Sudbury Business Owner Paula Swift Named A Bronze Photographer of the Year

Written by Susan Petroni

Paula Ferazzi Swift of Framingham, owner of Paula Swift Photography, Inc. studio in Sudbury, recently was accepted into the Professional Photographers of America’s (PPA) 2014 International Photographic Competition.

Swift’s work will be on display at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee Feb. 1-3, 2015.

This International Photographic Exhibition is held in conjunction with Imaging USA, an annual convention and expo for professional photographers and several photographic associations.

All four of Swift’s entries were accepted into PPA’s International Photographic Competition exhibition. That honor means she becomes a Bronze Photographer of the Year and will be awarded with a bronze medal in Nashville in 2015.

“This year was very exciting, as we were able to watch the judging live online,” said Swift.

“I had my three boys with me that day and we would anxiously wait to hear the results as each of my images would be called to be judged randomly,” said Swift. ”The first one to be judged was ’LaundraMutt’ which happened to feature my then 8-year-old son and our 5-month-old dog Swifty taking a bath outside. Swifty was supposed to be the one taking the bath but as you see the tables were turned. When we heard ‘Merit Image,’ my whole house screamed and cheered. ”

Swift said it was an anxious time up until the third day of judging when her fourth image ’Nestled’ came up and was discussed whether it was merit worthy.

“I found it great to hear the comments from judges, who were really pulling for my images. When it came up for vote I heard ’Merit Image’ and was so thrilled as I went four for four which meant I was a photographer of the year for the very first time,” said Swift.

A panel of 45 eminent jurors from across the United States selected the top photographs from nearly 5,000 total submitted entries at Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia.

Judged against a standard of excellence, only 1,800 images were selected for the General Collection and 918 (roughly 18 percent) were selected for the esteemed Loan Collection — the best of the best. The Loan Collection images will all be published in a book and more than 200 were selected for the General Collection, explained Swift.

images will be published in the ‘Showcase’ book by Marathon Press.

Swift’s four images in the exhibition and awarded merit were LaundraMutt, Nestled, Travelin’ Man and Unknown Artist.

Professional Photographers of America is the largest international non-profit association created by professional photographers, for professional photographers.

Swift is a certified professional photographer and has been a professional photographer since 1995 when she was first hired as staff photojournalist at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in Worcester. After a decade of photojournalism, she started her our children and family portrait photography business in Framingham. She opened her first studio in 2006 at the Fountain Street Studios. In December 2013, Swift moved her studio to 730 Boston Post Road in Sudbury.

Swift was part of the 2000 Pulitzer for Feature photography finalist team portfolio at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette for her and staff’s coverage of the deadly Worcester Warehouse fire. The fire tragically took the lives of six Worcester firefighters. Swift had three of her photographs featured in the staff’s 20 entries.

Her portrait work has been awarded the Hallmark Gallery award (2009), two Kodak Gallery Awards ( 2009 and 2013) and the Photographic Degree of Excellence by the Professional Photographers Association of Massachusetts (2012). She also has 3 loan collection images part of a permanent traveling showcase at PPA (2010, 2012 and 2013).

A native of Longmeadow, Swift has lived in Framingham, with her husband Chris, since 2000. They have three sons.