As a member of the jury I want to say a couple of kind words that maybe can help you as a photographer. What’s really important for a contest is the wow factor.
The first couple of seconds is when you can convince a jury to stay longer with your photograph or not. When it’s a different look and feel, the editing isn’t the same, the concept isn’t the same, light is different and many more things that can help to make an image stand out!
If you have beautiful client work that doesn’t necessarily say that is also a good photograph for a contest. Your clients have an emotional bonding to the images that a member of the jury doesn’t have. We look different while we have no story or connection behind it. In that regard it’s also if you send in 10 pictures with the same look and feel, it gets boring because we see so many of the same and basically you become your own competition then. Only your very best will play a role.
A contest is actually a moment that you can get your own creative person to come out and play. Work that can inspire you to go out of your comfort zone. Get creative and get that spark going. That will also make you a different or better photographer for your client work as well. It’s a calling that will help you to make something different, different light, set up, editing etc.
Also its an opportunity to really take a deeper look in your talents and possibilities then just take an image from your work that on your hard drive. Hope it’s a valuable tip for you next time you enter a contest.
A good client photo doesn’t mean it’s a good photo for a contest.