First Place: Jim Burkstrand – Wood Duck
Second Place: Bob Johnson – Cactus Rabbit
Third Place (tie): Christel Phillips – Yellow Cactus Bloom
Third Place (tie): Patricia Thoresen – Evening Yucca
Robert Thoresen
Photography Club of Quail Creek’s April contest was themed In My Backyard. There were thirty two entries for the month and our independent, non-member judges came back with four winning pictures.
Jim Burkstrand placed first with an image of a male wood duck that, with its mate, nested in a tree outside a bathroom window at Jim’s Minnesota home. Apparently the quackers wanted to let Jim how their family was progressing by having the family periodically march around on the back porch throughout the summer. The image is impressive for the short focal length focuses on the male duck and reduces the noise of the tree branches. Technical information not available. Image was modified by Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.7.
Bob Johnson keeps getting into the finish by keeping his trusty SONY NEX 5-T ever close at hand. The rabbit first tried to dig a nest in the front yard but after Bob put rocks in the hole and spread out moth balls the little fella moved to the backyard, saw a pot that appears to have some sort of miniature claret cup hedgehogs, and laid down for a feast. Notice the piece of cactus in the front of the rabbit that has been recently chewed. So now we know that rabbits will eat any kind of cactus. Technical information not available. No modification.
There was a tie for third place. Christel Phillips took the nearly macro study of a yellow cactus blossom early in the spring. It was the first blossom on this desert prickly pear which is identified by its deep green skin, few spines and bright yellow flower. The composition is centered and the short focal length softens the background to add crispness to the flower. Camera: Canon EOS REBEL SL1, f/8, 1/500 second, ISO-100, fl 135mm, Maximum Aperture, no flash.
Patricia Thoresen also placed third with an evening picture of a Mexican Blue Yucca. This particular plant has a double stem which results in multiple plumes of bright white flowers. The large head has radiating sharp edged powder blue green leaves that are a menace to the gardener. Pat made excellent use of the radiating lines and late afternoon ambient light. Camera: SONY NEX-5R, f/5, 1/80 second, ISO-100, Aperture 4, 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 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.