World Environment Day, World Wetland Day, Earth Hour - there are so many events on the environmental calendar, and many of them are celebrated with photo competitions.
Entering competitions is a great way to improve your photography - to round out your skills beyond just the purely technical ones. Those who are interested in editorial photography, which includes photojournalism and nature photojournalism, will benefit a lot.
Although wildlife competitions like the Veolia Environnement BBC Wildlife Magazine competition get promoted as fine art, most of the submissions are really editorial photography. Most photos are recording an event - a newsworthy event in nature. The winning photos just happen to be those most artful in telling the story, particularly in a single frame.
Step 1 Research
Before entering such a competition, you should start the ball rolling by doing research. What are the newsworthy natural events happening in your neighborhood? Is there a mass event like a congregation of flying foxes? What is the most picturesque time of day? Would dusk or twilight be best? What special equipment will you need - a hide - a plane?
Step 2 Extend yourself
Really stretch your imagination. Even if your mind comes up with some really crazy scenarios, let it run wild and just jot down your notes. Even if the execution seems impossible for now, don’t worry about that. Just keep researching and planning. Events have a mysterious way of coming to fruition once you’ve imagined them clearly. You might just stumble across a friend of a friend with a spare seat on a training flight.
Step 3 Learn
The important part of entering a contest is not to win but to improve your photographic skills. That way you never lose! Don’t neglect the skill of planning the great shot through meticulous research and do let the deadline of photo competitions spur you on your way.
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