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Welcome to the latest edition of SeniorInspire the Newsletter!

The holidays are officially in the rearview mirror, and if you're not already knee-deep in planning for 2026, you’re at least pretending to be — which totally counts.

This week’s issue is another mini-edition, as I should be somewhere on the road heading home while you’re reading this.

Inside this issue we’re digging into the pros and cons of submitting your senior work to magazine contests — a timely topic, since the official details for our own annual Photographers I’d Like to Follow contest (PILF for short) will be dropping later this week. Whether you’re a contest regular or entering for the first time, this year’s PILF is shaping up to be our biggest one yet.

And in Why I Love This Image, we’re featuring a bold, joyful photo from Texas photographer Lisa McNiel that’s basically everything I love about senior portraits in one frame.

Let’s get into it!

—Nick

This Week’s Question:
Why should I submit my photos to magazine contests? What are the real pros and cons?

This is a great question, especially with our annual Photographers I’d Like to Follow contest opening up on January 15th!

Every year I hear from photographers who are excited… and just as many who quietly wonder if submitting is actually worth it.

Let’s talk honestly about it.

🎯 Why Contests Exist (Beyond Winning)

I once heard a photography podcaster say something that really stuck with me: “Feature accounts, magazines, and competitions actually make us pay attention to our work. They make us better photographers.”

That’s the real value of contests. Not the feature. Not the title. The act of slowing down and asking, “What work actually represents me right now?”

Most of us are so busy shooting, editing, delivering, and marketing that we rarely stop to evaluate our own work with any intention.

Contests force that pause.

🧠 Submitting Makes You More Intentional

Choosing images to submit is uncomfortable — and that’s a good thing. You’re suddenly thinking about consistency, voice, and impact instead of just whether an image got likes on Instagram.

Even if you never submit, going through the exercise of narrowing down your strongest work is incredibly valuable. It sharpens your eye and highlights patterns you may not have noticed before. That process alone makes you better.

💛 Bravery Is Part of Growth

Of course, not everyone wins. And yes — not being selected can sting. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.

But avoiding submission altogether guarantees one thing: zero growth. Putting your work out there, knowing it might not be chosen, is part of building confidence and resilience as a photographer.

There are no shortcuts here. Growth requires reps.

📸 What PILF Is (And Isn’t)

The Photographers I’d Like to Follow contest isn’t about massive exposure or internet fame. It’s not about being crowned “the best.”

It’s about peer recognition. It’s about other senior photographers seeing your work and saying, “Yeah… I’d follow that person.”

That kind of acknowledgment carries a different kind of weight, especially in a niche like senior photography.

🔍 What You Learn Even If You’re Not Selected

Not being chosen doesn’t mean your work isn’t good. Often, it just means your work blends in — and that’s useful information.

It can show you where you’re playing it safe, where your style could be pushed, or where your work lacks a clear point of view. That clarity is far more helpful than blind confidence.

Sometimes not winning teaches you more than winning ever could.

🧠 The Real Growth Happens After the Results

Here’s the part almost no one talks about — and honestly, it might be the most valuable part of entering any contest.

The real growth doesn’t come from having your image chosen. It comes from looking at the images that were chosen when yours wasn’t.

If you can do that without spinning out — without telling yourself stories about favoritism, trends, or “they just don’t get my work” — you’ve unlocked something powerful.

Sit with the images that made it. Ask yourself what they have that yours didn’t. Is it stronger light? Cleaner composition? A clearer point of view? More emotion? Better styling? More confidence in the moment?

That kind of honest self-evaluation is uncomfortable, but it’s also where massive leaps happen. You’re essentially getting a free critique — not in words, but in visuals.

If you’re willing to learn from that comparison instead of avoiding it, contests stop being about winning and start becoming a fast track for growth.

🤝 The Community Side of It

One thing I’m proud of with PILF is the tone. It’s not cutthroat. It’s not anonymous. And it’s built specifically around senior photography.

That makes it a much safer, more supportive place to put your work out there — especially if this is your first time submitting to anything.

You’re not stepping into a judging arena. You’re stepping into a community.

⚠️ The Emotional Tradeoff

Let’s be real — contests can mess with your head if you let them. Comparison is easy. Overthinking results is tempting.

But that discomfort is often a sign you’re growing. Avoiding contests doesn’t protect you — it just keeps you comfortable.

And comfort rarely leads anywhere interesting.

🧭 Should You Submit?

Ask yourself a few simple questions:

Do I want to be more intentional about my work?

Do I want to see where I’m at right now?

Am I willing to risk not being selected in exchange for clarity and growth?

If the answer is yes, then submitting makes sense. If the answer is no, that’s okay too.

🎤 Final Thought

Submitting your work isn’t about validation. It’s about participation. It’s about being brave enough to put your best work forward and see what happens.

With Photographers I’d Like to Follow opening January 15th, consider this an invitation — not pressure.

Whether you submit or not, the goal is the same: keep growing, keep refining, and keep paying attention to the work you’re creating. That’s where the real win is.

Have a burning question you want answered in a future column? Head over to www.seniorinspire.com/asknick. I’ll be there manning the phones and waiting for your questions...

Each week, I’m spotlighting one standout image from the thousands of senior photos we’ve featured over the years — in the magazine, on Instagram, and beyond. Whether it’s the light, the vibe, or just that unexplainable something, these are the images that made me stop and say, “Wow.” 

Photography doesn’t always have to shout to be powerful. Sometimes, a quiet, clever image like this one from Texas photographer Lisa McNiel is all it takes to stop you in your tracks. When this photo was featured on the SeniorInspire Instagram page back in October of 2022, it was one of those images that made me pause mid‑scroll — and for good reason.

There’s a lot happening in this frame, and I mean that in the best possible way. Your eye is immediately drawn to the senior, but it doesn’t stop there. The hanging, Polaroid‑style prints create layers within layers, turning what could have been a straightforward portrait into something far more conceptual and slightly surreal. It’s a senior image that steps outside the expected, takes a creative risk, and lands confidently on its feet.

Let’s start with the creativity. Hanging printed photos from a line isn’t necessarily new, but the way Lisa takes that idea and layers it — literally and figuratively — into the image gives it a whole new dimension. The senior is holding prints of herself, framing her own face with her own face, and the result is a compelling blend of abstraction and clarity. It's the kind of image that pulls you in, makes you do a double-take, and then rewards you for looking closer.

Now let’s talk about the spot color. Normally, I’m not a big fan. Spot color has a reputation — and not always a great one. But here, it doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It feels intentional. The selective color treatment draws your eye exactly where Lisa wants it: to the full-color version of the senior’s expression, centered perfectly in the frame.

The black-and-white images scattered throughout provide contrast without distraction, and they give the image a collage-like vibe that feels both modern and nostalgic at once.

The senior’s expression might be my favorite part. She’s not wide-eyed or dramatically posed. Instead, she’s wearing this perfectly understated “what, like this isn’t totally normal?” look that gives the image its charm. The whole setup might be fantastical, but she grounds it — and because she’s so relaxed and unfazed, the magic feels real. That’s a tough balance to strike in a concept-heavy image like this, but it works beautifully here.

Styling plays a big role in why this image feels so cohesive. The senior is dressed in a soft white outfit, with no bold patterns or accessories to pull the focus. The background is a clean, muted gray — no props, no textures, just a neutral canvas that allows the photo-in-a-photo setup to shine. There’s an elegance in the restraint, and it speaks volumes about Lisa’s eye as a photographer.

Lighting, too, deserves a round of applause. There’s no harsh shadow or dramatic flair. Just soft, even lighting that flatters the senior and gives the entire image a polished, editorial feel. The lighting stays out of the way, which is exactly what it should do in a concept like this. It lets the composition, the expression, and the creativity take center stage.

This is one of those portraits that would look right at home in an art gallery, but still manages to feel personal and senior-session appropriate. That’s not an easy line to walk, but Lisa walks it like a pro.

All in all, this image is a great reminder that senior photography doesn’t have to be formulaic. With a little vision, a little risk, and a subject who’s down to try something different, you can create something that feels truly one-of-a-kind.

So yeah, that’s why I love this image.

Are you teaching a workshop on the horizon, I’d love to help you spread the word. NO CHARGE - No strings.

Just send me the details and a graphic, and I’ll get it in front of a bunch of senior photographers who might want in.

SeniorInspire the Newsletter goes out to about 2,500 senior photographers across the country, and nearly half of them actually open it (the rest are slackers who probably don't go to workshops either).

Anyway, just reply to this email with the details and a graphic, and I’ll get it in front of a bunch of senior photographers who might just want in.

Simple as that.

If you made it this far and have any opinions or ideas I'd love to hear it. Good, bad, whatever. Just hit reply or send me an email and let me know what you think. I love the feedback!

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of SeniorInspire the Newsletter.

We’ll be back next Sunday with a more normal-sized issue — plus more details on this year’s Photographers I’d Like to Follow (PILF) contest. You will want to be ready for that one.

This week’s Tune of the Week is a classic: “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty.

It’s the perfect anthem for anyone who's ever stared down a photo contest and thought, “Do I really want to put my work out there?”

Yes. You do.

Entering is an act of courage. A refusal to let self-doubt win. And like the man said — there ain’t no easy way out, but standing your ground is always worth it.

🎧 I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty

See you next week. Let’s go.

Nick
SeniorInspire

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