Photography Research Institute Carson Endowment

 There are benefits.

We don't attempt to produce award winning photography but photography that does the job and fulfills the client's requirements. This order or kind of photography is not necessarily award winning, although it could be.

We produce photography that generates viewer response.

Over the years it has been observed that some, if not most, photographers show a lack of interest in entering photography competitions. They tend to view such activities as not serving their professional interests. They can't see the bonuses to their business or professional growth.

This has been commented upon before but before going on it bears repeating. In situations where you are showing work done for other clients, be sure you have clients' permission to show the work. This is because many clients don't appreciate their vendors showing or telling their competitors anything about them that can be of use or of help to the competitor to better or enhance the competitor's market position. Only the client is in a position to determine what information can be released.

If a person showed the prospect an example of " . . . photography that generated viewer response . . . ," it would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove that such a photograph did generate any response. If it did generate response, was it the kind of response the client wanted in the first place?

Whereas a photograph that has won an award will have the award documentation to prove that it did fulfill the requirements necessary to win the award. It would be hard to refute that such a photograph had not won an award. The photograph met the requirement of the client (judge). In the judgments of experts it satisfied the criteria of the competition. That was the response that the photographer wanted in the first place. The photographer demonstrated that he or she could meet, and possibly exceed, requirements set forth for a photography assignment.

Winning the competition or gaining recognition that the photograph had merit was the was the reason the photograph was submitted. That demonstration of ability could suggest to the prospect that maybe that photographer could be able to fulfill the prospective photo commission. The more awards won, the greater the certainty that the client has that he or she made the right selection. After all, it was a commission that the client was giving to an award winning photographer. How could the client go wrong?

Moreover, if an award was won by a photograph commissioned by the client, wouldn't the client recognize that bonus from that commission in addition to the creation of a photograph that generated viewer response?