Here we are- six months later, thousands of photos taken, and a final portfolio of twelve images! I’m so proud of the photos I’ve submitted and the amount of growth I’ve achieved over this course. It was a tough schedule to fit around everything else I’ve been up to, but they call them “challenges” for a reason! I have definitely been pushed out of my comfort zone and learned as much as I could. One last giant ‘thank you’ to all my models- I truly couldn’t have done it without you!!
For our final portfolio review, we’re given a chance to apply the feedback we’ve received from the past twelve rounds: cleaning up small details, taking a different approach to editing, or submitting a new image altogether. My entries ended up needing a little bit of each! Our final portfolio is then judged based on overall merit and how well we approached the feedback. I was thrilled to see that my portfolio was awarded the Highly Commended designation! The judges complimented my use of depth of field, color, and the variety in my images, which was something that I paid special attention to in my submissions.
You have responded so wonderfully to the feedback that we’ve given. Your use of those soft, dreamy backgrounds is really beautifully done. Some nice attention to detail in your edits and some really beautiful expressions that have got some fun and humor in them, too. Nice and bright and clean, and I love all that warm light as well. Well done!
(Transcribed from awards video)
When I joined Embark, it was with a specific goal in mind. I had entered the IPPA awards for the past two years and was happy with the feedback I got, but frequently puzzled by the full gallery of awarded images- I couldn’t see what made something a bronze versus silver image, and I definitely didn’t understand the difference between silver and gold. The little details that were clearly catching the judges’ eyes were escaping me!
Since the people behind Unleashed also run that awards program, I thought that Embark would be a good way to peek behind the curtain and see more of the process. Other frustrations aside, it definitely gave me that! Within the first few rounds, I was able to correctly predict what the commentary would be for most images, proven by my string of awards at the end. I ended the course with three Top 20s and four Top Tens- I’d call that mission accomplished!
So, would I recommend the program? That depends on your goals! It is definitely geared towards people who are already familiar with a camera and shooting dogs, not complete novices. I thought that the instructional material was fine, but not worth the price tag- the real value was in the feedback, and I don’t think I would’ve achieved much just working through the self-paced version.
My biggest frustration with the course was with the feedback itself. As a teacher, I was constantly wishing they had a rubric or some sort of point system, especially when it came to narrowing down the top 20 & 10. I felt that many images with bigger virtues than faults were cast aside for a seemingly arbitrary reason, while more middling photos were awarded. But art is subjective, and my view is certainly not the only correct one!
All in all, I’m glad I took the course and feel like I got both my money’s worth and what I wanted from it. I don’t plan on continuing the series at this time, but I do plan on applying this knowledge to my IPPA entries next year! I’ll have to find something else to blog about in the meantime…