Sanders
Courtesy of Elizabeth Homan
BELLEVUE, Ky. – Newberry native Connie Sanders, of Constance Sanders Photography in Bellevue, Kentucky, was named a Gold and a Silver Medalist in the Artist and Photographic Open Competitions, respectively, of the Professional Photographers of America’s 2021 International Photographic Competition.
A panel of 36 jurors from across the United States selected the top photographs from 5,091 total entries from September 12-15. Judging took place remotely as well as in person at PPA’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s judging was streamed live online.
This photographic competition challenges photographers to grow their artistic and technical skills by creatively capturing and presenting their best images, and by doing so, improving the marketability of their businesses. Judged against a standard of excellence, 1,926 images received merits, and 1,225 (roughly 24% percent) were selected for the esteemed Imaging Excellence Collection—the best of the best. These top images all will be published in the much-anticipated Imaging Excellence Collection book. Select merited images will be published in the Showcase book. Both volumes are published by Marathon Press.
Sanders’s work, along with the other images accepted into the Imaging Excellence and Merit collections, will be on display at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, during Imaging USA, the premier convention and expo for photographers. This exhibit constitutes one of the world’s largest annual exhibits of professional photography gathered simultaneously under one roof. Also at Imaging USA 2022, the winner of the Grand Imaging Award will be announced at a special ceremony. The conference takes place January 16-18, 2022.
Photographers enter cases of four images per competition. For a case to receive a medal, all four images must first receive a merit. The level of the award is determined by how many of the four images are accepted by further judging into the PPA Imaging Excellence (IE) Collection. Sanders was named a Gold Medalist in the Artist Category, meaning that two of her four merited images entered the PPA IE Collection. In the Artist Category, emphasis is placed on digital, artistic, and technical proficiency. She also earned a Silver Medal in the Photographic Open Category, with three images receiving merits and one receiving IE. Additionally, one of the images in her Photographic Open case was chosen to be printed in the Showcase Book, a collection of the top merited images that were not accepted into the IE Collection.
About PPA:
Founded in 1868, Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the largest and longest-standing nonprofit photography trade association. It currently helps 30,000 professionals elevate their craft and grow their business with resources, protection, and education, all under PPA’s core guiding principle of bridging the gap between photographers and consumers.
Connie Sanders is the daughter of the late Doris and Frasier Sanders and is a graduate of Newberry High School and Newberry College. Her award-winning images can be viewed on her website, consanphotos.com.