First Place (tie): Doug Adams – The Wave
Second Place: Loretta Klingenberg – Uluru at Sunset
Third Place: Christel Phillips – Cactus Flower
First Place (tie): Liz Adams – Double Arch
Robert Thoresen
The well known phrase, “Those who pray together, stay together,” was invented by a professional commercial writer named Al Scaplone and was used as a symbol for Father Patrick Peyton’s Roman Catholic Family Rosary Campaign in 1948 (Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs). There have been a multitude of derivatives of the proverb over the years such as, “Those who play together, stay together,” but perhaps the PCQC can claim to be the originator of another derivate, “Couples that photograph together can win together.” May’s contest’s theme, Regional Beauty, resulted in a first place tie between husband and wife Doug and Liz Adams. May’s theme provided a very expansive interpretation of region—from local, state or country. Doug and Liz’s photographs are from northern Arizona region but from different locations.
Arches National Park contains the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches. 2,000 arches are located within the boundaries of this small, popular park just over the Arizona boundary in Utah. Over 100 million years of erosion created this area. The erosion occurred in a thick layer of sandstone. Liz’s Double Arch is only a short hike from a parking lot. This means an abundance of tourists are always within the structure. It was a long wait to photograph it with only two people for comparison to showcase its immense size. The two arches share a common end. The photograph was taken mid-morning on a day in May. Camera: NIKON D80, ISO 400, No flash
Doug’s The Wave is in the Coyote Buttes Wilderness located in the northeastern tip of the Arizona strip near the Utah border. The Wave consists of intersecting U-shaped troughs that have been eroded into sandstone of the Jurassic age. This is a magical place where the colorful sandstone gives itself to psychedelic gyrations. The petrified sandstone striations are very fragile. Therefore, only twenty permits a day are given to hike the three rugged and trackless miles into this area. Ten permits may be secured online and an additional ten permits are available from the BLM office in Kanab. The Wave is usually best photographed mid-day when there are no shadows. Camera: NIKON D80, f/7.1, 1/200 sec, ISO 400, fl 18mm, Aperture3.6, no flash.
Uluru, the aboriginal pronunciation for Ayers Rock, located near the center of the country, is one of Australia’s most recognizable landmarks. The sandstone formation rises 1,142 feet above the flat, grassy lowlands and is notable for appearing to change color at different times of the day and year. In December of 2014 when Loretta Klingenberg visited the area, she waited for the setting sun to cast its low angled light on the grasses and give Uluru a more distinctive rusty-red coloration. The challenge was finding the right moment when the grasses were still illuminated by light and the rock was at its best color. A few minutes later the foreground was in darkness while the rock glowed even redder. The nearest sizeable town is Alice Springs (population 29,000), 208 miles distant. This is not an easy place to get to for twilight camera work. Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX50V, f/4.5, 1/160 sec., ISO 80, fl 7mm, no flash, handheld, not modified.
Christel Phillips placed third with a pair of prickly pear blossoms from her front yard (afternoon lighting), taken in March 2015. Christel usually tries to find a natural plain background if possible, (no artificial background used), for her flower close-ups and she likes to use back lighting. Currently, her editing software is Microsoft Photo Gallery which assisted in darkening the shadows to emphasize the blooms and sharpen the image a little. Camera: Panasonic DMC-ZS8, f/5.0, 1/320 sec, ISO 100, fl 17mm, Aperture 4.64, no flash.
The Photography Club of Quail Creek has a monthly photo contest for its members and also schedules numerous photo field trips throughout the year. Meetings are currently held the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Madera Clubhouse. Consult the club’s constantly updated website http://www.pcqc.org as well as the weekday HOA What’s Happening for additional information.