Sometimes you just have to try!

By Volkhard Graf

It was a little over a year since I had determined to be more serious about “making images” rather than just “taking pictures.”

My friend and mentor, Marc Walters, encouraged me to submit an image of a California Quail, which I had shot in my back yard. His first encouragement was: “This image is of publishable quality!” Then he suggested to submit the image to an appropriate website, such as the Audobon Society. While I researched some of the images posted there, I felt mine lacked finesse and excitement. My subject was sharp, the background nicely blurred, and the image cropped correctly. Somehow though, I sensed it would not be significant enough. Judging my chances to win minimal, and quite timid, I still decided to submit my image.

In this process I looked at some other websites and contests for which I might submit an image. I found that my Rural Power Cooperative  asked for submissions for consideration for their 2014 Calendar. Looking carefully at the requirements, I decided to submit the Quail image and another one that I had taken of a Sunset overlooking our beautiful Clearwater Valley.

To my complete surprise, several weeks later I received an email from Ruralite, that one of my images had been chosen out of hundreds submitted to be on the new calendar. At this point I had no idea which one of the two was chosen. Several weeks later the chosen images were posted at the Ruralite website  and I could finally find out which one had been found worthy to be on the calendar! (Mine is the seventh one down) It was not the one of the bird but the landscape picture! As the Grand price I received five free copies of the calendar as well as a $ 100 check, just like the other 12 selected contributors. Quite a boost for this amateur trying to become more professional.

But that was not the whole story. Along with the information I received a request from someone who had seen the picture and who liked it so much that he wanted to buy it from me to make a Canvas wrap for his office wall. My submission led to my first picture ever sold!

It is rewarding to see how our creativity and work is liked and honored by others. What stuck out to me most though was the fact that had I not overcome my initial trepidation to submit images, none of this would have happened. So my advice to other newbies is to do your best in producing good images and than put them out there. Maybe you too will find others like your work so much that they are willing to spend money for it.