You will see me talk about getting a "merit" on some of my images but for those who are not involved in the PPA world, I don't know if they understand how hard it is.
Chasing merits in your photography work means that your photo has achieved a level of excellence meeting the "12 elements." It's 12 full standards that need to be met containing things like technical execution, color balance, lighting, etc.
These are examples of my work that failed to receive a merit. So when I say that a piece of my work has actually merited, it's a big deal. I think they are beautiful but they each failed to meet that level of excellence in some way.
Do I "win" anything when a photograph merits? No. Why do I do it? I am working towards my master photography degree with PPA for my own growth and development. Everything I do is to make me a better, more skilled photographer which will make me better and more skilled for you as a client. Improvement and growth is one of the ways to keep my love for photography fresh.
