First Place: Emirhan Karamuk, Istanbul, Turkey
Title: “The Door”

Second Place: Anthony Tancredi, Rochedale South, Australia
Title: “Sea of Creation”

Third Place: Glorianne Cassar, Siggiewi, Malta
Title: “Intelligence”

Honorable Mention: Johannes Maurits, Lauredo, Texas, USA
Title: “Pozo Del Gavilan”

Guest Judge: Ctein

View all entries

Enter your image here: Focal Press Monthly Photography Contest

This month our subject is The Water. So get in, on or under the water and send us your best photos.

July’s contest is sponsored by The Underwater Photographer, 4e by Martin Edge

First Place: Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: The Underwater Photographer, 4e

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

Our apologies to everyone who entered the April contest for the long delay in announcing the winners. Our guest judge, Philip Andrews, has been hard at work on several new books but had still hoped to judge. He didn’t want to make anyone wait any longer, however, so we were lucky to have the Focal Photography Editorial Team step in on his behalf!

First Place: Valentijn  van der Sloot
Title: Lone Walker

Second Place: Popescu Cezar, Romania
Title: Thunder Clouds

Third Place: Donna Marchessault,  South Windsor, Connecticut, USA
Title: Ice Fishing in the Fog

First Place: Sam Bienstock, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Title: “On a Train”

What David had to say: For me, street photography is about capturing unposed, fleeting moments in public places. This picture nicely captures a child’s spontaneous joy and has been shot in the challenging environment of a crowded and dimly-lit subway train.

Second Place: Dipak Dey
Title: “Fear Game”

What David had to say: I like the shapes that the childrens’ shadows make on the material and the expression on the face of the child being held up. He’s taking part in a game, but he’s not sure how to react. Those two bold red stripes, plus the line of shadow-figures, make a great composition.

Third Place: Manoj Kayastha,  Bihar, India
Title: “Child’s Adventure”

Guest Judges: David Clark, author of Photography in 100 Words
Theme: Street Photography

We are pleased to announce the re-launch of The Photoshop Challenge in an all new format with our partners at Creative Edge.

Now in a user forum style with professional mentors Harold & Phyllis Davis, you will be tested on your innovative use of color in Photoshop.

Everyone who enters gets a free trial membership of Creative Edge, an online collection of videos and books filled with the most current and thorough information available about graphic design, web design, photography, and more.

Enter and show off your Photoshop skills now.

Enter your image here: Focal Press Monthly Photography Contest

For June we’re ditching color and going for Black and White Photos, so send in your best shots.

June’s contest is sponsored by Digital Restoration from Start to Finish, Second Edition by Ctein.

First Place: Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Digital Restoration from Start to Finish, Second Edition

*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

For May we’re hitting the road with the topic of “Street Photography”.

May’s contest is sponsored by Photography in 100 Words by David Clark.

First Place: Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Photography in 100 Words

*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: Jelena Blagojevic, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Title: “Hard Life”

What Steven and Paul had to say: This a wonderful dramatic portrait. Nice use of light to bring out the texture in the face. Both the cropping and negative space are very effective.

Second Place: Brian Jolley, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Title: “Pot Shiner, Chennai, India”

What Steven and Paul had to say: We like how the subject connects with the viewer in this one. The composition and the ambient light are excellent. What works well in this environmental portrait is the use of the diptych to “tell a story” about this woman.

Third Place: Ioannis Papadakis, Belgium
Title: “A Rajastani Portrait”

Guest Judges: Steven Biver and Paul Fuqua

View all entries

We had a lot of great entries for our march contest and they’ve been sent off to the judges. This month we’re focusing on the The Weather, perfectly timed after the wettest March on record up here in Massachusetts.

April’s contest is sponsored by Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Photographers by Philip Andrews. Philip will be judging the contest and you can discover his Photoshop Elements resources at www.photoshopelements.net.

First Place: Focal Photography book of choice*

Second Place: Focal Photography book of choice**

Third Place: Photoshop Elements 8 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

First Prize: Jeff McCrum
New York, New York, USA
Title: “Bow Bridge”

Second Prize: Maria Capilupi
Niagra Falls, New York, USA
Title: “Five Degrees Fahrenheit”

Third Prize: Catherine Isaacson
Richboro, Pennsylvania, USA
Title: “Chin’s Frizbee Catch in the Snow”

Guest Judge: John & Barbara Gerlach

View all entries