually had my husband take—that’s me you see walking out there on that strange strip of land—but to be fair, I set up the shot so it would look how I wanted. ;) Again, this shot is from Glenorchy, New Zealand, aka Paradise!
This shot from Heather and Jeremy’s Anacortes wedding placed in the top 20% of the Wedding Couple category. It is one of my favorite shots from their day, and one I’m especially proud of because I just happened to look over and see the way the light and shadows were playing in that spot and had a vision for the shot I wanted to make. The instant I saw it, I came to grab Heather and Jeremy during their reception so that we could make it happen for real.
Finally, a shot from one of my favorite engagement sessions at Rattlesnake Lake with Mary and Gabe placed in the top 20% of the Engagement & Couples category. I loved this session so much and came away with so many favorites. The colors of the evening and the energy between these two were just so beautiful.
Top 30%
This image is from a styled elopement shoot I arranged at Rattlesnake Ledge, and I am so stinking proud of how well it did in the Styled Wedding category because it is exactly the shot I had in mind when I put this shoot together. I love the way her dress and the ribbons from the bouquet billow out behind her in the wind, and the way they are looking at each other. The views from that spot just never disappoint.
Next up is yet another New Zealand photo from the Travel/Landscape category. I’m telling you, New Zealand is seriously the most picturesque place in the world.
A shot of my best friend Cammi’s engagement ring from their sunset engagement session in the Sandia foothills made it to the top 30% of the Wedding Details category. I am a sucker for ring shots on cacti, and that sun flare just makes it that much more yummy.
This shot from Cassie and Matt’s engagement session at Rattlesnake Ledge made the top 30% of the Engagement & Couples category, and I will be forever grateful to Cassie for showing me this amazing and somewhat secret spot among the trees.
Last but certainly not least, one of my other favorite images from Dana and Nick’s Woodinville Lavender wedding hit the top 30% of the Wedding Couple category. I just love this one—the landscape, their pose, the bright sunlight. It’s the perfect embodiment of their day.
So there you have it! I am so proud of the growth that I have made as a photographer in the last year. I feel like I finally felt my style come to life, and it’s so gratifying to see so many people agree with me in their votes. And I’m so stinking excited to hone in on my skills and style even more with this year’s work!