Bruce Hartsell
Ron Skelton won first place in the Photography Club’s May contest with Barrel Cactus Blooms, taken in his backyard. He said the cactus is in light shade during a portion of the day, “which makes it the best time to photograph to avoid the harsh sunlight.” He said, “I wanted to include the spines and strings that surround the flowers, so I shot this at f/16 to have a deeper depth of field, keeping more of the scene in focus.” He processed the RAW file in Lightroom. Canon EOS R7, 100 mm, f/16, 1/250 sec, ISO 2500.
Janet Wegner won second place with Flower Bundle, a group of saguaro blossoms. She said, “This magnificent saguaro is located just before Thunderchief Drive going towards the back gate in Quail Creek. It is a beautiful plant and had many blooms this year. It was hard to get all the blooms, so I concentrated on the small bunch located in the bend of the saguaro arm. They just shined in the sunlight.” Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, 18.6 mm, f/3.4, 1/200 sec, ISO 32.
Mark Lamb won third place with Saguaro Topdown, which he captured with a drone. He said, “There is a nice group of saguaros about a half mile from Wintergreen Drive in the state land next to Quail Creek,” where he flies his drone “close to the saguaros when they bloom to get the best view.” He said, “Drone cameras are not intended for close-up photography,” so he cropped the image. He also used Lightroom to adjust light and color. Hasselblad L1D-20c, 10.3 mm, f/6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 100.
The Photography Club of Quail Creek holds a monthly photo contest in which members may submit up to three photos taken within the last 13 months and with minimal post-processing. A panel of judges from across the country selects the winners.
The club meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Kino Conference Center Mesquite Room. Consult the club’s website at www.pcqc.org for additional information. Membership is open to all Quail Creek residents.