Before making the trek to Kansas City for national convention senior Ava Garza and sophomore Kate Morris entered photos to be critiqued. This national level of competition was a big step for both, as they had only submitted to online competitions.
“This photo I’ve submitted has done really well and has been entered in other photography competitions,” Morris said. “I love the photo because it’s a clear view of the kid running in his meet with his coaches and teammates cheering him on.”
Once at the conference the girls attended an in person critique session with the judges. These critiques were meant to help them be better at photographers and perfect their eye for detail.
“Going into the critiques I was so nervous. I didn’t realize that they were doing them in person, on the spot, in front of everyone,” Garza said. “It was Kate’s first time and I think she was more brave than me when it came to critiques.”
At the end of the three day event, during the awards ceremony on Saturday, both were awarded national level awards for their photography. Morris received a rating of Excellent on her photo entered in the First Year Photographer category while Garza received an honorable mention for her Sports Action Portfolio.
“It definitely felt really awesome, I was super proud of myself and it made me feel like I was really good at something especially since I’ve always struggled with feeling like I’m not good at anything,” Morris said.