Let me preface...
Before anyone knocks me off my soapbox, this is something I've thought about for a while and I just want to say a few things before I get to my reasons.
First, I'm not referring to any legitimate, reputable photography contests or magazines that have guidelines and cash prizes. I'm referencing social media "magazines" and pages dedicated to "featuring" senior portraits submitted to them through hashtags or tagging via social media... or through a paid submission.
Second, if this is your thing and it works for you, great. That's good for you. I hope you keep doing what brings you joy.
I once thought this was something I would enjoy as well, I even had a few features of my own, but after a few years of being around the block and getting a feel for things, these "awards" just give me the ick and I'd like to explain why below.
1.)It's not an actual award and it doesn't mean anything about me or my client.
More often than not, it's not an actual award.
It's just another platform's logo tossed onto my picture and I get the distinguished honor of posting THEIR logo on MY page and saying:
"Yay! I've been featured on The Whoopity Doopity Seniors page, go check it out and give our post some love!"
That's it.
At best, my photo is seen on Whoopity Doopity's page and I get a few followers, but it's mostly just bragging rights and my loyal followers are now Whoopity Doopity's followers, as well.
The award doesn't mean anything about me as a photographer.
I didn't compete with other photographers on judged criteria.
There's no artistic guidelines.
There's no perimeters for judging.
There's just simply tagging your portrait, hoping someone sees it, likes it, and decides to post it that day.
For the client, there's even less of an "award".
At least as the photographer, I may get a few more eyeballs on my work, but my client just gets a pat on the back for being an appealing subject.
Whoo-hoo.
2.)it perpetuates a comparison mindset I'm not interested in participating in or subjecting my young clients to.
Picture this for me:
What happens if I have 6 Senior clients and I post on my page that 5 of my clients' photos were chosen to be featured on Whoopity Doopity's page?
How would the 6th client feel?
Now, let's say the 6th client is a teenage girl.
I've been a teenage girl. I know exactly what I would think if I were that 6th senior.
I would think it was me.
I would begin comparing myself to the other 5 girls that were featured and wonder what was wrong with the way I looked that made them not choose me.
I would pick myself apart from head to toe.
NO THANK YOU.
Teenage girls (and guys) play the comparison game on social media all day, every day and I refuse to add to that.
Especially when the "award" or "feature" has nothing to do with them or the way they look and everything to do with if the algorithm gods were on my side and if I tagged the photo around the exact same time Whoopity Doopity was looking for images to share for the day.
I'm not leaving my client's self-esteem in the hands of fate or the quick glance of a stranger.
Also, as a photographer, I intentionally avoid following other photographers because it's a slippery slop from being inspired by someone, to feeling like you're less than someone.
-and I'd rather live in ignorant bliss than start scrutinizing my work because I'm not as "talented" as someone else.
So, throwing my photo up side-by-side in a pool of hundreds of similar photos sounds like an absolute no for me.
I'm not interested in playing Who's Who with my art or my clients' feelings.
I'm not interesting in subjecting anyone to the comparison game any more than they already are.
It's not worth it.
Senior portraits are supposed to be a fun experience to memorialize your senior year, not a way to drag yourself through the mud worrying if your senior memories are as "hot" or as popular as someone else's.
The experience is the award.
The moment saved in time is the award...
Not the acknowledgment of strangers on the internet.
3.)it's a way for other platforms to use my work for free to bring traffic to their platforms... or even worse, charge me to enter my own work to participate.
I kind of hit on this in point one, but I'd like to be more thorough.
I'm not in the habit of letting platforms use my art to make money... for FREE.
I'm certainly not in the habit of letting platforms exploit my clients' to make money... for FREE.
-and that's what's happening here.
Maybe you don't see it this way, but I do.
Maybe you see it as a "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine." or win-win sort of scenario...
I don't.
My portrait. My WORK. Gets "featured" on Whoopity Doopity's page.
Whoopity Doopity didn't pay me to use my work, but they gain followers from MY page for featuring MY work.
They get likes and interaction from MY work on THEIR page.
Do you know what followers and interaction gets you on social media?
Money.
So, Whoopity Doopity gets to use my work for FREE content, to gain followers, and make a profit from showing MY work.
-and I get... to share my photo with their logo on my page?
-my client gets... bragging rights?
Make it make sense for me.
What could be worse than someone using my work to profit... for FREE?
Me PAYING someone to use my work to make a profit for themselves.
The Senior MAGAZINE FEATURE!
Gosh. That sound like the holy grail of all holy grails doesn't it?!
I mean, I've really made it if I'm featured in a MAGAZINE, right?!
Well, unless it's a Senior "magazine" that's being published to absolutely-no-one-except the people who PAID to submit their images for a chance of being selected for publishing and then PAYING to buy that same, very much UNPUBLISHED, magazine.
What?
Let me break that down for you.
I PAY to submit my portrait for the opportunity to be selected for publishing... or not.
Then, IF my portrait is selected... I get to PAY to buy the magazine it was published in.
This isn't your run-of-the-mill $4.99 magazine... or $7.99 magazine... or even the fancy $12.99 magazine you pick up from your local magazine rack.
No, no.
This is a $58ish "magazine" that I order online and then it's printed and delivered to me.
Who's a winner here? Not me.
so, there's the answer you never asked for.
-but, hopefully if you've ever wondered why you never see my work featured or awarded... you now understand the reasoning. I don't want to play the game.
AND if you ever DO see my work awarded or featured, you'll know it was because I was rightfully paid, my client submitted the work, or I was legitimately recognized by a reputable photography platform.
Until then... <3
