For the last 2 years, Shoot & Share Contest was my inspiration. I told myself that 'when I grow up' I want to become like those awesome photographers that have the guts to enter the contest. For 2 years in a row I voted and dreamed about the day I will have the courage to enter. For 2 years I favorited and stayed up many nights waiting for new rounds.
This year I decided that it’s time to confront my fears and enter. And I went All In (meaning 50 images in almost every category). And it was the best decision ever!!! To see my work among the best photographers in the world, to scream every time a photo of mine popped up, to not knowing if I made it to the next round until one of the kind people favorited one of my images, to see the number of hearts going up and up, it was an emotional roller coaster! And the results, man, the results were incredible! I had one photo going all the way to 15th place (in the phone category), 3 images in top 100 and 5 finalists! That was a great accomplishment for me!
But I’m not writing this just to brag, I’m writing to encourage you to go after your dreams, to reach for the stars, to enter the damn contest that you dream of! I know it sounds like a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason! We let our fears drive our life, we compare our work with others, without realizing that they went through the same insecurities, that they doubt themselves just like we do, that they still compare themselves with others who they consider that are better than they are! And that is great, we should never stop comparing, we should never stop reaching higher, just don’t let that feeling to pull you back and stopping you from living in the moment! And don’t be afraid to be different, just because you admire someone and you find out that your style is different, it’s ok to find your own path and show the world your vision! Don't forget that 'if you don't have room to fail you don't have room to grow'. I didn't say that, Jonathan Mildenhall did. 😉
You can check out all my photos and results here! Or you can just read the Shoot and Share Manifesto and plan to enter the contest next year, you won't regret it!
It was supposed to be a very short article, but it seems that I really enjoy to ramble on, so thank you for reading so far, enjoy the video!