In 2002, I was a freshman in high school sitting in Ms. Stackhouse’s photography film class. The class was filled with a majority of Juniors and Seniors who had seniority over the underclassman in selecting their schedules and it was easy to feel like the uncool freshman sister to everyone in there.  Each week, we had a new assignment to focus on, loaded our rolls from the stock of film and placed them carefully in our cameras. We shot, developed and made out prints during the week and finished the assignment by placing them in mats to hang on the critique wall.  “Cookie Critique” would come every friday like clockwork.  Each member of the class got to select another peers photograph and give a simple critique while the class munched on the cookies that Ms. Stackhouse brought in. We would go around the room until all photographer had been looked at by the class.

I remember feeling SO nervous hanging my prints each week on that wall. Even for beginning photography class where expectations were realistic about the quality of our work, it was still intimidating! As a photographer, you have to realize quickly that you have to put  yourself out there! Today, we have Facebook walls, Instagram feeds and blogs that serve as our 2015 critique wall  for the world to see.  It is easy to feel vulnerable about sharing something that you created for others to look at and judge.

A fun and less intimidating way to put your work out and give feed back to others is the Shoot and Share contest!

Each year, Shoot and Share creates a MASSIVE online contest for different types of photography. Wedding, Senior portraits, Families, Newborns, its all there! The contest is still young, but the number of photographers that enter is HUGE! This year there were over 110,000 images entered!! The best part is that the contest is completely anonymous. It is not a popularity contest on who can drive more fans to like their photographs. It is just about the pictures! Each voter is displayed 4 images from one category and you simple choose your favorite! It is easy to vote for HOURS. It seems like there are limitless images to look at. So if you have a few minutes, take some time to go vote for some of your favorite images or check out some of the winners from last year.


There are 21 categories for you to look at. Each one is displayed randomly so you get to see a little bit of everything. It is also a fun way to quickly see what types of photography you are easily drawn towards!

WEDDINGS:

• Engagement
• The Wedding Couple
• Just the Bride
• Just the Groom
• Real Moments
• Wedding Party
• Details : The Rings
• Details : All Dressed Up
• Cake, Flowers & Decor
• Just the Guests

PORTRAITS:

• People Portraits
• Newborn
• Maternity
• Families
• Senior Guy/Girl
• Children

OTHER:

• Passion Portrait
• Styled Shoot
• That Just Happened
• Personal Work
• Photo Photography

The odds are low, but you might see a few of my images in the wedding categories. 🙂 So CLICK HERE to go vote!

Like what you see and need more?