Thanks to authors Joseph Meehan and Gary Eastwood, authors of Photographing the Elements, for acting as our guest judges for this month’s contest! The theme was “weather”.

Gary Eastwood’s First Place Choice: “Judgement Day” by Mike DiRenzo, Coram, New York, USA

What Gary had to say: Lots of great images made it a hard decision this month, but I love the colours and sense of scale and drama in this image. The side lighting from the setting sun gives the image warm tone and depth. I think composing slightly more on the ‘thirds’, with slightly more foreground, would make the image even stronger. With so many great images this month, I just went with the image that ‘spoke’ to me the most – and Judgement Day is it.

Joseph Meehan’s First Place Choice: “Colorado Fog” by Chad Slater, Yardley, Pennsylvania, USA

What Joe had to say: The key to photographing landscapes in fog is to make use of the way the diffusing effect of the fog can separate out the different parts of the scene.

In “Colorado Fog,” the scattering of light increases as the distance from the camera position increases. In addition, there are patches of ground fog that separate out the different stands of trees and the mountains in the background. Thus, the impression is one of distinct visual layers and a progressive lowering of color saturation that combine to support the illusion of depth. Without the fog, the trees would more likely merge into a uniform mass of textured green. The photographer has also included the “S” shaped road that helps lead the viewer’s eye into the landscape. Although the description of this photograph makes note of a biker on the road, the small size of reproduction on the website does not provide enough scale to comment on this part of the picture.

Third Place: “Lightning Beauty in Nature” by K.S.Rajaram, Bangalore, India

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Enter your image here: Focal Press Monthly Photography Contest

The theme for the May contest is “flash” sponsored by the Flash Photography Field Guide by Adam Duckworth. Flash can mean anything — a literal use of a flash, a flash of light, a flash of color. The possibilities are endless!

First Place: Flash Photography Field Guide and a Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Flash Photography Field Guide and a Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Flash Photography Field Guide

*Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography

** Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography and must be valued at $39.95 or less

Thanks to author Robert Hirsch for acting as our guest judge for this month’s contest! The theme was light. Bob asked me to convey his general thoughts to everyone who entered:

“I want to thank everyone who took the time to submit his or her work to the Focal Press March Photography Contest. Regarding the theme, Light is the fundamental ingredient shared by all photographs. There were many intriguing and well-seen compositions and it took me repeated viewings to make my decisions. The images that stayed with me were those in which the makers utilized light to convey an atmospheric mood that communicated essential characteristics of the subject. I encourage everyone to continue photographing and submitting your work, as each juror brings their own perspective to selecting work.”

First Place: “Day End of a Barber” byAbhijit Dey, West Bengal, India

What Bob had to say: “I was drawn to Day End of a Barber due to the atmospheric way it expressively shows the intimate interaction between a barber and his client. The lone artificial light bulb serves as a reminder how the human made world illuminates the once dark night. The harsh single light source reveals the simple surroundings while retaining enough detail in the mirror to provide a multidimensional view of the subjects. The wall’s cool color balances the warm skin tones, as the doorframe provides a proscenium arch under which the interaction unfolds.”

Second Place: “In the Light of Tuscany” by Jaroslaw Pawlak, Pienza, Italy

What Bob had to say: “I selected In the Light of Tuscany because of the complex, abstract, interrelationships among the colors and shapes within the compressed visual space. The raking light brings out detail in the foreground and middle ground while obscuring the background. The complementary color palette generates visual contrast. These competing dynamics encouraged me to linger and look deeper, which is what all photographers strive for.”

Third Place: “Light of Knowledge” by Thejas K Rajaram, Houston, Texas, USA

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Enter your image here: Focal Press Monthly Photography Contest

The theme for the April contest is “weather” sponsored by Photographing the Elements by Gary Eastwood and Joseph Meehan. Gary and Joseph will be our guest judges this month.

First Place: Photographing the Elements and a Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Photographing the Elements and a Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Photographing the Elements

*Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography

** Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography and must be valued at $39.95 or less

First Place: “Closing Time” by James Murray

Second Place: “Baby Balinese Monkey” by Oliver Dixon, East Horsley, Surrey, UK

Third Place: “Leap of Faith” by Michael Kandel, Washington, DC, USA

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First Place Choice: “Sunshine Dancing” by Sara Taylor, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Second Place: “Summer Bath” by Guga Millet

Third Place: “Seeking Warmth” by Elizabeth Thankful Shannon, Venice, California, USA

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Enter your image here: Focal Press Monthly Photography Contest

The theme for the March contest is “light” sponsored by Light & Lens, 2e by Robert Hirsch. Bob will be our guest judges this month.

First Place: Light & Lens, 2e and a Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Light & Lens, 2e and a Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Light & Lens, 2e

*Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography

** Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography and must be valued at $39.95 or less

Enter your image here: Focal Press Monthly Photography Contest

The theme for the February contest is “life” sponsored by Concert and Live Music Photography by J. Dennis Thomas. Denny will be our guest judges this month. As photographers, every time we turn around, there is a moment we want to capture – sometimes the moment calls for a cell phone picture, and, other times, it’s a full set up in a studio. This month, enter a photo that captured a moment for you. It can be anytime, anywhere, but a moment when you were glad to have your camera. In the description, be sure to tell us why you felt the moment important.

Be sure to follow Denny on Twitter @jdennisthomas and read his fantastic posts on Mastering Photo!

First Place:  Concert and Live Music Photography and a Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Concert and Live Music Photography and a Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Concert and Live Music Photography

*Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography

** Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography and must be valued at $39.95 or less

Linda Bellingham: First Place Choice: “NYC Breakfast” by Eden Potter

What Linda had to say: It was nice of the photographer to mention that Starbucks made the food; however, the composition of elements in the image is perfect! And, the natural lighting is spectacular.

Jean Ann Bybee: First Place Choice: “Macaroons” by J. Annie Wang, New York City, New York, USA

What Jean Ann had to say: Simple, beautifully lit, colorful. Shows a good eye

Brad G. Rogers: First Place Choice: “Ribbon Candy” by Jamie Lynn Rice, Oracle, Arizona, USA

What Brad had to say: Simple, which is often the best approach. Colorful, which catches the eye. It was fun and struck an emotion which is what everybody is trying to obtain.

Third Place Winner: “Cherry Tomatoes” by Alex Ntertilis, Athens, Greece

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Enter your image here: Focal Press Monthly Photography Contest

The theme for the December contest is “food” sponsored by the new volume of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 for Photographers by Philip Andrews. Philip will be our guest judges this month.

First Place:  Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 for Photographers and a Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 for Photographers and a Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 for Photographers

*Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography

** Does not include Focal Encyclopedia of Photography and must be valued at $39.95 or less