Photographer: Next Career Move?

The social committee at work puts on every year a in-house photo competition. There were 6 categories, and you could enter only one into each category. The pictures had to be taken by you in the last year. I submitted three: humour, architecture and nature. We rented out the top floor of the closest pub to our office and headed there after work for some dinner, entertainment and the competition. A fantastic spread of food was put out and we enjoyed the show of last years Christmas party, sports day, study trips, trip to London for the office's 15th anniversary and other work gatherings. Lots of pictures of the 4 o'clock girls (as Karen, Claire and I are now known as since we promptly go down for our tea break in the canteen everyday at, you guessed it, 4:00) doing a variety of things, bungee run, soccer tournament, London mischief and just fun in the sun at a lunch break.

Then the competition began. A co-worker's sister is a professional photographer and after she went through a few hundred pictures to select the winner out of the four finalist for each category. First up was abstract, which I did not enter since most of my photos are mainly of buildings. Then was Office Related, and although I am always there and were in some of the photos, I usually never am the one taking the photos. Then was movie clips, but I have not been tech savvy enough to learn how to do movies on purpose with Ben's camera, just on accident. The came Humour. My picture of Manekin Pis with his orange raincoat was not selected, but I was not disheartened, this was just the first of three. Then came Nature, which I had a Bend waterfall picture from right before I moved. I was not selected, but I was a top finalist! Last but not least was architecture. Now working in an architecture firm with about 130 or so other architects in four different offices with Europe at our fingertips, I knew this would be a challenge. First one up was a great black and white of a Gothic church. Next was a famous Japanese church that when photographed at the right time of day has the most amazing shadows. Then was some roman ruins with cats running about over them. Then finally was mine! The Guggenheim in Bilbao! Everyone was cheering, and they were all shouting out their favorite, up until now there had been all male winners, but not this time! I WON! I got a 100 euro gift certificate that can be used and a variety of different places. Very popular here, I can get a new outfit, get something for the kitchen, sky dive, horseback ride or go TANK DRIVING! I mean, how cool would driving a real military tank be, not a chance every person gets to have...... we will see. After the holidays I can figure out what to do with it. Look out photographers, here I come!