A few weeks ago we participated in the Scott Kelby World Wide Photowalk. Well we found out yesterday that Lisa’s photo (which you can see above) was picked as the winer of our local walk. I’m so proud of her.
But here is the thing… I already got multiple mean messages from another participant in our walk who said, “She shouldn’t have won.” First off, if you were going into the photowalk with your only goal being to win then you already lost. The walk is really more about the social event. Yes the contest is fun and yes there are some cool prizes, but if you are biter and upset because another photographer’s photo was chosen over yours then you need to grow up.
Local walk winers are chosen by the walk leaders and they are 100% completely subjective. Sometimes you may end up with a leader who really knows their stuff and sometimes you don’t. As a result there’s no telling what photo they will pick or not pick as the winer. That’s just how the system works.
One of the best things about our local walk was that there were tons of teens and new photographers. It was a safe environment where people from all skill levels were able to get together and swap experience and stories. So the mood of the walk was light, fun, and about communicating and teaching. So getting upset because you used your fancy DSLR and someone like Lisa used an iPhone and won doesn’t do anyone any good.
If you’re upset because your photo didn’t win the local walk then look at the big picture. It most likely wasn’t good enough to win any of the big prizes, even if the local walk leader had chosen it. Why? Because no matter how skilled a photographer you are, a lot of photography has to do with the subject. For example, our walk took place midday in a generic suburban community. There was nothing epic or grandiose to shoot and the lighting was the absolute worst kind of lighting for shooting landscapes and flowers. There is no way a photo of a boring flower shot at noon on a bright sunny day is going to hold up against some of the other amazing photos shot world wide at way more interesting places. If you wanted to win the World Wide Photo Walk then doing a walk in your local neighborhood wasn’t the way to go about it. You should’ve gone to Rome or some cool destination.
I know losing sucks but all you lost was a slim chance at winning prizes. The real prize was the walk itself. The photowalk was about inspiring new photographers and bringing people together. In that sense, I feel like our local walk worked. Why? ‘Cause last night, Lisa said to me, “I was thinking maybe next time when we are out and you are doing blue hour photos maybe I can borrow your iPhone?”