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Sharon Ann Fuente Logo

AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHY

I strongly believe that entering photographic competitions increases the skill of a photographer. Competition pushes the creative envelope and and encourages new techniques and skills. The images below have been entered in to different competitions from local to international in level and have either won ribbons or have achieved merit level. I have enjoyed creating them and hope you enjoy viewing them. 


This composite photograph shows yellow tulips coming out of a paint brush and dripping paint.

A Brush With Nature

2024 First Place Winner in the Artist Category for Georgia Professional Photographers Image Competition and PPA Merit awarded in the artist  category. This image is a composite of 6 images and I made a big mess in my studio trying to get the paint drips correct.

There are five lifesaver mints in a row and one is silver.

Mint Condition

2024 First Place Commercial Illustrative Image winner for GPPA Image competition and PPA Merit Image - Another image that was redone more than once. I spray painted the one mint with a metallic paint and then lined them up. It was shot in studio with a Nikon Z6 and won a merit in the Professional Photographers of America Image Merit Review.

An older woman sits at a piano and looks confused as to how to play.

Forgotten Notes

2024 Image of Excellence and First Place Winner for Portraits in Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition - This was an out take image from a client session. This woman is actually quite sharp but I caught this expression that reminded me of when my mother had dementia as she was waiting while I was testing the lights. It just touched me. It was taken in the clients home with a Nikon Z6 and won an Image of Excellence Award in the Professional Photographers Image Merit Review.

A cute little guinea pig wears a chef hat as he munches on a salad.

The Sous Chef

2024 Merit awarded by Professional Photographers of America.This image will be in a print ad in the 2025 edition of Professional Photographers of America Magazine and will be showcased on a big screen at this years Imaging USA photography convention. This little guy is the perfect example of not giving up. I reworded this imaged probably 5 or 6 times before it was awarded a merit. This is the pet of a client who was willing to go along with a vision I had.

This composite image of two banana imitates a marriage proposal with one of the bananas holding an engagement ring.

An A-Peeling Proposal

2024 Professional Photographers of America Merit Image in the artist category and came in 2nd in the special category of food for Georgia Professional Photographers image competition. This was a composite of three images including my grandmothers engagement ring and also lightly painted in. Photoshop. 

Birds gather on a girl who has a head piece made out of branches and is holding a handful of seeds.

Supper Time

2024 First Place in Children's Portraits in Georgia Professional Photographers Image Competition. This is another image I had a vision for and had a client bring their child in to create it. The grape vine crown was made by me. I also photoshopped in birds that I had taken pictures of off the back deck of my house.

A little frog peeps through the water in between lily pads.

Rooms for Rent

2024 First Place in Wildlife Illustrative Category for Georgia Professional Photographer's Image Competition. This is a composite of three images take at Gibbs Gardens.

A sweet mother and daughter snuggle together with eyes closed in a sea of soft pink fabric.

Forever My Heart

2024 Third Place Winner in General Portraits Category for Georgia Professional Photographers Image Competition. I normally don't include third place images but not only do I just love this image from a client session but it was a miracle that I got this because the child literally would not sit still. There were bribes and tears and threats, but mom really wanted this and I am so proud we got something that she loved. 

This is a closeup shot of a very large green leaf.

Green River

2023 Image of Excellence - This was actually a really old picture that was taken at the botanical gardens years ago. I recropped it and worked on editing it again. This image received an Image of Excellence from the Image Merit Review with Professional Photographers of America. So save those old images!

A bunch of match sticks standing straight up appear to be looking at and judging on burned match stick standing alone.

Striking Out

2023 Merit Image - This is one of those images that I reshot multiple times before I got it the way I wanted it. It was taken in studio with a Nikon Z6 and was awarded a merit in The Merit Image Review with Professional Photographers of America. 

Encouraging words from dictionary pages are on the tines of a fork that is standing straight up.

Food For Thought

2023 Merit Image - This image came as a continuation from the image "Soul Food". It was taken in Studio with a Nikon Z6. It earned a Merit in the Image Merit Review with Professional Photographers of America.

A still life photo of three antique kitchen tools are on a wood table.

The Kitchen Help

2023 Image of Distinction Award from TPPA. This image was created in studio during the shut down in 2020 and this is the first time entered into competition. It was inspired by the still like photography of Joel Grimes and was taken with a Nikon Z6.

A sugar cube creates a splash in two coffee cups, one is upside down.

Morning Chaos

2023 Image of Distinction in TPPA print competition. This is just one of those image ideas that popped in to my head. It was taken outside with additional off camera lighting. The cup is one from my grandparents china given to them as a wedding gift in 1920. Taken with a Nikon Z6.

A pink flower sits atop an sugar cone.

Sweet Smell of Summer

2022 Image of Excellence with Professional Photographers of America's International Print Competition 

Taken with a Nikon Z6, in studio, Flashpoint strobes and a lot of patience.

Three spoons sit on vintage sheet music.

Soul Food

2022 Team USA image for the World Photography Cup of Photography

2022 Grand Imaging Award Nominee

2021 International Print Competition Image of Excellence Award.  

2020 First Place winner in Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition in the category of Illustrative Commercial Photography.

It was taken in studio with a Nikon Z6 

Team USA wins the 2022 World Cup!

A pregnant woman in a green lace gown and green floral head piece sits in a red velvet chair.

Love Grows

2022 Merit with both Georgia Professional Photographers and Professional Photographers of America Print Competitions. 

2022 Distinguished Image Award GPPA

Taken with a Nikon Z6 in studio with strobe lighting. Handmade head piece. Background overlay was taken at Gibbs Gardens.

A white snap dragon in a white vase gracefully tilts to the left.

Dragon Song

2022 Merit Image for Professional Photographers of America's International Print Competition and 2022 TPPA Texcelence Award Winner. 

2022 distinguished Image Award GPPA

Taken with a Nikon Z6 in studio with strobe lighting and reflector.

A snake wraps itself around a Harry Potter book.

A Ravenous Reader

2022 Merit Award with Professional Photographers of America International Print Competition.

This image was taken as part of a pet fundraiser that I did in 2021 and the name of the snake is Sampson. 

A baby in a grey fuzzy bear outfit holds a small teddy bear as he sleeps in a wood bowl.

Love and Lullabies

This image won first place in Georgia Professional Photographers 2021 print competition in the category of Infants & Children. It was taken at a client newborn session with a Nikon Z6.

In the summer water lilies bloom in the pond.

Summer Maidens

2021 merit image in Professional Photographers of America's International Print Competition. It was taken at Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, Georgia with a Nikon Z6.

A female fire fighter is getting off the fire truck holding the fire hose.

SERGEANT AMY

2021 Merit image in the portrait category at the Professional Photographers of America's International Print Competition and 2019 merit image in Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition. Amy Dies is a sergeant at the fire station in Acworth, GA and was kind enough to suit up and pose for this portrait for me at the station. It was taken with a Nikon Z6 with portable strobe lighting.

Green peas contrast well with a red plate.

Garden Fresh

Garden Fresh was honored by being accepted into the prestigious Loan Collection in Professional Photographers of America's 2020 International Print Competition. It was also given a award of distinction in Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition in 2020.  

A cityscape is created using bolts and screws.

Rebuilding

This image was created during the shut down and has won several awards. It received a merit in the 2020 Professional Photographers of America International Print Competition, an award of distinction in the 2020 Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition along with the Judge's Choice Award. It was fun (and challenging ) to put this one together. The background is actually a sky that I also photographed and printed out and used as a backdrop. It was taken in studio with a Nikon Z6.

A small miniature figure of a man is spot lighted on a black background.

Solitude

This image was accepted into the prestigious Loan Collection in Professional Photographers of America's 2020 International Print Competion. It was created in studio using an HO scale figure on white paper with a Lume Cube light with a snoot attachment. 

A strawberry has bubbles cling to it as it drops into a carbonated drink.

Strawberry Pop

This is my second most award winning photograph. This image won first place in the commercial category with Georgial Professional Photographers 2019  print competition. It was achieved a high score in the 2019 Professional Photographers of America's International Print Competition putting it in the loan collection and was on the cover of  the March 2020 edition of PPA monthly magazine. It was taken of a strawberry dropped in tonic water with a piece of pink scrapbook paper behind it. I used a Nikon Z6 and two Flashpoint 200 strobe lights in studio.

This is a black and white image of a stack of egg shells.

Stacked

2020 Distinguished Image award in the Illustrative Commercial Photography category in the Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition

Female priest standing in front of a stained glass window at church.

WOMAN OF THE CLOTH

This image was taken of Mother Mary, the priest at the Church of Ascension in Cartersville, GA. It won first place in the category of portraits in the 2019 Georgia Professional Photographers Image Competition. It was taken with a Nikon Z6 at the Church of Ascension with natural window light and a white reflector. 

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

This image won first place in the category of Illustrative Image in the 2019 Georgia Professional Photographers Image Competition. It was taken of my daughter and her friend on a foggy morning in December on the street we live on. I probably embarrassed her by asking her and her friend to get up and put on gas masks because I had this idea for an image. Once I went through my creative editing process they both loved the final image. It was taken with a Nikon 7100 with natural light.

Black and white photo of a pregnant woman draped in white silk.

BEAUTY FROM WITHIN

2019 merit image in portrait category for Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition. This image is of my daughter taken with a Nikon Z6, in studio with Flashpoint strobe lighting.

A girl in a mermaid tail swims underwater.

SEA OF DAYDREAMS

2019 merit image in the category of children's portraits at the Georgia Professional Photographers Print Competition. This is a image came from a client session for a little girl who was turning five and loved mermaids. I have been photographing this family for several years and they always open to super creative sessions for their daughter's birthday portraits. It was taken with a Nikon 7100 with natural light.

A boy catches a fish at the beach at sunset.

CATCH OF THE DAY

Another 2019 merit image with Georgia Professional Photographers in the landscape category. This was take at Mediera Beach in Florida at sunset with a Nikon Z6.

Miniature people at a carnival.

RIDE TO THE TOP

Merit image for PPA's International Print Competition. This is part of my miniature photography collection. I used HO scale figures with a back ground of an image I took at a carnival and printed out. It was taken with a Nikon 7100 in studio with studio strobe lighting.

DREAMS OF TOMORROW

Another award winning image from a client session. This image won first place in the category of portraits of women in 2018 in the GPPA print competition. It was taken at Frost Chapel at Berry College in Rome, GA with a Nikon 7100 with natural light.

A frog poses on a lily pad.

MY PAD

This cute little guy had his portrait taken at Gibbs Gardens in Ballground, GA. He won third place in the category of nature in GPPA's print competition in 2018. It takes a good eye and a lot of patience to find one of these little fellows. This image was take with a Nikon 7100 with natural light. 

WAITING

Multiple award winning client image. This image of little Cito at his family's farm won a honorable mention at the Downtown Gallery Winter 2018 Photography Exhibition and a merit winning image in GPPA's 2018 print competition. It was taken with a Nikon 7100 in natural light.

BEFORE THE STORM

First place winner of the Booth Photography Guild and the Bartow History Museum's photography competition "Barns of Bartow County" 2018. Taken with a Nikon 7100 with natural light. 

BANANA BIKERS

Although not actually an award winner, this image was one of only 20 images juried into the Cartersville Photo fence exhibition. Another of my miniature photography collection and one of my personal favorites.

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  • HOME
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