Honestly I was hoping to be writing this blog post in celebration. And maybe I should warn you, I may come off as a whiny, spoiled and misunderstood artist as you read this. And, I know a lot of you have been waiting to see this big secret I’ve been brewing since I was in Austin

But… I’m incredibly upset by what happened at Tuesday night’s PPSDC, (Professional Photographers of San Diego County), Print Competition…

Maybe it’s my fault for expecting to walk out with Best In Show, but I received the highest score out of all entries. I thought it was a sure thing. Then I find I get bumped in the first round of the “play-offs” like my Green Bay Packers… Only I had scoreboard…

I suppose I was way too close to the image. I had this planned for about at least 9 months and was only just able to execute it when I was in Austin back in November. And I was so wrapped up in this image I’ve had in my head… It just really stings to see it lose so badly after scoring so well. And, not to take anything away from the Photographers that received Best of Class and Best of Show that beat it, but when multiple members and one of the Judges comes up and says that I was “robbed,” it really hurts.

So… I’m going to finish my beer that I’m crying into, and move onto “what’s next” tomorrow.
I would like to say a quick “Thank You” to Kareena (my model in this photo), Chris Lin for assisting, and BWC for printing the exquisite print I entered in competition. I don’t care what the judges say, this is a great photograph, and there is no way I could have done this without you guys.

William Bay is a Robbed!.

I joined the Austin PPA (Professional Photographers Association) two months ago. I figured in order to get my name out there as a legitimate wedding photographer in Austin, I needed to belong in the professional organizations, network with other photographers, and continue my learning process with the guest speakers they have every month.

Last night was my first foray into the print competition though. It turned out to be a very competitive night. There were about 12 entries and after seeing each one I was really thinking I’d be lucky to place.

As it turned out, I took the Red Ribbon! I just nudged out a maternity shot with very pretty lighting, and my photo BFF Maria Bernal nailed First Place with an exquisite fashion portrait.

I actually owe Maria some credit on this photo. She offered a little critique that really pushed this portrait from good to great.

And thank you to Seasha McKay for being a sport and climbing up on this stump, and basically doing all the crazy things asked of you, including swimming in a dress that had to weigh sixty pounds wet.

William Bay is a Woo Hoo! I got 2nd Place at the Austin PPA.

Friday:

I was very excited to start heading out to Krause Springs, where myself and some fellow photographers from an online photo group were going to get together and do a TTD (Trash The Dress) session with a couple models for portfolio type work, and just to have fun and meet each other.

On my way out for a pre-trip errand, I noticed that I missed a call. I check the voice mail, and chills begin running down my spine. The voice on the message said, ” Hello William, This is Grace Ormonde… Give me a call back. I’d like to talk to you.”

It was all I could do to keep the car on the road! For those that don’t know, Grace Ormonde is the woman behind Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style, a high-style wedding magazine. I had submitted a wedding I had photographed a few months to just get a gauge for where my photography matched up to everyone else that was submitting. And she just called me… I had to collect myself for a few minutes, and then made the call back.

We talked for at least twenty minutes about the funny post I wrote about my odds of getting published with her, how much she loved my fine art portrait work, and that she wants to see my next submission.
*Note: Some of the work below may be part of that next submission

After I got off the phone, I had to call my photo BFF here in town Maria Bernal and I made her guess who I just talked to… She wasn’t very good at that game, I had to tell her. I could barely walk my knees were so weak! I also called my Mom, and I posted to my Flickr group of wedding photographers.

And I was still excited about camping and the TTD session!

I am the first one out to Krause Springs since it’s just a short 40 minutes from Austin, and Laura Burlton and her family were coming from Houston. The others weren’t coming until Saturday. I set up my own camp, and then began a recon mission and found some amazing places to photograph.
Laura and her family arrived, and I went to meet her and Alex her husband and two little girls. We got their camp all set up and then ran down to jump in the swimming hole to cool off.

And then…

I jumped into the swimming hole with my keys and my iPhone still in my pockets!!!

I did not realize this for 10 minutes!At which point I could only hope that it would dry out and work again.

After speaking to Grace Ormonde, there was not much that could have dampened my high, but drowning a phone that I had paid $400 for came really close.

Saturday:

After a great nights sleep in my tent, I woke up with the sun. Laura had slipped off and came back with some coffee to share. Our model Seasha (who Laura and myself both know separately) arrived shortly after with her wee ones, and one more photographer from the group, Nana Aikins, showed up, and we went off to shoot.

We photographed for about an hour (photos below) and it began to rain. I hadn’t put my rain fly on the tent the night before, and when I got back I had a soaked sleeping back and a puddle on the downhill side of my tent.

The four of us gathered under a metal cover and drank beer as a lightning storm began to pass through (no one said it was smart). We polished off 4 beers each, while the kids played in the mud puddles, and then decided it was time for a BBQ lunch at Opie’s Barbecue in Spicewood. It rained while we ate delicious brisket and sausage and chicken.

Then it was time for another round of photos in a different dress. We had another model lined up, as well as a couple other photographer friends that had planned to come out, but the rain ruled them out. Our afternoon session was a lot of fun.

Nana had to leave a little early, and when we wrapped up photographing Seasha invited us over to her house where she found us places to sleep, I threw together a big stockpot of chicken soup and we all sat around, chatted, looked at some of the photos, and enjoyed everyones company until we all fell asleep.

Sunday:

Sunday was a lazy day. We all had to leave, but we delayed that as long as we could. After a delicious egg and sausage scramble that Seasha whipped up, we all went down to her parents pool, and watched the kids swim and play. Slowly, we all got ready and headed off to our separate lives once again.

I had a great time, with some great people.
I took part in a kick butt TTD session.
I lost my phone, but not before Grace Ormonde called me.
This weekend may have been my strangest/weirdest/funnest ever!

Enjoy the photos.

William Bay is a A Weird, Watery Weekend!.