Shelby Lomen Photography
Welcome to an exploration of the sport of competition BBQ and the people who are committed to it. Born out of an accident of good fortune, this project has become a way to capture my personal revelations about what competition BBQ 'REALLY' is and to share with you some of the people who love it.
I never intended to start photographing BBQ, or food in general, for that matter. But new opportunities create other new opportunities, and I happened upon the Florida BBQ Association purely by chance. Professional BBQ Comps are huge undertakings, and the planning can take months. I had a VERY limited time to pull one together and without the advice and assistance of some Pitmasters, FBA Reps and the Board, I would never have been successful. Many of those individuals are now close friends and they have con
I spent several years photographing competitions, with the highs and the lows and the laughs and the tears. These are astoundingly committed individuals and the complexity and intricacies of the sport were eye opening. These competitors spend thousands of dollars each weekend to do what they love, with very little in return except for time with good friends, the spirit of competition and, in a few lucky cases, a small trophy or payout if they do well. This is not a ‘get rich’ sport and it is not at all like
Shelby Lomen Photography