Tips for competition from both sides of the table

I recently came back from Oslo, I had the honor to be one the judges for their national competition Landskonkurransen 2020. It was an amazing experience and I saw some jaw dropping beautiful images, I feel really inspired now and its been a long time since I felt that so thank you!

I compete in professional photography contests each year, not because I feel I need to but because I want to. I think it is the best indicator on where you stand as a photographer, it also makes you develop your skills more than client work does. I have also had the honor to judge various competitions so I know how it feels to be on both sides. To be a judge is not easy, you have only a few seconds or minutes to score the image in front of you, in many cases you also need to be able to communicate what could make the image better. You need to be clear, fair, constructive, consistent and supportive. You don’t make many friends as a judge that is for sure.

Competing can also be really stressful, I used to feel really sick in the stomach in the early days and hated the whole idea of competing. I took it way too serious. I had a hard time separating myself as a person from the image that was being criticized. That is a mistake number one. Remember, no matter how dear the image is to you and how much effort and time you have given it with the skills you currently have, it is still not YOU and the judges are not criticizing you as a person, only the image. Fact is that any image can be better if you fixate on details.

I want to share with you some points and tips what to think about when choosing your images for competition, other judges might have other opinions, but this is my blog and my opinions that are based on my experience as a judge.

1. Client work or not?

I never send in client work to competitions because I know that the level of what is good enough for a client, is not the same for competition (there might be exceptions such as commercial or fashion work that hits that level). In competition, the judges focuses on details and techniques as well as impact and story. When the judges scroll and look at a 1000 or more images, the image that has the most impact will be looked at longer and if the technique fails at that point the image will not get high points. So keep that in mind. A cute family picture without impact is just nice, not fantastic, still it might be a sellable perfect image for a client. If you still decide to send in client work, make sure you take time to fix the small details. Besides when you create for competition, only the sky is the limit not the clients opinion or size of wallet. You have a whole different creative freedom when creating for yourself.

2. Zoom in

When you choose and edit your images, zoom in, check the focus. Is the focus in the right place? I see so many cases where the image would be worth high scores but when you zoom in, the eyes are out of focus. That is not ok or that professional, if the image is a portrait for example. Double check if the original file is worth the edit. The judges will see the mistakes. In some rare cases the emotion and mood in the image is so strong that the judges gives it high points anyway, but that is not a risk I would take if I had a choice.

3. Make a choice and stick with it

One of the difficulties of competing is making the right choice what images to send in. A big part of it all is also proving that you as a professional know how to curate your own work, if you don’t know, ask someone else to do it for you, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It can be hard to kill your darlings. When you send in various images of the same shoot and place them in the same or different categories you kill the images for the judges at the same time. The judges will recognize the images and that gives the impression that the photographer don’t know what he/she is doing. It is a totally different story if you compete with panels, even though you should choose the best ones in that case too. You also save money when you choose wisely.

4. Edit the image with the mindset as if it will be printed large scale

I always edit my competition images with the thought that they could be printed out in large scale and no mistakes could be seen (I don’t always succeed). Take your time with editing. Before you declare the image to be ready, let it rest for a day or two, and then go back to it. You might notice something you like to change after you have rested your eyes and mind. After you add something to the image, ask your self “is it too much?” if you get a slightest feeling of “yes” tone it down. Be careful when editing skin, adding textures and color grading.

5. Prints (Unless it is online competition only)

Make sure your prints are of high quality, let a professional lab make them for you and be critical. The image will not score high if the printing is bad. One could imagine that professionals only deliver quality prints but I’ve seen many fails in this department. It is always sad when you are not able to give high scores to an amazing image due to bad printing quality.

6. Category matters

if choosing the right images can be difficult so can the choosing of category also be. It is important to read the explanation of a category and make sure your image fits that requirement. If the image is in the wrong category or could fit better in another one that takes scores off. Sad but true.

7. Are you willing to take the risk?

When you choose to do a certain type of alternative technique such as light painting, analog, wet plate etc for competition and there is no category for images like that, don’t expect the judges to know the technique or how the image is done. It is always a risk when sending in images made with an alternative technique because they are being compared with images that are not. It would be a whole different case if the category was all analog and not digital as well. In that case the judges would have a whole different aspect to judge the image and the technique would not be unclear, remember that you can make wet plate looking images in photoshop as well and they usually don’t turn out that great. If you send in images with an alternative technique to a category with digitals too, it needs to have a strong impact, it won’t get high scores just because it takes more time and effort to make the image. Keep that in mind.

8. It is not the end of the world

If you don’t score the way you were hoping for, don’t worry too much about it. It doesn’t mean you are not a good photographer it just means you can grow more and do better next time. Don’t give up. Take the advice the judges give and have them in mind when you create or choose for competition the next time. Be proud of yourself for even submitting your images, many never send in any images because of fear of rejection. I think the best thing in photography is that you can always learn more and become better. How boring would it be if you could say that you know everything and don’t need to learn new things? You might aswell just quit photography at that point and start something new.

Judging done, happy but oh so tired! Pic by Jos Verhoogen

The realist

”I am a realist” I used to say proudly outloud. I lived it and I believed it, and did that really do me much good? Yes and No. No, because it didn’t make me happy, yes because it made me realise I want a change. It got to a point when I knew deep inside I’m not happy with this role i have laid on myself. I saw the optimists as a bit foolish, since I felt they just hid their heads in the bushes and didn’t want to face whats in front of them, still feeling a bit envies of them cause I really wanted to shine light of goodness like they do and not negativity. I started to feel like I wanted something else. I wasn’t and am not the negative person I presented myself to be. Was the negativity just for protection against something? What, I don’t know. I’ve seen and experienced a lot of negative things in my childhood and youth, experienced reality BIG time, I managed to escape that and my adulthood has been more than good to me. Still I held on to the negativity from my past even though I could feel the contrast in that, cause I had changed internally. I experienced, that negativity really won’t get me far, it will just make me feel bad. I create my own reality, I am the feeler of my feelings so why not choose feelings that makes me feel good instead of bad.  How do you change your mindset from one to another?

This is just MY experience, so you may or may not feel like it resonates with you. If it doesn´t, that is ok. These are the steps I took and still take today:

1. Surrender

Acknowledge that you were/are wrong in your current situation, accept it and be willing to change. Don’t beat yourself up for it. See it, accept it and move on.

2. Its not them, its you

What if I told you life is not just happening and you are not just a passenger? You are in charge of your own life and what exists in your reality. You can’t blame any conditions or anyone else for whats wrong in your life even though that would seem easy and fair. If you give negativity out to the world that’s what you’ll get in return. Have you ever had a Facebook friend who constantly complains about everything, every post is written in negativity? Well, take a look at their lives and you´ll see that the negativity has a hold of them and wierd and negative things just seems to happen to them all the time. Makes you think huh?

3. See yourself in a softer light

You don’t have to shout out loud that you changed team, unless you don’t want to, keep it to yourself until you feel you own it, until you feel like no one can shake your foundation with their comments. Start by seeing yourself in a positive light, bit by bit you start to flow your softness out to the world around you, and that does feel good. Trust me. The goal is, that in the end you love yourself, if you don’t all ready. Self love is important, it´s the guiding system of your life, when you love yourself you choose what is best for you under all conditions, you don’t settle for less what you deserve. Without that you are lost and no one else can love you like you should be loved either.

4. Be grateful

Gratitude is something you hear all the mindfulness folks talk about and make quotes of, so that word might feel overused. Still, being grateful of all the small things in your day to day life makes a huge difference in your vibration, it changes from low to high. I keep a book about things I´m grateful of. It makes me focus on feelings that are good and happy. It works.

5. Focus on now

Worrying about tomorrow or feeling regrets about yesterday won’t take you to a happy place (Oh, been there done that over and over again). Focus on now, cause that’s where life is. Life happens now. Focusing on just now and what is going on in the moment helps with anxiety at least for me. No use worrying about all that is coming, take one day at a time.

6. If it feels bad change direction

I think people spend too much time in situations that make them feel sick. They read news that ruins their days, they spend time with people who sucks the life out of them, spends their life working for something they don’t enjoy. Why?  Because of fear. Fear of being alone, fear of not having money, fear of the world collapsing, fear of what lays ahead. Re-direct your focus from the things that feel bad to something that feels good, it can be something really general and easy such as eating ice cream on a beach, or petting your cat. Yes, our minds are easy to fool and distract. And sure, if you have strong beliefs and thought patterns that dwells in negativity, it will take some practice to find the positive thought that shifts that vibration. All that anyone really wants is to be happy, and joy is the meaning of life, not suffering. 

7. Don’t compare yourself to others

We have a strong need to compare ourself to others, and noticing and shouting out the lacks we have and the ugly bits we have. How is that working out for you? 99 out of a 100 youngsters have insecurities about their appearance. The amount of money people spend on changing everything about their physical self is crazy. People loose their connection to their nonphysical side aka soul, because they feel so sick in their bodies, people develop mental illnesses and live in sad vibes most of their lives, never satisfied. Just stop it, give it a rest, give yourself a rest. You are perfect the way you are, give the attention and energy you give to the physical to your nonphysical side and you will create amazing things.

8. Don´t complain

We all do that once and a while. Some seems to live and breathe it. Complaining just doesn´t serve you at all. I never post anything negative on Facebook that´s been the easiest way to avoid getting stuck in a negative spinn. Even though you disagree with someone, let it be. Ignore it. It is not worth it. I still have a lot of work to do with not complaining about things, but I am getting better. It has a big impact on my life not to complain, so I will continue on that path. In the end, we really don´t have any reason to complain since we create our own reality and if it sucks take a look in the mirror and your own behaviour.

I have taken these steps and so much has changed for me. I don’t let myself get distracted by what is, what anyone says or if it rains or snows. I choose my feelings and my reactions. I choose a positive path, just because it makes me happy and fills my life with joy and that is the purpose of life. I choose joy. I always feel that whatever comes my way I can handle and there is a lesson in everything.

Having a positive aspect in life, doesn’t mean you never have bad days or bad feelings or come across sorrow, however when you are aware and take control of your own happiness you can choose your reactions instead of just sitting in a rollercoaster hoping things will smooth out one day. You get over the incidence much faster and cope better. When shit hits the fan, it is easier to clean it up and not get drowned in it. That is power.

Creativity where are you?

Creativity is something that I have had an on and off relationship with for as long as I can remember. It´s not until recent years that I have come to the conclusion that stressing and focusing on the absent of it wont make it grow, it will only make the gap wider. When you work in a creative field the pressure of having it is real. People also like to label others into a creative and uncreative box. If you are labeled creative, you are special, if you have shown tendency of creativity since you were a child you are even better. Some also believe that you are born either way. I believe we can all be creative to some degree, some of us just have a stronger need to express ourselves in a creative manner than others. All children are creative, at least I find it so. They have a wild imagination, and anything is possible. Somewhere along the way most of us lose that ability, due to the belief that “you must grow up” at a certain age, which means that a certain behaviour is not appropriate anymore. We become boring adults. We become aware of opinions of others and we compare our lives to others. You should have an education by a certain age, be married and settle down at a certain age, have kids, have a mortgage and a dog. Being an adult is what kills it. Forgetting how to be playful and curious kills it. Caring what others think about us kills it. The most creative people I´ve met are the ones who have kept their inner child alive, who aren´t afraid to play and who really don´t care what anyone thinks about them. They focus on them selves and what they do, and care about how they feel.

I have certainly not taken the normal path to adulthood. I remember thinking as a teen that I will never do what is expected of me, I will go my own way, I never cared what my parents thought about my choices. Poor parents, it must not have been easy. My mom always said she knew I would “make it” because I was so determined. I did a few mistakes on the road, but so what, that´s how we learn. What kept me out of the creative zone for many years even though I lived by my own rules, was lack of self belief. I have always been drawn to creativity in some form, music, drawing doing hobby crafts, anything where I can put my hands to work and create something. I didn´t have that many friends so I spent hours by myself drawing or learning how to play the guitar. Sad to say I have lost those skills now. When I picked up a camera at the age of 19 I knew that was my thing. I spent hours in the darkroom at school. That was all I did. I loved everything about it, but still I didn´t believe I could do it for real. I needed to be validated by someone else, by who I don´t know. That feeling of being an imposter was strong, like soon everyone will realize that I´m not actually creative or know anything about photography. I´m not a real artist. That held me in it´s firm hug for many years. Deep inside I knew I could do it, but I would not trust it. Nowadays I have finally let go of that, and am connected to my creative side most of the times, when it is necessary. I´ve learnt some ways to guide myself towards that zone if it feels far away. Here are some tips, bare in mind that these are based on my experience and may not resonate or work for you.

Be curious

Be open and curious to new ideas. Maybe your old thoughts and believes are not accurate? See beauty in mundane things. Focus on finding something new in all that is familiar.

Have a positive mindset

A positive attitude is truly important. Even if you consider yourself of being a pessimist or realist, try and see positive aspects in all you do. Negativity is a big block that hinders natural flow of creativity. By being negative, you close yourself to the intuitive side of yourself. Don´t focus on what is, focus on all that is possible even if it realistically it feels impossible.

Trust your vision

If you have a strong vision about what you are going to create. Trust it, follow it, your intuition will you guide you if you let it. Be careful who you ask opinions of, in the end all that matters is how you feel about it.

Believe in you

If you don’t believe in yourself, why would anyone else do that? 

Clear your mind

Especially important if you feel like life is just a big hassle and you don´t have time to think. Go out for a walk. Have a break from social media. Meditate. Focus on something easy. With a clear mind, ideas will start flowing. When we are bored, ideas start flowing. When we focus on something unimportant ideas start flowing.

Do fun things

When we take time to truly have fun, we set our minds to be more allowing for new and positive things to enter our lives. Again negativity don’t feed creativity, being happy and letting go opens the channels to creativity. What do you feel like doing right now?

Accept where you are

Be willing to expand and get better. By settling for the current, you stop progression. Create at the level you are at the moment, be happy and move on. We all go through growing pains.

Dare to dream

Daydream as much as you can. Imagine the impossible, reach for the good feeling things. Without fear, doubt or facing reality. DREAM!

Create for you

When you create with a mindset that it is just for you, you´ll find it´s much easier to try new things. You don´t have to show the whole world everything you create. Just do it for you. You will love the freedom of it and that will make the desire to create grow.

These are just a few tips I have found helpful. Still there are days I don´t feel creative at all, and that is ok too. Just relax and don´t take it so seriously.

How do you get into the creative zone?

Follow me on instagram

Workshop in Kelham Hall

I held my first international workshop on the 18th and 19th of September in the UK. It´s been a big dream of mine to have workshops abroad and now it has manifested. I definitely want to do more in the future. I have held workshops in Finland before, but teaching in another language is always different. There was a time when I felt I wasn´t ready for it. People always ask if I have any tutorials or workshops and before this moment I felt like the time wasn´t right. I had a few blocks to destroy before I could give anything to anyone else. Now I know I can do them and I really, really enjoy it also.

How I ended up in Kelham Hall is thanks to Damian McGillicuddy, he is an amazing teacher of photography and master of light he is also very funny and his teaching techniques are great. I met Damian 2 years ago when I was one of the judges for the Swedish portrait competition. Damian was the Head Judge. He contacted me a few months ago and asked if I was willing to come to the UK to do a workshop, I said yes even though at that time it felt a bit scary. I knew I had time to prepare at least mentally. Time always flies by so fast, especially when you think you have all the time in the world. Very soon the workshop was in front of me. I noticed it was a bit difficult to make plans due to not having any clue of where I was going, sure I´ve been told the name of the place and who my model was going to be, but seeing things online doesn´t give you all the information. I decided that I would really rely on my instinct and inner guide with this one. I packed a lot of props and costumes with me, knowing at least some of it will work. Trusting that the experience I have will help me through it all. I had prepared some bullet points about creativity and me but in the end just let it all just come out when the moment was right. I know from past workshops that it is relatively easy for me to talk about things I know really well, so I didn´t feel I needed to write a speech. I also enjoy the feeling of not really know what comes next, sensing the vibration in the room and being open for different paths is thrilling. I think that is also a way of being creative.

I arrived to Manchester the day before my workshop. I was picked up by Neil Shearer, one of the photographers who would also attend my workshop (Check his website, he takes stunning pictures!). We had an 2 hour drive to the final destination. I don´t know about you but I always feel really exhausted and ragged after traveling. I enter the plane as a person and come out as a monster. That´s how I feel anyhow.

Arriving to Kelham Hall was amazing. It´s just a “basic” stately home, something that is a norm in the UK I guess. We don´t have places like that in Finland, so it felt kind of posh being there. After lunch I went out for a walk by myself. I needed to see if I could find any locations that would resonate with me, I still had to have the workshop the next day so kind of crucial to at least have some idea where to shoot. I walked in the park, just enjoying every detail and came across this absolutely amazing tree. Tree of life, tree of wisdom, enchanted tree any of those descriptions fits well with it. I knew right away the image I would create there. Once that vision came to me I knew everything would be all right. With ease I found the other spots. I was really eager to go ahead with the workshop now. Exactly the feeling I wanted to have.

Workshop day 1 came. I had this strange calmness and knowing that everything would work out just great. Not really nervous at all, just keen. My amazing model Lilly von Pink nailed it and it was so easy and fun to work with her, her coolness also calmed me. I started the day with a presentation about me and my work, moving on to creativity and believing in yourself and your vision. After lunch we went out. When Lilly stood by the magical tree in the red dress while I finished up the styling and set, my whole body just shivered, cause I knew it would rock. I loved seeing everyone so interested and eager to shoot, even though the vision, set and styling was all my vision. My style of photography is also very distinct, so it was really humbling to see that people actually wanted to learn from me even though our styles are different. By opening doors to new experiences you can find a whole new path or just add on new things to the path you are all ready on that is working for you. I really think it is important to develop your skills and going forward. You can learn from any experience really and apply to your own way of doing things. That´s the beauty of workshops, at least for me. I´ve been to a few workshops where at first I was a bit disappointed cause I felt I didn´t learn anything, but afterwards realising that the lesson was in something else than photography, it´s all in how you see things.

Day two was editing day, by that time I had developed a full on flu. I didn´t feel that good physically, but really tried hard not to let that spoil my experience. I was still eager and enjoyed the teaching. Teaching editing can be a challenge, because the skill levels are so different. Some know more than others, so how do you explain something so it wont bore one side and overwhelm the other? It´s a balance. I decided I would just show what I do, there is no wrong way or right, just different ways of doing things. It´s also amazing to see the results when you have the same shot but many visions. Not one image looked the same.

My flight back to Finland was on saturday, so for the last night I was invited to stay at a wonderful couple Lee and Diane´s house somewhere in between Kelham and Manchester (No clue where I was really ) We had some car troubles on the way but it all got sorted out, had some Chinese food in the evening and tasted some really delicious PROPER english tea. On so many levels this little adventure made an impact, and I will forever cherish the experience. Thank you Damian and Lesley for inviting me, thank you Lilly, Neil, Lee and Diane. Thank you all who attended my workshop and people who helped out, hope to see you again! Kiitos ja näkemiin!

My images ready and done. Costumes by Mirjam Lehtonen

Model: Lilly von Pink