Larry Hudson won first place with his photo Cactus Flower.
Lois Haglund won third place with her photo Ladies in Red.
Tom Cadwalader won second place with his photo Showtime.
Bruce Hartsell
The Photography Club of Quail Creek recently announced winners of the June contest focusing on flowers.
Larry Hudson won first place with Cactus Flower, which was taken in Desert Meadows Park, off Abrego Drive in Green Valley. Larry said, “The color of the flower against the simple brown texture,” of an earth-colored pot caught his attention when he was walking along a trail. Larry took the photo with his iPhone 11 ProMax, 4.25 mm, f/1.8, 1/320 sec, ISO 32, and no flash.
Tom Cadwalader won second place with Showtime. Tom said he had not been to the Desert Meadows Park for quite a while and was pleasantly surprised to see that he had timed his visit at the end of the month with the peak of the cactus blooms. He took the photo with a Leica SL3 with a 24-70 mm zoom lens set at 70 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO 400, and no flash. Tom processed the image in Lightroom, “starting with a very light crop followed by adjustments in the tone panel and finishing off with a light vignette.”
Lois Haglund won third place with Ladies in Red, another photo taken with her Samsung Galaxy S9+, since she “just happened upon this cactus plant” and didn’t have her camera. Lois said she was leaving her volunteer job at the Animal League of Green Valley, and when she got to her car, this cactus “was in all its glory,” although in the morning it was just beginning to bloom. “It was stunning and, actually, the photo doesn’t do it justice.” Lois said her timing was perfect, because the next time she was there, the flowers were all gone. Settings were 6 mm, f/2.4, 1/640 sec, ISO 32, and no flash.
The Photography Club of Quail Creek has a monthly photo contest in which members may submit up to three photos taken within the last 13 months and with minimal post-processing. Winners are selected by a panel of judges from across the country. The club also has a quarterly challenge in which members may submit up to three photos taken within the quarter: Extensive post-processing is allowed, and winners are selected by club member voting.
Regular meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m., usually at the Kino Conference Center, Mesquite Room. The club also schedules episodic photo field trips and educational meetings. Consult the club’s website www.pcqc.org as well as the weekday HOA What’s Happening for additional information. Membership is open to all Quail Creek residents.