I am honored to announce that my photo below (currently untitled) has won first place at the Charlottesville Photography Initiative’s 2011 second annual photo contest, which was held as part of a Look3 local event this past weekend.  Second place was awarded to Alex Morgan, and third place to Eric Kelley. There were no categories or guidelines for this photo contest, which made for an exciting and vast array of subject matter.  Click HERE to view all of the entries.

I am grateful to CPI for all their efforts in putting this event together for a second year and for also bringing together fellowship, education and support to our photographic community… CPI is a  social club for photo enthusiasts of all kinds; novices to professionals, film and digital shooters, you name it. It has been a wonderful thing watching CPI grow from its infancy… when Jason and I first joined there were less than 20 members, and our meetings were held at apartment complex clubhouses and coffee shops. Charlottesville Photography Initiative is now over 270+ strong and growing with its own studio located downtown. I greatly encourage anyone with a love for photography and a desire to meet other like minded individuals to attend a CPI meetup! Hope to see you there!

One last note: my deepest gratitude goes to my greatest teacher, my husband Jason. He has mentored me throughout my photographic journey, never waning as an editor. Objective criticism is hard to swallow sometimes, especially when it comes from a spouse. Imagine asking your loved one if he or she likes your new haircut, and their answer is ‘NO.’ Well, I guess that Jason has never told me that my hair looked bad or that I look bloated, but he definitely has never hesitated to give me honest feedback of my work…. good or bad. Thank you for that, Babe.

-Tammy