Saturday, August 28, 2010

WINNERS OF WESTERN

FIRST PLACE
Bison at the Great Salt Lake by Becky Griffin Stauffer

SECOND PLACE
Monacan Home Coming Dancing by Andy Laigheis
THIRD PLACE
San Simeon School House by Clifford Forstadt

BEST OF THEME
Nevada Ghost Town Hotel/Bar by Ron Shook
 Best of Theme is chosen each week but the photographer that chose the theme for the event. Here is what Anastasia Beaverhausen said about her choice for Best of Theme:

"I'm going to go with Hotel/bar in Nevada ghost town by Ron Shook. It just spoke old west to me...but there were several others that made choosing very difficult."
 

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Winners of My Summer Vacation

Picture Picks took a summer vacation and then opened with an extended event: MY SUMMER VACATION chosen by the admins of Picture Picks.

FIRST PLACE

Currituck Sound, NC by Catherine SweetPotato

SECOND PLACE

Shadows on the Beach by Scott Michael Anna

THIRD PLACE TIE

Colorado Overlook by Jacqui Binford-Bell

Beautiful . . . Castle by Anthony Greco

HONORABLE MENTION
Japanese Maiko by Nancie M

BEST OF THEME

Old School House by Melissa Painter Lincoln
Best of Theme is chosen by the photographer that picked the theme. In the case of My Summer Vacation the administrators of Picture Picks chose Best of Theme because we chose the theme. In the estimation of Catherine SweetPotato and Brian Crossland and myself Old School House best represents our concept of summer vacation.
J. Binford-Bell

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Summer Vacation, Photography and Dreams of New Cameras

Summer Over?

After a day of enjoying the great outdoors outside my door I attended a neighborhood barbecue. It is a unique neighborhood and ergo lots of unique neighbors; almost all are in the arts or other areas of creativity so it was no surprise when the discussion changed to photography at some point. My sister, Debbie, has a new 21.5 mega pixel camera - the Cannon EOS 5D with an ultra wide angle 17-40mm lens. I have shifted my dreams of a new camera from the Nikon D90 to the Nikon D700.

But the talk was not all about equipment. Once bragging and blue skying were over it switched to why. Not why a new camera or more mega-pixels but why bother. There is one in every assembly that looks askance at those that see the world through view finders. But as my sister so wisely pointed out it is "seeing the world." Holding a camera in your hand, or just having it in its cushy bag in the car makes you see the world a bit different. It makes you pause and see the light in a strange formation of clouds and fog on a summer morning, or if not stop and smell the roses at least photograph the hell out of a particular flower.


Or just capture that fleeting moment when you have paused to take the air with the dogs on an off-road trip.


And you get to share those special moments with others, and re-view them for your own enjoyment with all the attached memories of the moment coming along for the ride with the digital image regardless of your mega-pixels or lack thereof.

The admins of Picture Picks took a summer vacation so we could have the space and time to get out with our cameras and take some photos of our own. We hope during our down time that you all also had the opportunity to capture some summer memories (if if you live downunder winter images). We are kicking off our first event of on Picture picks the 6th of August. It will have an extended photo posting period to give you all adequate time to realize we are back.

Post those MY SUMMER VACATION PHOTOS from August 6th to 19th. While we were focusing on other vistas Facebook changed the format a bit. Let's hope it still works as well.