What WPPI Meant to me?

This is my 2^nd year coming to WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographer International) in Las Vegas.  I couldn’t quite find the right word to describe how amazing WPPI was to me. That’s right, “amazing” is a total understatement! I came to this convention with the expectation of just attending some classes, shopping for gears at the tradeshow then binge eating many Vegas buffet.   It turns out that every day in WPPI, Jeremy and I are growing in photography and reconnecting with many old friends as well as meeting new ones. We are humbly inspired and moved by each and everyone of you we met last week.

My View on the Print Judging – From a little fish swimming in an ocean.

Every year before coming to WPPI, my photography mentor Scott Robert Lim reminds me that attending the print judging is like taking a really good lesson in photography. So, for our first day in Vegas, I’ve attended the 16×20 Print Competitions Judging in Premier Category.  The room consists of a team of judges to score each print and where audiences can and watch the entire judging session. I was curious to see how my fellow photographer friends and I would score since we’ve entered some prints in this category competition.  While knowing some of those prints belonged to my friends looked pretty good, but during the judging, one after another, their prints scored only average. Not sure if I was emotionally attached to these prints that I know of, and I wondered if their scoring system was overly harsh this year?! Since I’ve attended the exact same judging session last year, at that time, the judging seems to be fair to me.

So, when it comes to my prints up on the screen, wow, I was so nervous and both hands full of sweat. While listening to the judges scoring my prints, well scoring so badly and hearing what they have to say about them, honestly, I didn’t agree with a single word of what they say about it. Inside of me, I was so embarrassed, angry and outrage. Why? I felt like these are the prints that I poured my heart and soul into producing them, from start to finish, all represented my view on photography.  Not that I think they are amazing level of work, but at least they are not awful or trash level. Seeing my prints being judged, it felt like I’ve put on the nicest & fanciest outfit on me, but someone is taking off all my clothes in front of everybody, layer by layer, striping me naked. At the end of the first day, I was really exhausted after watching the print judging, and promised myself not to watch the Premier division on the next day anymore because I don’t want to start hitting people at WPPI because I was mad. LOL!

Next day, I switched to attending the judging in the wedding category, which I didn’t enter any (I’ve entered everything in the Premier division).  Even though I didn’t see any of my friends’ print on the screen, but their judging system remains having a very high standard. In my own word that would be “extremely harsh.”  Every single print scored over 80 are truly amazing prints. On all the prints judges granted an accolade of excellence (scoring over 80), they looked as if they all belongs to an Art Gallery.  At that point, it just dawn on me that this is a world class level photography competition, we are competing with prints coming from all around the world.  Why wouldn’t they judge so harsh? The harsher the scoring system, the more meaningful the accolades means to these photographers.  So at the time, I flashed back on the comments judges talked about my prints, they are……… well, actually true. I couldn’t accept anything they said the day before coz I was really emotionally attached to all my prints and now I feel stupid for getting mad at them for scoring low on my prints. They are obviously world-class top of the industry elite photographers who have trained eyes to look at things at a highest standard level, meaning only butt-kicking works can be up to their standard.  So I prayed and asked God for forgiveness of my foolish and naive thoughts. I felt tremendous relief afterwards and had some time to reflect on what the judges said in front of everybody, I finally understood my work is crap to their standard. That I need to work on things such as subject’s hand, body language, movement, blown out highlights, muddy/inky black and other technical details I’ve over looked when creating those images.  That helps me to set a higher standard for myself on next shoot for things that I must NOT overlook. So toward the end of the wedding judging session, a lot of things went thru my mind and I’ve decided to switch back to watch the Premier room. The judges finished scoring all the prints at the Premier room when I headed back there, but there is a small lecture/discussion from the judging given to the audience in regards to coming to premier judging.  David Williams, the lead judge in Premier division, showed us a lot of master piece of fine art portraiture from paintings and sculpture where we can gain inspirations and learn their poses from. At the end of the Premier judging, David Williams said  to us this “Trends come and go, styles remain.”  Wow, that was a powerful statement.  Makes me really wonder, what is my style in photography? I still don’t have an answer for this question at this point…..but I guess it is really my journey in photography to find out what is my style. And I don’t plan to stop inventing and reinventing it if I ever find it. I don’t plan on stop entering the competition, even though how sucky I did this round.  I want to get better at my craft and I want the judges to tell me why my stuff is crap.

Attending the competition judging really helped me to develop as a photographer and see their world class level in photographic excellence. If I could do this again next year, I will attend all their judging session.  On my 3^rd day in Vegas, the time where I was gonna forget about the print competition, to my surprise, I found out one print (which I didn’t watch the scoring for this one), got hang on the wall of the 16×20 Award of Excellence Gallery room and it scored over 85. I am humble & honor for the score………. Oh Man!! My print was hung on the wall!!!!! WOOOWWWooowow…. I’m so thrilled to have my print on display along with all these WORLD class master photographers. I couldn’t believe that my humble print “Secret of Peony” is right next to all these super duper amazingly talented photographer. I was beyond words can describe how happy and emotional I felt. Below is a video of me …….. I felt like I won a lottery or something!! Yahoo!! I owe this print to my husband Jeremy for the 2^nd or 3^rd round of retouching to complete my vision also my friend Mei who modeled for me.

Surreal moment having my prints next to these masters!! Scott & Tauran!!! OMG

Most important role in my journey, my photography papa/mentor Scott Robert Lim,  thank you for encouraging us to come to WPPI last year and you pushed us to come again this year. You’ve raised us in photography and I hope the thru our work, it will be a testimonial of your teaching.  Thank you Michelle & Darrell for capturing my emotional moments with your camera!!  Thank you the Scott Robert Photography community for allowing me to grow in photography along side with you guys.  Below is a video clip and some pictures from Darrell and Michelle capturing my emo moments with your camera. I would love to connect with you via facebook and if anyone is interested in finding out our photography journey, please click here to view.

Here is a video of silly me couldn’t process such information for the first 5 second seeing my own prints on the wall.
Score of 88!!! I couldn’t believe it!!