End of the year award celebration

I attended the local photography club's end of the year celebration last night and walked away with 4 awards. The first was for finishing in the top 10 for this year's themed competitions. In 11 competitions, I had 11 photos place - 3 1st place entries, 1 third place, and 7 honorable mentions. In 2023, I had 10 photos place, 3 1st place, 1 third place, and 6 honorable mentions, but I missed one competition for a total of 10.

The 2nd award I received was for becoming a photography Fellow. That level is achieved when 20 photos place in the monthly competitions. So, I did it in 2 years! The next level is Bronze and can be achieved by accumulating points from photos placing in the competition. That'll be a goal for next year!

And then the final 2 awards were honorable mentions for the end of the year photo competition. Two judges are enlisted to select from all the winning entries, digital and print, the best photos of the year. My two photos of the Saturn V replica at the US Space and Rocket Center were selected by the judges.

Overall, a great year in the club. I had one more photo place than I did the previous year, and hope to build on that. It will not be an easy task as the club has several talented photographers, many who know how to do well in competitions. Plus, the topics are interesting and tough for 2025. I'd like to have 15 or more photos place and to achieve Bronze and Silver levels next year. Tall order, but goals have to be big!

Here are my two end of the year honorable mentions.