no, I'm not bitter

I don't like photo competitions.  I believe you should create your images for yourself (unless you have to rely on selling them for a living) and shoot what makes you happy.

To that end, I neither look at nor enter competitions.  But I did once, and it cemented my anti-competition feeling even more.

I can't remember what the contest was, but I entered what was for me a really good image shot at the coast.  It got absolutely nowhere.  Not even an acknowledgment from the contest organiser.  Nothing.

a complete waste of time - entering the contest that is

Imagine my surprise then on seeing the winning entry and thinking "that's my shot!".  It wasn't, but it was so similar in terms of composition, lighting, elements, everything really that it might as well have been.

The winner was a well-known landscape photographer, and the fawning over the image was quite sickening if I'm honest.  The other images that were placed were by similarly famous (in the landscape photography sphere at least) names and to be honest were nothing to write home about.  Yes, they were technically well executed but lighting and subject were quite dour and lifeless.

It got me thinking how anyone could stand a chance when no matter how good their image is unless they're already known they already had no chance; and that I had zero desire to either attain fame or enter, let alone win, another competition.

I simply didn't and don't want to be a member of the clique.

This feeling was cemented while reading a magazine recently.  Famous photographers were asked to pick an image they really liked by another shooter.  "Excellent" I thought, at last a chance for less well known photographers to get some credit.  But no.  They all chose work by one of their mates and each other.

And this is just how competition judges operate.  It's name first and quality second.  And I've got no interest in that game thank you very much.