Usually i avoid photo contests for a simple reason : Once you start taking photos for prizes, it's no longer fun anymore. But every now and then I send a photo to a contest.  It hugely helped my career. I was relatively new this area, and this was a wonderful opportunity to connect with national government organizations, environment and nature protection organizations, magazine editors, and production professionals. I also experienced a significant boost to my SEO ranking and continue to highlight it in the “about me” section of my website. It was also very exciting to go through the experience of printing my work and presenting it in a gallery alongside so many talented and established artists.

Magazine editors selects photographers on an assignment-to-assignment basis. Story proposals are developed internally, with editors meeting regularly to discuss possible story ideas or are submitted by approved photographers and writers. Articles are planned months, sometimes years in advance, and photo assignments are made based on the coverage envisioned. A photographer is given an assignment not because they are the best all-around photographer, but because they are the best photographer to meet the very specific needs of a particular story. If you’re a photographer who’s serious about documenting nature and wildlife, then getting published in National Geographic is pretty much the Holy Grail of career goals.

Over the recent years i become a member of Canon Professional Services and various organizations, such as Association of Slovenian Nature Photographers, European Wilderness Society, International Federation of Wildlife Photographers, Wildlife Conservation Society  and International Freelance Photographers Organization. I cooperate with various nature conservation organizations, hunting societies, nature parks, professional magazines, production studios and so on...