Robert Thoresen
December’s contest theme was Windows and again the judges voted for a tie for third place. There were 30 entries for the three outside judges to select from. There is no run-off for ties.
Ken Haley’s first place picture was taken at Macy’s department store in Salt Lake City. The window was one of ten having a Christmas holiday theme. Each of the window’s display has a Styrofoam wall covered with 100 pounds of candy. At any time the windows draw hundreds of mouth-watering parents and children, including Ken. The difficulty in taking the picture was avoiding the crowd, each individual trying for a better view. Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO-800, fl 24mm, aperture 3.0, no flash.
Jon Williams placed second with a photograph taken at the Trinity Orthodox Church in Indianapolis. John submitted the photograph captivated by the interplay of light shining through the circumference of the Byzantine dome windows that reflected on the hand painted icons and the capture of the symmetry. Camera NIKON D-700, f/5, 1/100sec, ISO-200, fl 17mm, aperture 3.0, no flash, modified by Photoshop.
Helen Phillips’ third placing entry titled Topaz Painting shows a collage of Talaverde pottery pieces displayed outside a shop window in Tubac. Helen thought the image was extremely colorful and would make a great painting. She used Topaz filter painting to finish it. Camera Canon PowerShot SX30 IS, f/3.5,1/1250 sec, ISO-200, fl 7mm, aperture 3.625, no flash, modified by Photoshop.
The second third place image was submitted by Bob Johnson. It is one of the stained glass windows in St Patrick’s Church in Bisbee. Bob took the picture on a club photo shoot field trip two years ago. An elderly woman approached Bob and asked if the club was planning to take pictures of the church. He replied no, just other buildings in the area and a statue of a copper man. She said that the club should visit the church. We took her advice and were surprised. Evidently, during Bisbee’s mining hay day, some church members became very wealthy and could afford to contribute toward using European craftsman to create such wonderful pieces of art. Camera Sony NEX-3, f4.5, 1/20sec, ISO-150, fl 31mm, no flash and a very steady hand.
The Photography Club of Quail Creek has a monthly photo contest for its members and also schedules numerous photo field trips for members throughout the year. Meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Madera Clubhouse. Room venue will vary each month. Consult the club’s constantly updated website http://www.pcqc.org as well as the weekday HOA What’s Happening for additional information.