This episode features an interview with Kim Stephenson of PawPrint Pixs from the Chicago area. As you can probably guess, Kim specializes in pet photography. If you’ve watched a PPA Print Competition before, you surely noticed lots of images with animals. Kim seems to have an eye for photographing our furry friends. Unlike the previous guests, Kim Stephenson has just started entering images at the national level. Make sure you check out Kim’s images so you can see what we are talking about.

I’m in a similar boat. While I had entered images into my state competitions for years, last year was the first time I had images at the district and International Print Competition (IPC). A lot of that comes from master photographers and judges encouraging me to make changes to my images and getting them submitted.

If you plan on entering your first competition, I encourage you to talk to the judges to find out how you can improve your images. I find that many are more than happy to help out.

Bob Coates mentioned in the last episode that his competition images have helped him improve his client work. I believe that competition has helped me and my clients, too. So, if you’re nervous about entering, I say, “Don’t worry too much, but just get in there and try.” You’ll probably hear Kim and I talk about that in this interview, too.