Customer Reviews

Winning Digital Photo Contests (Lark Photography Book)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The photos in this book are wonderful. I'd recommend it to beginning to intermediate photographers who are learning to see photographically. Don't expect the "inside technical advice" to reveal anything you won't find elsewhere. Winning contests is a clever marketing line. I bit. The content is a collection of general tips with a spin. The format is to present a category of photography, offer some example photos and good generic suggestions about what to focus on. For dramatic nature moments? Be prepared. For stop action photography? Practice. Push your limits? Try something new. That's about the depth to expect. It's more about attitude than technical details. If you want encouragement, there's a lot of 'you can do it' in the text.

It's all good advice, the kind of stuff we need to internalize to get better. One featured quote is "Follow your passion and you'll be amazed at the results you are able to achieve." True enough but hardly an insider secret.

Jeff Wingall does show us some stunning pictures and his commentary is useful. If you're stuck in a rut and are looking for fresh ideas you might find or be reminded something helpful here. If you're an experienced photographer, you've probably heard it before.

There are some interviews and advice from a couple of amateurs who win contests. There's a list at the back of contests to enter. But most importantly, there's a wide range of excellent photos to peruse.

Here's a book for all you competitors and all those wanting to make a name for themselves!
Looking at these gorgeous examples of actual price-winning images, you get an overall feel for the quality, the uniqueness, the purity, the focus.... and a lot more that is needed to make outstanding pictures that can not only compete but can win. All the shown examples have won. That makes this book a very fine measuring tool for the quality of your own work. The book covers a broad scope of contests. Jeff gives very good info about what is out there, the levels of the contests, the frequency, the prizes, the benefits of competing. Jeff encourages us to go to work as if competing in a contest. Entering (and you don't have to win every time) competitions in itself enhances the quality of your work. I like his style of commenting, informational and to the point, Jeff indicates what the essence is of every shot at hand. The original makers also have a say about their work and the fun of competing. And, yes, the even greater fun of winning. To win is aknowledgement, sure, but in this book you feel it's fun and exciting just to be in it. And: runners-up get published just the same often. Competition is wonderful way to get really involved in image-making, to make sure you make stunning (in every meticulous aspect) pictures.
After digesting this book, you know what's in store and what to do to get there.
Needless to say: these (winning) images are great. Just for that reason this book is worth having, browsing through it time and time again.
And who knows what a prestigious win can do for you?

Jeff Wignall's newest book just arrived from Amazon, and it is sensational. The combination of contest winning photos (beautifully reproduced) and Wignall's expert comentary and how-to techniques is awe-inspiring. This is one of the best photo books ever, a masterwork featuring extraordinary shots by ordinary photgraphers who hit the jackpot. It's so well written and explained, it makes me think I could, too!

I have been reading over this book. What great insight into the techniques and methods used by these outstanding photographers. In the interest of disclosure, my wife and I are the owners and operators of Digital Image Cafe. 31 of our current and past members are featured in this book. Though I am on the inside, I still have learned yet more about what it takes to make these eye-catching photographs. It was a pleasure to work with Jeff and Lark Books to get them everything that they needed to create this useful tool for all of the aspiring photographers out there. This has turned out better than we had even hoped. Congratulations to all of the featured photographers from all of the contests sites! You all deserve a standing ovation for taking the time to share your knowledge, not only in this book but on sites like ours!

Within a week of finishing this book, I won my first photography contest. The example photographs of previous winners were very much an inspiration and the direct comments from the author of what made the photographs winners were what tipped the boat for me. The book was very easy to read and comprehend and in my case turned out to be very pratical.

This is annoutstandoing, especially informative book on how to take
photographs to made a jude take a second look. Anyone can wind a contest
by doing just simple things that are explained in the book.
By the way, myphoto is on page 26, and I am not a professional photographer.

This book is definitely for someone who wants to improve their photography without all the high-tech details and explanations. Each page has a photo with a brief description as to why it was chosen and what made the photo stand out. I would recommend this book.

This book is filled with beautiful photographs and good info. Also gives advice on how to enter photo contests and a list of ones to check into. Worth it.

I am glad I bought the book. I am a member of one of the contest sites (Digital Image Cafe) and so was familiar with some of the photographers. Well put together, and easy to read with excellent winning photos with the info about the shot. Also includes websites of several photo contest. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in submitting to photo contest and improving their photography skills.

I enjoyed this book. It contains many hints for taking and selecting contest photos.
Don't expect a magic formula, just take good photos and enter contests to have ant chance of winning.
The suggestions are subjective and and points out the fact that so are judges.