It’s been a while. Nearly a year. 2020 has been a long, deep, expansive year. There’s approximately 2.5 months left. I’m not concerned or dreading it. I’m taking it day by day for so many grateful reasons.
Let me share one of my reasons. Back in late August or early September, I happened upon a photography contest on a Facebook page called Louisiana Pictures. They were asking for submissions of an original photo of Louisiana to update their cover photo. From these submissions, finalists would be chosen from voting results. From the finalists, a winner would then be chosen by highest number of votes.
So I thought back to a random shot I’d taken from the parking lot of Outback in Baton Rouge. The sun was setting just over the interstate. My line of sight was through the Spanish moss. It was beautiful. Just me and my Samsung Note 8. SNAP! Crop out the parking lot. Viola! A pretty, or so I thought, sunset photo. One of thousands I’ve taken. This was the one I decided to enter into the contest.
A few days later, randomly scrolling through Facebook, I see where the finalists had been chosen. I decided to check in and see who made it. And to my complete surprise, I was a finalist and the race was on. I was currently in 2nd place, right behind a professional photographer!!!
I began to share and asking people to vote. From there, friends and family shared and I watched as my numbers went up and eventually surpassed the leader. A couple of friends referred to it as dreamy and atmospheric. I liked those adjectives. If you know anything about a Louisiana summer, you can sometimes “see” the heat dancing in the sunset.
On September 16, I was announced as the winner. It made me proud and really gave me a boost of confidence. I’ve been trying to find my way around the creative arena. I’ve taken pictures for as long as I can remember. I absolutely love being an amateur photographer, along with writing.
And if you happen to read this and are interested in some amazing and beautiful photos of my home state, please visit Louisiana Pictures on Facebook.
Until next time,
T
Notes from le Château 