Another Contest Win!

I am happy to announce my 5th place finish in the "Family Love" category of the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) Summer image contests. The winning image was taken at Jennifer + Joe's wedding at The Washingtonian Marriott in Gaithersburg, Maryland last year.

I rarely enter contests (the ISPWP is about the only contest I enter these days, in fact!), so it's always an honor when the judges choose my work among all the other talented photographers out there. I have a wonderful time making these images, and it's always nice to see others reacting well to them too.

Check out the contest images here: Summer 2009 Contest - Family Love
And the ISPWP site here: ISPWP

The ISPWP has a strict code of admittance for wedding photographers, as follows:

Membership Requirements

The application process helps to ensure that ISPWP members are established, experienced and have reached a high level of professionalism. The membership committee will evaluate applicants on the following criteria:

* At least 50 weddings as the principal photographer (not as secondary/backup)
* Sponsorship by an existing ISPWP member OR two email references from recent clients and two email references from fellow professional photographers
* Website review
* Agreement to operate your business in accordance with the Code of Conduct
* No unresolved complaints with the Better Business Bureau or other similar consumer protection organization

ISPWP "Real Weddings"

I've been blogging a lot about the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) lately. It's a directory of some of the finest photographers around the world, but it's quickly becoming a whole lot more. There are now helpful articles, as well as a new resource called "Real Weddings" that gives you a glimpse into a wide variety of weddings shot by the very photographers who make up the organization. These are great for perusing ideas, or just to see what others are up to on their wedding days.

I was super excited to find out that a couple of mine from last August was featured on the "Real Weddings" segment recently. Kajal and Ali had a traditional Persian wedding, and you can read more about what happened that day here: Kajal + Ali's "Real Wedding".

These "Real Weddings" are so fun, and I can't wait to see what other types of weddings crop up over on the ISPWP site!

ISPWP Award Winner!

Yes, I'm making two posts in one day. Why? Because I just found out two of my images placed in the Winter 2008 ISPWP contest. I am super excited because one of the images placed was under my Halo Photographic documentary wedding and portrait work, and the other was under my Erin Antognoli work - the funky cool creative Holga wedding and portrait site!

I didn't enter many images this time around, mostly because I am indecisive, and by the time the deadline rolls around I'm lucky to have a couple of entries together. So I'm honored that the judges chose what little I entered.

On to the winning images:

7th Place in the Pure Art category:



And 9th place in the Kids Will Be Kids category:



About the ISPWP:
The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers is an organization of the best wedding photographers in the world. It was created by professional photographers to raise the standards of the wedding photography profession.

We are a resource for wedding clients who know they want to hire the best and the brightest for their wedding. We provide assurance and peace of mind that they are hiring the most respected, most ethical, most professional and most talented wedding photographers in the industry.

It’s no secret there are many online directories of wedding photographers. Some of them have hundreds, even thousands of photographers. That SOUNDS great because there are so many to choose from! But most of these directories have little or no criteria for membership, they are simply link farms that oftentimes include photographers with zero experience and unknown backgrounds.

When you hire an ISPWP member, you can be sure they have passed a rigorous application process and are recognized by their peers to be at the top of their field.

First Place Winner!

I am happy to announce my first place finish in the "Emotional Impact" category of the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) Fall image contests. The winning image was taken at Crystal & Nick's wedding at Celebrations on the Bay in Pasadena Maryland.

The judge's comment reads: "Judges comments: Wow, look at her eyes. Serious emotion going on, and really well-framed to emphasize the moment."

I've placed in a lot of contests over the years, but it's always exciting to find out that I got top image in a category, especially when I only entered 2 images in the contest overall!

Check out the contest images here: Fall 2008 Contest
And the ISPWP site here: ISPWP

The ISPWP has a strict code of admittance for wedding photographers, as follows:

Membership Requirements

The application process helps to ensure that ISPWP members are established, experienced and have reached a high level of professionalism. The membership committee will evaluate applicants on the following criteria:

* At least 50 weddings as the principal photographer (not as secondary/backup)
* Sponsorship by an existing ISPWP member OR two email references from recent clients and two email references from fellow professional photographers
* Website review
* Agreement to operate your business in accordance with the Code of Conduct
* No unresolved complaints with the Better Business Bureau or other similar consumer protection organization