I WON THE GRAND PRIZE!!!! (and I'm flying to New York on Sunday!)

Thursday, 20 September 2007

I WON THE GRAND PRIZE!!!! (and I'm flying to New York on Sunday!)

2007 Grand Prize Winner of the Jesh de Rox Explore Awards ???

Oh guys, if you can just see me right now you'd laugh at me. I am so FLOORED! wow wow wow...... I just cannot believe this! ... actually having problems writing out this entry. So happy I want to cry. ... maybe. hahaha oh wow. THANK YOU! Ahh you guys are awesome!!!

Thank you to everybody who voted for me!

Thank you to those who said they only voted for one of my images but didn't like the other enough to vote for that! (I have honest friends. yay!)

Thank you to everybody who told your friends to check out the contest and vote for the best!

And thank you to everybody who's reading this!

But most of all... to those who have been with me since the beginning, to those who just found out about my work recently, thank YOU for your support. It was a handful of Xanga photographers who inspired me to pick up photography all those years ago. And for a while, when I was just starting out and too ashamed to show my work to many people, your encouragement fueled me to push on and improve. And when I made the plunge into wedding photography early last year, many of you have been my inspiration, my cheerleaders, my teachers.... I am where I am today because of you. =)

Maybe one day you can tell your friends, "You see how good that guy is? I helped him get there." Or, "I have been following Junshien's work back when his pictures kinda suck, can you believe it? But now I'm going to book him for my wedding next year." heh

So now, winning this contest... I didn't even expect to make it into the final round, much less have BOTH my submissions make the cut. And to win both the categories I entered.... oh guys, I am so humbled! I have been working very hard on my art for the past year+, many nights staying up till 2 or 3 in the morning editing photos for clients or reading up on photography technique or studying the works of those far better than me, and on shoots refusing to settle for what most photographers would be satisfied with. So this is some measure of affirmation that all that hard work and commitment wasn't in vain. So so amazed... From a recent poll, the majority of Jesh's readers are other wedding photographers, so I'm guessing most who voted are also photographers themselves. And to be recognized not just by my friends, but my peers as well.... :')

But this is only the beginning. I have been pushing myself to reach a higher standard than what I see in the industry, to be able to deliver imagery to my clients where each and every frame evokes joy or wonder or beauty or romance or that indescribable feeling from intangible connections between all of us. I'm not there yet, but I'm going to keep trying. I don't want to ever be so satisfied with my work that I'll think, eh I am good enough now.

A bit of info on Jesh de Rox for those of you who aren't in the industry... when I said he is the hottest photographer in America right now, it's because
1. early this year the the international conference of wedding photographers (WPPI), he swept the awards! I think he was literally up on stage 3? 4? 5 times???
2. his workshops sell out within 24 hours of announcement.... and then more than 100+ other people demand to be added on the waiting list
3. his imagery is more innovative and more breath-catching than anything else in wedding photography at the moment
But now.... I actually get to meet and learn from the man, the legend... How did such a thing happen to me??

And thank you everybody, once again, for your support. It means to world to me.

My only regret is... I'll have to miss the season premiere of Heroes on Monday. haha

shine on,
Junshien

Attention NYC brides! I'll be staying in the city one extra day, so my Thursday (Sept 27th) will be open for a photoshoot. Does anybody want an engagement session or a we-already-got-married-but-never-had-an-engagement-session session, or just a general photoshoot? Sign up now and I'll throw in a free 16x24 gallery-style print ($320 value) because I'm so damn happy right now. Email me: newyork@junshien.com

All other New Yorkers! I might need a place to stay. Anybody relatively close to Washington St or Union St in Brooklyn? =)
Anybody want to kick it? I'm still trying to figure out my schedule, but I might have some of my evenings free. Leave me a comment or drop me an email. :)

Click here to see what other readers have said.

subscribe by RSS feed | subscribe by email | subscribe by Xanga