Taking a shot-the story behind entering a photo into the Alaska State Fair

Years ago when I was serving in the Navy, I was sent to Crete, Greece for my first overseas tour. Rough sledding, I know. Traveling around the island, taking in the sights and the history, I relied on those old disposable cameras to document visits to the beautiful beaches and ancient Minoan ruins. They worked well enough, but decades later, the photos don’t do justice to what I had seen in real life.

But that also sparked an interest in photography. I bought my first camera from a shipmate that was transferring, a boxy, wieldy piece that used discs to store photos. Definitely an improvement, and some of those photos have held up well, capturing fond memories of serving on my ship, shenanigans with my shipmates, and some of the port calls we made.

I bought a few books on photography, but like a lot of things in my life at the time, I got distracted with the wars, and had a hard time understanding the technical aspects and what made for an outstanding photograph. I’m more of a hands-on learner, knew what I liked and practiced when I could. Some of those photos were garbage, and some were photos I love, even if studied photographers like my brother think, well, differently. Art is subjective.

Over the years, I’ve learned that photographs tell stories, a basic tenet of photography, and I have to think about that when I look at my own photos. Does it tell a story or evoke a mood that resonates with others? Just because I may see it, others might not. I have a few different people I ask, and while I take their thoughts into consideration, sometimes I am just stubborn enough to not heed their words and do my own thing.

I later received a Sony Cybershot camera as a gift, and for those who don’t know, they were wildly popular for years in the early 2000’s. These relied on a memory cards and were so slick that they’ve made a bit of a comeback as people are turning to all things retro like albums and flip phones. I relied on that camera for travels to Australia, South Korea, Japan, and China.

Of course, with the advent of cellphones, everyone became a photographer, and when I retired from the military and became a fulltime student, most of my side hobbies and interests were put on pause, so like most, I used my cellphone when I saw something worth stopping and taking a photo of, typically my family and pets.

On our first Christmas, my husband gave me a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera with interchangeable lenses, and with that, a renewed interest in photography. I used it to take photos at the Tulip Festival in Washington, my trip to Ireland, and of course, our move up to Alaska on the Al-Can.

When I turned 50 (gulp), I made a bucket list of what I wanted to accomplish, and one of the top three was to enter my photos into the Alaska State Fair. It may sound simple to a lot of people, putting a few photos on display for the thousands of people…oh boy, my heartbeat is picking up. For me, a sense of anxiety come with people seeing my work, judging and hoping they understand my point of view.

It’s not a simple process to prep photos for entry. First, you need to enlarge the photos to fit the required 8x10 size, and as many can relate, what looks great on a little screen or as a 4x6 print can look very different the bigger the print size. The pixels, the distortions, and where did that spot come from? Nothing can ruin a great shot like a bad print.

I also learned to have multiple prints on hand because the prints need to be mounted according to the established guidelines, and sometimes I make mistakes. Alright, a lot of mistakes. I had to teach myself how to mount the photos, an arduous process for me since I’m not a technical person, but I still a bit of a perfectionist. If the photo isn’t centered just right, I start all over again. You have the choice to mount your work on an 8x10 foam board, or 11x14 foam board, which is the option I use because to me, it’s not as easy to perfectly mount and 8x10 photo onto the same size board.

This year, a video tutorial was posted on the Alaska State Fair website to help people like me ensure they have the proper tools and are able to mount their work properly.

I had already entered the Alaska State Fair back in 2021, entering an alcohol ink art piece, and being awarded a Second Place ribbon. But that wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t on my bucket list. So, in 2023, I entered the photo contest for the first time, entering a photo of our beloved dog Bella that didn’t place, which broke my heart. But I did earn an Honorable Mention Ribbon in the Architectural sub-category for a shot of the Salty Dawg Saloon, and I was thrilled. But I also knew I needed to challenge myself a little more.

Last year, I entered a photo a workhorse that I loved, and took a chance making it a black and white piece because I liked the emotions it evoked. I also entered a landscape photo from our trip to Norway, but alas none placed. Again, I was heartbroken, not knowing exactly what I was doing wrong. But in my ennui, I decided I had to keep trying.

There was also the challenge from our new publisher to focus on faces. That is out of my wheelhouse. Way, way out of my wheelhouse. I love landscape and architecture photos, and while I’ve taken a few animal shots I’m proud of, they are difficult. I mean, getting our dog to sit still for the dozens and dozens of shots I took was exhausting. Although the horse photos were a happy accident. With landscape and architecture, I can play with the sun shining at different angles, get down in the weeds, or climb up on boulders to find a different perspective. But people? That’s been out of my comfort zone for a very long time.

I had an opportunity to fly with the US Army Golden Knights last year when they were here as part of Arctic Thunder at JBER. Armed with my cellphone, because you’re strapped into a seat pretty tightly and there was not a lot of room to switch out lenses and cameras, I captured a whole different side of what the people were seeing on the ground below. Watching the men prep and plot where they were going to land, and just taking in the open views of the Alaska terrain from below was exhilarating. I went to town on my phone, trying to get the shot that would accompany the story I would later have to write. Doing all that while focusing on their faces, with limited arm movement, and trying desperately not to hurl as the plane was testing the atmosphere with sharp turns and quick ascension.

Fast forward to this summer. I knew I wanted to enter one of those shots from the Golden Knights flight, though I was torn between two different shots that, at least to me, evoked two different moods. But I have also been slammed as one of two fulltime reporters this year, to the point that I almost didn’t make an entry. Luckily, I still had enough foam board and photo sleeves to prepare my entries.

I didn’t think the shots were good enough for the sub-category of ‘Portraits of People,’ but I was encouraged to enter the shot into the ‘Those who Serve’ category. Since contestants are only allowed to enter one photo into the sub-categories, I went with a shot that showed the parachutist’s face, while reflecting the view from below. He looked contemplative as he waited for the time to jump out of the plane, completely opposite of how I would be feeling at that moment.

Amazingly, the shot placed, earning a Second Place Ribbon. I say amazing because of the hurried nature behind getting the entry prepared and dropped off. And because I am just competitive enough, I know this won’t be my last time entering, because my bucket list has changed to earning a first place ribbon.