A Day at the Fair – The Work of Professional Photographer Kirk Wester
My name is Kirk Wester and I’m a professional photographer. After taking photos for 30 plus years I decided to get a little more serious about my hobby. About five years ago I started my photography business Eye N Sky Productions. Fast forward to today I’m recognized by Nikon as a Nikon Professional photographer, I have a certification from PADI for underwater photography, and also have an FAA UAS (Drone) pilots license.
I was approached by a fellow photographer and camera store owner about the possibility of entering photo competitions. My first thought was that this would be a great opportunity to get recognition for my work. That thought quickly turned to a question, is it ok for a pro to enter photo comps? I actually sent this question to the OC Fair. They assured me that many of their entrant’s are pros as well. In that case I have no guilt let’s do this! My first OC Fair contest was 2019. I entered 5 photos of which they accepted 3. Being my first contest and not knowing at that time acceptance is the first round of judging so if they accept your photo’s to be hung in their gallery it’s kinda of a big deal. Me being the competition novice that I was I escorted my wife Cindy to the Fair gallery to find my photos hanging in the gallery. I found one (drone shot of The Manhattan Beach Pier as seen from the ocean), then I found the second (a super macro of a butterflies face) which had a Honorable Mention ribbon on it, then the third (straight down drone shot of the Manhattan Beach Pier) which had a first place blue ribbon on it. I was a bit overwhelmed. I received a message from the OC Fair folks asking if I could attend an award ceremony for the first place winners. It was super fun!
That same year I entered a few other competitions, received 4 awards, and photo of the day from the Smithsonian Magazine.
I haven’t entered a competition again until this year. So far I’ve had the Torrance cultural arts contest accept 3 photos, and the OC Fair has accepted 6 of my photos thru the first round of judging. Fingers crossed! A bonus about this contest is the Fair itself. Who doesn’t like fennel cake, live music, and fried everything. For me it brings back memories of a circus like atmosphere. Win or loose it’s always a good time.
