Gold seal for the Portrait Masters Awards and Accreditation program by Sue Bryce Education

by alanalee

Photography Awards and Accreditation

Why should photographers enter awards and competitions?

Why do photography awards matter? That is a question I have contemplated over the past few years. For me, entering photography competitions is an opportunity to have my images seen across the industry and within the photography community as well as featured in press and online. Entering competitions allows me to really engage myself in the creative process and push my limits with both creativity and technique. Some photography competitions offer cash prizes or gear to winners, which is always nice, but what I benefit most from is receiving valuable feedback about my submitted images that I can learn from and improve my craft.

Port Hope photographer Alana Lee wins 3 honorable mentions in the 2018 Monochrome Black and White photography awards

by alanalee

2018 Monochrome Photography Awards

Port Hope Photographer wins honorable mentions in the 2018 International Monochrome Awards

As my photography journey continues I have set a goal to enter International Photography Awards. By participating in these competitions a photographer gains international exposure and recognition among their peers and within the photography industry. It is also an opportunity to gauge where I am among my peers and assess how I am progressing in my goal to master my craft.

Recently I entered four images into the 2018 Monocrhrome Awards and was delighted to learn that three of my entries placed with honorable mentions in the professional categories of Portrait, Fine Art, and Photomanipulation.

Monochrome Photography Awards conducts an annual international competition for professional and amateur photographers honoring black and white photography. Their mission is to celebrate monochrome visions and discover the most amazing photographers from around the world.

Honorable mention:

Photomanipulation

Honorable mention:

Fine Art

Honorable mention:

Portrait

You can read more about why I think photography awards and accreditation programs are important on my blog post “Why Photographers Should Enter Awards and Competitions“

in Fine Art / News & Updates / Photography / Portraits

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

Kahlil Gibran

Alana Lee Photography: Apples 2018 holiday ad share your gifts

by alanalee

Best Holiday Ad 2018

Have you ever made something wonderful but were too afraid to share it? This is the question our friends at Apple ask in their 2018 Holiday ad. The short film created by Pixar features music by 16 year old Billie Eilish (“Come out and Play”) and follows a young girl who keeps her creations a secret until her dog accidentally opens a window, releasing the papers into the community where they are seen and enjoyed by everyone.

in Photography

Alana Lee Photography: Digital background textures and overlays for photographers and photoshop

by alanalee

Add Interest to Photos using Textures

I’m often asked how do I create my backgrounds for studio portraits. An easy way to add interest to images is by using a digital texture or overlay with Photoshop or your favorite photo editing software. By using digital textures I can avoid purchasing expensive canvas, fabric or paper backgrounds thus saving money and space in my studio. This keeps my photo shoot production costs down and enables me to offer more variety and pass along savings to my clients.

in Digital Products / Editing / Equipment / Photography

Alana Lee Photography: fantasy photography with girl wearing deer headpiece in forest using stella pro continuous LED lights

by alanalee

Photography Talk

Inspirational Photo of the Day: Photography Talk

My fantasy image of a young girl exploring the dark woods was recently featured by the online photography forum Photography Talk as the Inspirational Photo of the Day. Recently I’ve been exploring ways to tell stories with my images and it has been such a rewarding experience and enabled me to express so much more with my photography. Photography Talk is an amazing resource for photographers around the world that helps photographers tell amazing stories with their cameras. Followed by over 3 million photographers around the world, they are the “everything” resource for photographers and it is such an honor to be featured on their website.

in News & Updates / Photography

by alanalee

CFFM Santa Photos 2018

For the past few years I’ve been volunteering to photograph Santa and his friends at the Canadian Fire Fighters Museum in Port Hope, Ontario. After enjoying the annual Santa Claus parade in downtown Port Hope everyone (including pets!) is invited to join Santa for hot chocolate, cookies and have a photo taken with Santa himself. This year the Santa meet and greet, and photos will be held at the former Canadian Tire building at 100 Henderson Street, just across from the end of the parade route. Donations to the Canadian Fire Fighters Museum are welcome.

in Photography / Portraits

If I could give you one thing in life, it would be the ability to see yourself through my eyes. Only then would you realize how special you are to me.

Frida Kahlo

Alana Lee Photography: Bunny rabbit studio photo by Port Hope and Cobourg pet photographer Alana Lee

by alanalee

Don’t Use these Essential Oils Around Pets!

Essential oils are beneficial to humans, however, they can potentially be toxic to our beloved pets. What is safe for us might not be for them, so it is important to speak with your veterinarian before using essential oils either topically or in a diffuser when pets may be sharing your home or coming into contact with you when oils have been applied to your skin.

in Photography / Portraits

Alana Lee Photography: Port Hope photographer Alana Lee receives two honorable mentions in the International CPC photography awards for childrens portraits

by alanalee

CPC Portrait Awards 2018

The CPC Portrait Awards are an international photography competition that recognizes the best in child portraiture throughout the world. This photo competition for child portrait photographers recognizes exceptional images based on a judging criteria that identifies the best quality in art. The judging panel scores entries based on technical quality, composition, artistic expression and overall impression.

in Photography / Portraits