So this was our first year entering the annual Shoot and Share contest, and man was it awesome!! I had a really hard time picking only (haha) 50 images to submit, since I had alllllll of our sessions to choose from!
This contest is amazing for so many reasons, the main one being that not only is it free, but voting is open to the public and it's 100% anonymous!! You have no idea who you're voting for until the end, so everyone is taken down to an even playing field and only their images are judged.
There were a whopping 412, 379 photos entered into 25 categories, and it took a month to vote through all of the rounds. The organizers of the contest (who are amazing, by the way!) put together this graphic to kind of walk you through the progression of the contest.
Graphic created by the wizards that run the contest, it is not mine.
So now that we know how the contest works, lemme share OUR stuff with you!! Since this was our first year, I truly had no expectations going into it. I'm pretty pleased with our results, and I'm already pulling images aside to enter next year!
Out of 50 images, we had 5 that placed in the top 30% (three were in the top 20%), and several more that were just outside the badge-earning line.
Our highest ranking image is none other than the fabulous Mellie White, taken at the North Carolina Museum of Art for their annual Art in Bloom event. Mellie was wearing a headdress designed by Robin Weir, from Wild by Nature.
Mellie was ranked image #1,960 out of 11,101 entered in the "Styled Portrait/Fashion" category.
Next up is an image that Sean shot during one of his overseas trips. He's titled it "London Curves", and it's certainly one of my faves (I have a large print of it hanging in my dining room)
London Curves placed #2,125 out of 16,373 images entered in the Travel/Landscape category.
Our third highest ranking photo is the stunning Psalms, also from the North Carolina Art Museum Art in Bloom event. Psalms was rocking a volcano-inspired piece designed by Terry Godfrey.
Psalms took #2,171 out of 11,101 images entered in the Styled Portrait/Fashion category.
Apparently Art in Bloom was a huge hit in the contest, since yet another one ranked in the top 30%. Young Jada totally rocked her waterfall-inspired design by Angela Darrah.
Jada placed 3,009 out of 11,101 images in the Styled Portrait/Fashion category
Our final official placement is my all-time favorite image. Sean shot this in Flagstaff five or six years ago, and quite honestly, it's probably the image that sparked the friendship we have now. It's such a gorgeous summer landscape, and it speaks to my heart every time I look at it.
Flagstaff wound up at number 4,246 out of 16,375 images.
Aaaand one more image, sort of an "honorable mention" of sorts, is an image I shot in Baltimore last fall during an AKP Retreat. We were at Graffiti Alley working with a couple for an engagement session, and work on headshots for one another, when we came across Sami. She was modeling her take on a Day of the Dead angel. Her costume and makeup are all her own handiwork. You can check her out on Instagram here.
Sami's angel placed #3,544 of 11,101 images in the Styled Portrait/Fashion category
If you want to check out the top 20 images in each category, head on over to the official Shoot & Share website! If you want to see everything we entered, click here.
**small disclaimer -all of the images in this post are screen grabs from the Shoot & Share website. The badges aren't available for the images yet, but I reallyyyy wanted to share this with you guys.