![\"BK2U4397-2\"](\"http:\/\/www.keithcephus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BK2U4397-2.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"AJ6A8269\"](\"http:\/\/www.keithcephus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/AJ6A8269.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"128-2\"](\"http:\/\/keithcephus.goodgallery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/128-2.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"BK2U0463-2\"](\"http:\/\/keithcephus.goodgallery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BK2U0463-2.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"BK2U0463-2A\"](\"http:\/\/keithcephus.goodgallery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BK2U0463-2A.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"cristina](\"http:\/\/keithcephus.goodgallery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cristina-and-joe.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhen I left Virginia Beach to compete against the world’s greatest wedding photographers at the Intl. WPPI 16×20 Print Competition, my goal was to score an 80 on any of my entries to receive a silver medal.\u00a0 This was truly a personal project that I always wanted to do while feeding my soul at the same time.\u00a0 It was my first time ever competing on a platform of this level and truly a very humbling experience to say the least.\u00a0 Having scored 75, 75,75 and 76 on my first four prints, I had one more chance to achieve my ultimate goal.\u00a0 My mother always told me in order to achieve success you have to be willing to embrace humility.\u00a0 So I’m sitting in this 20×20 room and suddenly my print is displayed for critique.\u00a0 With the room filled with about 30 photographers waiting for their scores like myself, it was a very intense and powerless feeling.\u00a0 So as the judges gathered around what was my only chance to score an 80, I looked at the bottom of the screen where you can see the judges inputting their scores.\u00a0 I saw 82, 80, 78 and 76.\u00a0 It was then that I felt I had a chance.\u00a0 All of a sudden the moderator shouted out, “79!”<\/p>\n
At first I was a little upset and dejected by coming so close to the silver award.\u00a0 Then I realize how blessed I was for having this amazing opportunity to have my work scored by the best wedding photographers in the world and fell only a point short of my first ever WPPI competition.\u00a0 It also told me that my body of work is not far off from receiving a silver or a gold in the very near future.\u00a0 It was truly the most educational and humbling photographic experience of my career.\u00a0 Some of the things that hurt my scoring was blown highlights, cropping, lack of detail in the blacks, photo retouching, etc.\u00a0 JVS, a dear friend and one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the world told me that he loved the portrait of the bride getting tossed in the air and said a tight crop just showing the hands and of the groomsmen in a square format would have gotten me an 85 or better which is a silver distinction award.\u00a0 I will be ready next year!<\/p>\n
A few important pieces of information that I took away from this years WPPI competition is before you enter in a competition, get feedback from industry leaders who you admire and respect.\u00a0 What you might think is a strong image could be average in the scoring process.\u00a0 Be prudent in your selections.\u00a0\u00a0 Before you submit, read the WPPI guidelines and study the winning portraits from the previous year.\u00a0 That way you can understand the mindset of the judges and see the body of work of what you are up against.\u00a0 Be prudent in your presentation and talk to other photographers who have won and get feedback.\u00a0 If you are not a professional retoucher, get this service outsourced.\u00a0 Most of the winning portraits are masterfully done with impeccable highlights, superior blacks and overall tonal superiority.\u00a0 But more importantly, just do it!!\u00a0 By you competing, you are doing something extraordinary that your colleague photographers are not doing.\u00a0 The only way you will get a voice in this industry is to compete with the best of the best.\u00a0 Just like the Nike advertisement, “just do it!”<\/p>\n
Special thanks to all of my clients and supporters who continue to make me the best photographer I can possibly be.\u00a0 And hand salute to WPPI Show Director Jason Groupp, Melissa and Jerry Ghionis and their amazing team of judges for doing an extraordinary job in this year competition.\u00a0 The tireless effort in the judges and Jason’s team working around the clock made this years WPPI a tremendous success!\u00a0 #RESPECT!<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I left Virginia Beach to compete against the world’s greatest wedding photographers at the Intl. WPPI 16×20 Print Competition, my goal was to score an 80 on any of my entries to receive a silver medal.\u00a0 This was truly a personal project that I always wanted to do while feeding my soul at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[1013],"class_list":["post-41735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-photographers","tag-wppi"],"yoast_head":"\n