Showcase!

Well, got a nice surprise after doing the initial post... another one of my images received a "Showcase" on One Model Place. It's the one of Mechka shown here. Between images posted on my portfolio and images I've done that models have posted, this makes 10 showcases. I'm excited, but at the same time, trying to keep perspective. In case you're not familiar with them (and why would you be?), OMP Showcases are images chosen from the shots uploaded on a given day for special recognition. It's not all that exclusive... with hundreds of photographers adding thousands of images a day, they usually seem to showcase 20 or so a day. There's no prize that goes with it, but just a nice little "kudos" for a shot well done.

I've had something of a love/hate relationship with the whole "Showcase" thing since I joined OMP. For the first couple months, I was really fixated on doing a shot good enough to be showcased. My first one was of the lovely Amanda, and while I had told myself that the goal would be to get ONE showcase image, it was more like the "fatal glass of beer" and once I had one, I wanted more. I was fascinated by several photographers who seemed to be showcase machines, as if everything they posted won one. I've since learned that some of these photographers get them because they're just really really outstanding, and others are pretty good but also do everything they can to "game" the system. There are also reports of people receiving showcases on older images suspiciously close to the time their memberships are up for renewal. All in all though, I see it as a legitimate recognition, but I think now that I've hit 10, I can stop worrying so much about the showcases, and work more on expanding my "vocabulary" as a photographer.