contests

Well, it is Monday and the #WWPW is still trending on Google+ so you know it was a great event. In Ulsan, it was no different. The event went off without a hitch and I am happy to say that a lot of people showed up with photographers coming all the way from Eonyang and Busan.

The photo walk was great for me as I got a chance to explain a few things about photography to new photographers and meet a lot of new people. There is also something great about showing people the effects that you can do with depth of field and a 50mm F1.4 can do.

The camera strap is one of those things that comes in the box and most people don’t even think about. They just stick it on the camera and BOOM that’s that. However for those of us who have had the unfortunate displeasure of lugging around a 70-200mm lens stuck on a DSLR with a battery pack, you will soon realize that a comfortable strap in something of a necessity. For others, the standard Nikon or Canon straps are too “boring” and they want to express themselves a little bit more or just make their black box stand out from the rest.

After reading a post about how to win photo contests, I decided to throw in my twenty won on how to do it in Korea. So this post won’t actually help you win anything but I thought that I would do a sort of write up about entering contests. I apologize if the title is a bit misleading. Basically, after judging the Korea Bridge Photo Contest I decided to write out my thoughts.

1. Read the Fine Print

It is that time again! Time to get the photogs out and get some shots at Scott Kelby’s 2011 Worldwide Photo Walk! While I am still getting ready for this year’s photowalk which will be held in the Taehwa River Grand Park, I have a few questions for those who are interested in a day of photography and a great time.  Before I get to the questions, I guess I should explain what a “Worldwide Photo Walk” is.

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Jeff Lebow of the Korea Bridge. Thus I am now helping out with the Korea Bridge Summer Photo Contest. Being a past winner myself (winter 2004… I think) I know how fun it is to participate in more of a local contest than those that I have featured recently. For me, winning the contest gave me a boost in confidence to further push my photography and I know that it will help you as well.

The contest is looking for photos from this Summer (2011) and there are two categories; Korea and outside of Korea. Why? well if you have travelled around and got some great summer of shots from Thailand for example but not much from Korea… well we’ve got you covered. The contest is open to anyone living in Korea, minus the judging panel and pro photographers. So that means pretty much anyone can enter.

The Ulsan Inferno is once again on and it is taking place this weekend!! Why would the average reading of a photography blog like this care? Well… because I am sponsoring the “Best Photo” prize.

Basically the Inferno is a photo-based scavenger hunt where people ride around on motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles to capture photos of various sites around Ulsan in order to gain point and win cash prizes. It is an awesome time and I am super excited that we got it off the ground again this year.

I prepared ahead – albeit insufficiently – for November and Nanowrimo.  I’ve had an idea for a novel for some time now and have wanted to try writing it.  I have written short fiction and essays short and long for this blog, a few magazines and my students.  I was ready, I felt, to extend myself…

No point in being wordy now.  It will take an extreme effort of will to continue at this point.

Oh, Nanowrimo, for those unwilling to follow the link, is short for national Novel Writing Month.  The organization is international now, so the name is both cumbersome and incorrect.  Anyway, the goal for Nanowrimo is to type 50,000 words during the month of November.  Quantity is important and quality is not.  This makes sense to me as the first step is a sort of brainstorming, with the expectation of massive revisions coming afterward.