I didn’t realize that there has not been a post in a year! The Photography Salon 2024 at the Iowa State Fair has come and gone. My fifth year entering photos for the photography contest and my fifth year having at least one image chosen for display. The photography salon 2024 had some incredibly beautiful images on display and I am honored that two of mine were included.
The first image was taken with the Iowa State Fair in mind. A few years ago as my raspberries were ripening I found one last strawberry in my patch. I had made a quick photo with my iPhone and had posted it on social media stating one is not like the others. Last summer as my raspberries were beginning to ripen and my strawberries winding down, it occurred to me to make a better image of one strawberry amongst many raspberries. My image Be Different was in Class #16 Things & Still Life. This class had 153 photos entered and only 22% were chosen for display. And only 7 received ribbons. Put a smile on my face to have this image chosen by at least one judge. It takes one judge to like your image in order for it to be on display after multiple rounds of judging. To receive an award, all three judges have to like your image.
The second image chosen for display, Frosted Maple Leaves, was entered in Class #17 Flowers, Plants & Trees. This image was made a few years ago and was considered for entry a few times. This year I chose to enter it to see how it would do. This category is one of the most popular for entries and hard to get an image on display. Only 22% of the 181 images entered were chosen for display. This class too had only 7 images that received a ribbon. Quite an honor to have my image chosen. Previous years I have entered photos in this class, with this year being the first to have one on display.
The two classes were on display side by side and it was fun to see both of my images so close together.
This was my fourth year entering the Photography Contest at the Iowa State Fair. And the fourth year of having at least one photo on display. In fact, three were chosen for display this year. I was in complete shock when the infamous yellow card from the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon arrived. None of my photos received an award this year, but an amazing accomplishment all the same. Especially when there are not separate divisions for professional and amateur photographers. I am the latter. The Iowa State Fair Photography Contest is quite a challenge.
The odds of having a photo chosen for display are tight. This year a total of 2,536 photos were submitted for both adult and youth. Only 801 were chosen for display, 32%. Of the 801, only 176 received a ribbon, 22%. The stat they don’t share, 176 out of 2,536 received a ribbon, just under 7%. There were 802 photographers who submitted photos this year and only three had all four images chosen for display and received the Superintendent Merit Aware for Photographic Excellence. Yes, I was close, but so were many other photographers.
Enough about the stats. Well, except one more, and it’s quite interesting. All three of my photos chosen for display, were made in my home! Many people think they have to travel to make a great image. You don’t, and my entries prove that point. Do I enjoy getting out in nature to shoot? Absolutely! But sometimes I don’t have time and other times ideas pop into my head and I’m able to make images at home.
When I moved from Phoenix back to my home state of Iowa, I added many plants and flowers to my yard with photography in mind. The only problem with that is the amount of time it takes to maintain my yard. I do enjoy gardening, however, it takes away from my photography time.
The first image chosen for display, Peonies, was in the Adult Division, Black & White, Class 25 Plants, Flowers & Trees. Peonies are one of my favorite spring flowers. There was already a large pale pink peony bush in my yard when I moved back to Iowa. This photo was made in my living room with natural window light. The dramatic light called for a black and white image.
Next up, Framboises, in the Special Division, Black & White or Color open to both adults and youth, Class 41 Anything Goes! (for dramatically computer enhanced or radically altered photos only). The raspberries are from my garden and the original image was high key, a white background. I added two images on top of my original photo to add color and texture. I used my Nikon 105mm, Nikon macro lens to make the original image. Could I have entered the original image in the macro class? Yes, but I chose a different image for that class.
The third and final image FrozenLace, in the Special Division, Black & White or Color open to both adults and youth, Class 46 Macro (close up photography of small objects that are magnified to “life size”. Animals, insects and flowers are not eligible. The image is frost that was on one of my windows on a very cold morning. The pattern reminded me of lace that might be on a wedding dress. Some people think it looks like a forest. What do you think it looks like? Leave me a comment!
Two of my favorite photography genres are macro and floral. Usually using my macro lens for my floral photography. I have had two images chosen for display in the macro class, but still strive to receive an award. There are two classes for Plants, Flowers & Trees. One for color and one for black and white. I have yet to have a color image chosen for display in Plants, Flowers & Trees. And I really want an award in this category! My image Peonies was the first black and white image chosen for display in the class Plants, Flowers & Trees. What does this mean to me? I have to work harder to achieve my goal of having a color image chosen and to receive an award in this class. And yes, I’m already working on ideas for next year’s Iowa State Fair Photography Salon.
Different Isn't Wrong, It's Just Different 