Portrait Masters Whirlwind
Well, it was an amazing week at Portrait Masters.
There is so much happening in a short period of time at TPM. There were tremendous speakers and education. There were so many interesting opportunities at the incredible shooting bays, but I didn't shoot anything. I barely even took my camera out of the bag. I was truly there to observe and be present. I intended to talk to mentors and friends from around the globe that inspire me, and to make more connections with the amazing creatives in our community.
One thing for sure is that during this conference, I learned much about myself and where my gaps are. The largest is that I need to lean into my passion for my craft and be in front of my art, not hide behind it like a shield. That message came at me rapidly and repeatedly. Everywhere I looked, I was confronted by it. I have a pathway to follow now, and I am developing a plan to get to where I need to be.
There was another reason for excitement that was a much more of a personal goal. I was pretty stressed out for the months before the trip, because we were going to find out our scores for our images at the first night cocktail party. So, after months of planning, shooting, editing and waiting after submitting them, I would find out my results. I was going for my Masters Accreditation, and to receive that on stage was something I was hoping could happen.
I knew I needed to score a Silver Award in order to get there, and I had 9 images entered that I had put a lot of work and effort into. After the ceremony began, I stood there in the back with my friends as I patiently watched the screens roll through the Top 20 for each of the categories. I could have checked my phone for my scores, but I was way too nervous! I just kind of stood there, locked in to the screen as mind-blowing image after image went by. There was so much fantastic work to see that it's hard to believe the skill of these artists.
Then, the Motion category came up, and after the first couple images went by, I just went "eh, I gave it my best," resigned that I didn't score like I had hoped. Then, out of nowhere my image popped up--#3 in the category. I gasped and hollered "NO WAY!!!" I couldn't believe it. It was my best score ever, and my shock of having my work amongst those entries...I mean, come on.
After the category results were shown, it was time for the accreditation portion of the event. I was still unsure if I had made it, even with my image being up there in a category. I held my breath for seconds that felt like forever.
The slide came up and I saw my name listed amongst the 3 others on the Master's list.
I don't remember much after that, really. I was really just so overwhelmed to have my entire body of work reviewed by the judges and for them to grant me the honor. All of the stress of the three previous months started to unravel around my chest and melted away, leaving nothing but gratitude in its wake. I'm so thankful for those who helped and challenged me on the way to this point.
After we took some photos in the back and I was walking to go back into the party, all I could think about was calling my mom. I was able to FaceTime her and tell her the results. I asked her what my Dad would have thought, and she said he would have been so proud. I was pretty much unglued for the next 5 minutes after that. He had taught me so much about photography and the science behind it, and I know he would have been so excited to hear my results.
I can say that the journey has been amazing. It's been almost 4 years of education, practice, and personal growth. There has been a lot of sweat and uncountable tears along this road. The near insurmountable amount of mindset for me to shift cannot be understated. To be honored with my Master Accreditation is absolutely humbling, but it is also a challenge to be better every day at what I do. It reminds me of the phrase I use often:
Who you are, as you are.
I always say it, and I'm proud to be able to capture those moments of wonder for you and the ones you love.
And to Sue Bryce, my instructor and mentor along this path--I humbly thank you for creating the platform that has empowered me to evolve not only into the photographer, but into the man, that I have become.