Slidell Photography Club    

Jared Peyton

My interest in photography began in April 2000, when my mom got a camera and needed help to figure out all the buttons. Mom says from the beginning my photos were better than hers and she was not able to answer my questions I asked about lighting and exposure. Together we joined the Slidell Photography Club (SPC) in the hope that I could find answers from those more knowledgeable in photography. In August of 2000, I submitted my first entry into Slidell Photography Club’s monthly competition and took third place. In November, I won my first 1st place finish in monthly competitions and SPC designated me as Photographer of the Month. My work “Feed Me” hung in the Slidell library.

In 2001, I attended a photography workshop which featured SPC members Bill Grant and Bob Gunn. My photography skills improved tremendously this year, because I was able to work in the field with local amateur photographers Walter Clifton and Mark Lagrange. I attended a photography workshop with C. C. Lockwood at Birdfest sponsored by The Northlake Nature Center. My first competition outside of SPC was with The Heard Museum in McKinney, Texas. I received 3 awards which included “Best Environmental Statement”. Channel 13 came to interview me at Boyet Junior High for my photography achievements and I was featured in a “Student Spotlight” with them. I also managed a short appearance in a video called “Wings Over the Wetlands” produced by the Barataria-Terrebone Estuary Program.

Mark Lagrange continued to work with me in the field and urged me to change from print film to slide, so I could produce higher quality images. One of my photographs were selected by the Northshore Bird Club to be the award given to Judith Toups for Environmentalist of the Year honors. In July, I was the guest speaker for the Northshore Bird Club and presented my first slide show titled, “The Beauty in Nature Everywhere You Go” and played a new program of nature images matched to the tune “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. I continued to compete with SPC my image titled “Emerging Cicada” finished third in the Gulf States Camera Council. I entered The PTA Reflections Contest and placed first at Northshore High School, first in St. Tammany Parish District. I also managed the highest cumulative point for the year amongst SPC members from monthly competitions and was the club’s 2002 Photographer of the Year.

At the Heard Museum’s 2003 Photography Contest, I received an amazing 13 awards in three categories including “Best of Show” and “Best Photo Taken at The Heard”. My entry in the PTA contest ended with an “Award of Excellence” for the state of Louisiana. I received three first places in the adolescent category and Best Environmental Statement at the Northlake Nature Center’s Birdfest photography exhibit. I submitted my first images for consideration into a juried exhibit and two were accepted into the Jack Swanson Exhibit and hung with at the St. Tammany Art Association in July. I just recently submitted images to the Weeks Foundation Reserve Photography Contest. Presently I am completing an application for a student scholarship with The North American Nature Photographers Association. Only ten students will be accepted for this prestigious scholarship.



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