I have something exciting I have been waiting to share with you!
Last week I found out I was a finalist (again!! :D ) in the RISE International Photography Awards and I was so happy to make it that far! I wasn't going to enter due to personal circumstances but I am so happy I persevered! There was over 4000 entries and only 20 finalists in each category! Of those 4000+ entries only 14 Gold awards given out and I am incredibly grateful that the one and only entry I entered received one of those elusive golds!! Not only did I receive that beauty of a Gold award but I placed in the top 2 and came 2nd in the birth category!! Totally blown away!!
I am incredibly grateful to my amazing client, I have photographed all 3 of her gorgeous kids arrivals into this world and I will forever remember them all and humbled you have had me there to be apart of your amazing journey <3 <3
The live judging of the below image was incredible and exciting to listen too, not one negative word said and during the live finalist judging one of the five judges said "this is great photojournalism; if someone said define photojournalism, you'd just pull out this photo, there it is, that's what photojournalism is." and then the host of the RISE International Photography Awards had this to say, "Birth is one of those categories and genres that is not easy, our birth photographers are faced with so many different scenarios you've got home births, hospital births, you've got birthing centers, water births, car park births. It is all happening for these photographers and they've gotta know their technical skills and they've gotta be on the ball every second and they don't have that ability to say hey can you just move that leg or hey can you um you know, just wind that window down it's one of those things were they literally just have to be there in the spur of the moment watching at every moment as it unfolds and capturing it." - Kelly Brown