How I Got the Shot version 1

Hello,

I just wanted to let you in on some great news that I have had lately. Three of my photographs placed in the Top 25 recently of the Georgia Nature Photographers Association Coastal Division annual photo contest. One of the three made 1st Place! There were 150 entries in the contest which was open to the public and it was juried by three judges. There will be a reception at Blick Art Materials on Broughton Street in Savannah, GA on April 10th at 6:00pm and the Top 25 will be displayed in a gallery there for three weeks after. If you would like to attend the reception, please reply to this email or send me a message, and I'll be happy to send you an invitation or you may view the gallery which is open to the public during the three week period. Most of the artwork should be on sale by the artists if you are interested in making purchases, however, the artwork in the gallery must stay up for the full three weeks.

My 1st Place winning entry was "Blue Morning":

Click on the image for a larger view.
Captured w/ my Cannon 40D, 18mm lens at 10mm, f22, ISO 100, two shots w/ 1/4 sec and 1 sec shutter speeds combined.

NOW ---- How I Got the Shot! ----

#1. I have been seriously studying photography and trying to improve my artwork for the last few years. Having photographed by "pointing and shooting" for forever and even going through periods of video photography when camcorders where popular, I finally joined Fine Art America. My compositions were fairly good, but the quality of my photography was just not measuring up. So, the passion began to improve, improve, improve... Yes, better equipment helped, and Yes, learning better techniques helped, and Yes, learning better post processing techniques have helped. These three areas of improvement are what I think may have lead to this #1 winning entry. And, I don't care who you are, the process of learning more and putting it into practice or at least testing it out to see if it works is a never ending process.

#2. It's not just the equipment and the techniques; It's having the passion to get out there into nature at 5:30AM if necessary in order to take the chance that you might be able to view a great sunrise such as this or to capture wildlife or whatever you want to capture in photography. It's all about putting yourself on location and up close to your subject (or at least within your equipment's capability) time and time again if necessary in order to get a great shot with the right light on your subject. Then, when the time and location come together and your subject presents itself, hopefully all of #1 above (your equipment, your knowledge, and your post processing skills) will come together to capture that great experience.

#3. Patience and Persistence. These two traits are what will keep you from giving up. "Point and Shoot" is easy. Using your camera in Auto-Mode is easy. There are thousands of photographs out there that were created by "Pointing and Shooting" in Auto-Mode. You may have created thousands of these yourself, just as I did before I began the journey of trying to improve them into fine art. That journey is the road less traveled, takes a lot longer, and is way more difficult. Yet, if you appreciate fine art, and can imagine yourself creating fine art photography, then I would encourage you to begin the journey. However, you must have Patience and Persistence. It's not all going to come together the first time you go out and actually try to do it, but just the fact that you are trying may lead to some improvements.

So, these are the basics of what it takes to improve your photography through self study. I will be exploring these basics in greater detail in future editions of "How I Got the Shot". Please feel free to comment or contact me with your thoughts, opinions, or request for more information. I would love to hear from you.

Here's my entry that came in at #11 out of 150:

Click on the image for a lager view.
Cannon 40D, f5.6, 1/400 sec shutter, ISO 640, 300MM

Here's my entry that came in at #12 out of 150:

Click on the image for a larger view.
Cannon 40D, 1/30 sec, f6.3, 370MM, ISO 800

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate you support if you are into buying or collecting artwork. All purchases are appreciated no matter how small or how large. Please send me an email if you make a purchase as Fine Art America does not forward customer information to me and I would love to thank you personally and tell you more about "How I Got the Shot" in that artwork. Here is an introductory code for 50% off my commissions: AHZDMR. You may use that code for UNLIMITED purchases until 5/31/15. All purchases through Fine Art America have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. PLEASE forward this email to any of your friends that you think might be interested and they may use the above discount code also.

Finally, you can purchase any one of the above winning artwork pieces on a 20" x 24" canvas in a LIMITED TIME EDITION special for $100. This special is limited to the first THREE buyers each and expires on 3/16/15. Click on the links below for the specials:

LIMTED PROMOTIONS (Only 3 Available Each, Expires 3/16/15):
Placed #1: Blue Morning
Placed #11: Juvenile Alligator
Placed #12: It's a Squirrel's Life

Thank You Very Much for taking the time to read. I'm planning to do this article only once per quarter.

Sincerely,

Jamie Anderson
Fine Art Nature Photographer
912-344-4851
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