I Submitted A Photo To The MN State Fair Competition

I'm not even sure why exactly I did it but I entered a photo of my son into the State Fair Fine Arts Competition. I am not a professional photographer (or even an amateur one really) but I decided to submit it and see what happens.

I am the parent that is constantly taking too many photos and once in a while I end up with a good one. I am too intimidated by professional cameras' price and all the functions to upgrade to anything more high tech than my iPhone.

When I was a kid I sucked at skateboarding so I would always lug around a camera, usually a cheap 35mm or even a disposable one, to be the "photographer" of the group. In high school I took a photography class but my teacher said I wasn't exactly gifted in the medium.

When I worked for the St. Cloud Rox in 2012 they asked me to take some photos to be used on their baseball cards. After only a few shots they determined "photography isn't my thing."

So, while I have always enjoyed taking pictures and capturing memories, my expectations are low based on past experience.

The photo above was taken in St. Paul, Minnesota in May of 2019. Charlie and I were exploring the neighborhood around the pizza restaurant my family was eating at for my brother's grooms' dinner.

There are a lot of things I personally love about this photo. The lighting, the colors and that one, single flower that seems to have captured his one-year-old imagination.