There's a photo contest deadline looming over my head (July 24th, to be exact). The Athens Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring the contest.
The 2009 All Athens County Photo Contest is open to amateur photographers of all ages who are residents of Athens County, Ohio. Participants can enter as many as three photos total. All photos must fit in one of the three photo categories.The categories are:
One overall first place winner will be chosen and will receive a $50 cash prize. Honorable mentions will also be selected but won’t receive a monetary award. Winning photos will be displayed at our annual Athens SWCD Meeting held in October. It is hoped that a 2010 calendar can be produced using the 1st place winner and the top 12 honorable mention photographs. The top 12 photos will be selected by public vote at the 2009 Athens County Fair in the Agricultural Resources Tent during the fair.
• Close Up Conservation
• Conservation in Action
• Ag/Conservation/Natural Resources/ Environment and Landscapes Across Athens County
That's a pretty broad range of options for the categories, as far as I'm concerned, but I'll be concentrating my entries in the Close Up Conservation category. Examples for this category, to name a few, are:
• Plants/flowers/crops
• Prairie Plants/Wildflowers
• Recycling
• Water drops/drips/splashes
• Worms/roots/compost
The photos cannot be edited in any way, so I wouldn't be able to submit any of my B&W photos, nor any of the others that I have added subtle effects to. They must be submitted as they came out of the camera.
I have a Top 10, which needs to be whittled down to 3. I have some ideas, but sometimes what is eye-catching to me isn't the same as what's eye-catching to others. So please, help me out by telling me which are your favorite 3 of these 10:
1. - Fluffy Dandelion head
2. - Awesome Osteopernum
3. - Lost in the crowd
4. - Care and Maintenance
5. - Tulip surprise
6. - Dogwood flower
7. - Squirrel's dining table
8. - Preserved in ice
9. - Gentle Giants
10. - Fall mushroom
Thanks for your time and help. You guys are awesome! (I just realized I don't tell you that enough!)
Well, as for me, I like the Squirrel's Dining Table...but then, you know me and my squirrels..ha ha But I do like that one the best.
ReplyDelete1. Lost in the crowd
ReplyDelete2.dandelion or dogwood
3. mushroom.
(New here.... your back and forth with JZ was too funny to pass up.... Been following Nina for a while.....Grew up in Cincy and miss it...you guys bring me close to home....)
All nice photos!!
Ginny - Of course, I should have guessed! :) I like that one a lot, too!
ReplyDeleteGiggles - Hello and welcome! Thank you for your input. I hope you'll come back and visit again for little doses of Ohio. (At least you're not terribly far away from here!)
Heather! This is so hard....hmmm...
ReplyDelete1. Fluffy Dandelion head
2. Awesome Osteopernum
7. Squirrel's dining table
I vote for #9--and being bare trees in winter, it almost gives a B&W effect--stark.
ReplyDeleteAnd #1.
For me Heather it's #1 or #3 why...for the composition and light. Your eye is drawn to that. I have noticed that alot of competitions focus on clairty and light composition.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Heather.
Heather- If you convert #9 to monochrome, and really up the contrast, I think it would make a very compelling image. I love your composition on #2, putting the purple center right in the middle of the frame just draws me in. I don't want to stop looking at it. Like a bug drawn to a light or something.
ReplyDeleteTom
Hello Heather. Instead of Sewer, I think the contest is sponsored by the Athens Soil and Water Conservation District. My favorite is number 9, Gentle Giants. Good Luck with the contest.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all of you for your input! So far photo #1 is a clear favorite, even of mine.
ReplyDeleteTom - I have another photo very similar to #9 that I switched to monochrome, and it came out very nice. But no monochrome in this contest. #2 is one of my faves, too, with the color contrast and bright color.
Steve - You are correct, thanks for bringing that typo to my attention. I have corrected it in the main entry.
Heather...I was torn between 7 and 9. On second look, I love 9. Gentle Giants--maybe because it's summer now, the snow looks so cool and refreshing!
ReplyDeleteFor me it has to be No.9 "Gentle Giants". Good Luck.
ReplyDeleteWithout looking at the choices everyone else made first, I came up with 2, 3, and 6.
ReplyDeleteI chose 1,7, and 9 and then I looked at everyone's comments and see those are popular with other too. I liked most of them, but those stuck me as unusal and not very predictable, if that makes sense. I like the title of the nut shell...that made it more special than "just a photo of a shell." You are a very creative gal!
ReplyDeleteMy choices are in order:
ReplyDelete5. - Tulip surprise
9. - Gentle Giants
3. - Lost in the crowd
As for editing, I am surprised because even brightness/contrast etc., is generally allowed.
Good luck!
I just checked the entry form and it states the photo cannot be digitally altered in any way other than burning and cropping. So I would think brightness/contrast is acceptable
ReplyDeleteHello! I've found your blog in Tom Arbour's list )
ReplyDeleteLet me pick my 3 too:
#9 Gentle Giants They look simple and yet I can't make my eyes off them
#7 Squirrel's dining table A nice shot and the title explains everything. No squirrel and an empty nut husk )
#10 Fall mushroom I love mushrooms very much and I like this particular one too.
Aluajala - Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog, and for picking your favorites! I plan on posting some more mushroom/fungi photos within the next few weeks, so stay tuned!
ReplyDeleteHi Heather,
ReplyDeletesorry I'm late with my vote. My choices are
#10 - Fall Mushroom
#9 - Gentle Giants
#1 - Fluffy Dandelion
Good luck with your contest!
Hi Ruthie - Thanks for your votes! Your choices are in line with many of the others.
ReplyDelete