It's that time of year again! The 2006 DG Photo Contest!

The voting is open!!

To see the entries, just go to the link at the top of this thread.

OOOPS, there were 2 post before mine ... I don't type fgast. Thanks, Dave and Reference; my last post ;;; I was just kidding there. I like my 2 photos and hope that, even if people decided not to vote for either of them because they are not totally the original photo, that someone enjoyed seeing them. That's all that counts to me. I viewed every entry in every category last year and enjoyed each and every photo whether they were "good" or "bad". I appreciated the time and effort that everyone put into entering the contest and for sharing their photos with me.

I had an interesting photo I wanted to enter this year, but it was unfocused in one sectiont. I was afraid someone would think, "why would anyone enter a photo that was partly blurred in a photo contest". A photo doesn't need to be perfect to have value and provide information.

Linthicum, my father was a profeesional "spot news" photographer In his day, there no 35mm nor digital cameras nor computers with which the photo could be touched up (that is to the extent that is available today). He had to take a "good" photo the first time. But, he also did alot of adjustment in the darroom as well. Thanks for your comments ... I thought of him as I read them. I often think that he is in heaven looking down at me and laughing as I take many, many digital photos in the hopes that I at least took one "good" one. I wished that I had allwoed him to mentor me in photography ... sure would save me a lot of time and disappointment.

Patti, I am looking forward to seeing your photos. o:) To some people, photography IS their passion, their joy and their love. Growing and learning about plants plus viweing and sharing photos of them is min. What wonderful and amazing gifts have been bestowed upon us. You will see how far I have lightened up below.

stellapathic, I am glad that you had fun with some of your photos .. can barely wait to see them. I started to enter the photo (without the insert) below in the Trees and Shrubs category (as "Aliens standing in front of one of their planet's native trees". Howevert, I concluded that there wasn't enough of the tree in the photo to qualify it as a photo of a plant. It is fun to do weird things to photos. I used Paint Shop Pro to create the "aliens'' photo.

bluegrassmom, I think as soon as the voting is ready to begin, when you click on the link to the photo contest, it will change so that you are able to vote. I don't know when that will be.

Here is my alien tree photo that I was going to enter:

This message was edited Dec 1, 2006 9:26 AM

We can vote aka thumbs up for as many as we like within each category, correct? The photos I've viewed so far are wonderful !

Dea

Yes, exactly. Vote for all the ones you like and in the end I'll add them all up to see who got the most.

dave

There are some very talented photographers among us!

I have been enjoying all the wonderful photos too, Dutchlady. It is so hard to choose! I haven't voted on anything yet!

I loved seeing them all. I voted for some purely because they were artistic ( composition, color, balance, light, etc) some because they captured my heart and some because they bestowed the essence of why I garden and a few that were just plain amazing in either their subject or the capture of a unique moment. I loved not having to limit my choice to a number. I was generous with my "thumbs up", much they way I would be walking through a garden and nodding approval at many plants. But I plan on going back though and proclaiming my favorite image ( I will wait until the votes are all) After the contest is over, I will be interested to read others comments about the photo's of note and why. Thanks for doing this, it is was a joy. Patti

Just want to say that even though the posting was hard for me, the judging is much easier. So I have changed my opinion. And I'll be able to post some that I didn't this year, next year if I want.

I finished voting in the 'scenic, seasonal, sunset' grouping. It was a most fascinating 'trip' :)

Today, I had the pleasure of 'visiting' the Rocky Mountains, British Columbia, Maine, Long Island, California, Texas, Chile, Switzerland, Australia, Newfoundland, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Oregon, Kenya, Alaska, the Sahara, Tahiti.....

Phenomonenal journey everyone - Thank you !!

Dea

DARN didn't see where this was even started

You Insect Peeps are CRAAZY awesome!!! How can I get throught this schnizz? I love it!!!!

Wonderful and relaxing treat to see them all.....even on my pokey dial-up, no problems at all. Thanks for sharing them, everyone...and thanks Dave for making the photo viewing so "user friendly." :)

Melanie

I am just SOOOO blown away by some of these pictures!!! I have a lot of questions..some are so interesting..and have really piqued my curiosity! There are some truly beautiful sights in this world, arent there??

Did anyone else notice the strange-looking thing in the water of the photo "little blue heron" in the Wildlife category, almost halfway down?
It looks like some type of iguana or water monster is emerging from the pond!!!

I voted for that one for the water monster's sake, lol. ;)~

I didn't notice that! I adored the geese in the morning fog! What a great shot - probably my favorite one of those I've viewed and, no, it's not one of mine.

I have immensely enjoyed viewing all of the wonderful photos. Each and everyone has merit. To everyone who entered: Thank you for sharing them.

I blew it. I had planned to enter some photos but didn't catch the deadline.
Any way to still enter or do I need to wait till next year?
ROX

You'll have to wait until next year, Rox. The deadline was Dec. 1.

Pirl, I'm with you on the Canada geese photo. If there were a best-of-show award, I think that would be it! I don't know why the photographer didn't enter it in the wildlife category, though. I'm not familiar with Photo Shop and all the things you can do to enhance photos, but I think the geese were "as is," weren't they?

I have no idea if they were "as is" or not. I found them so relaxing to look at and simply couldn't dislike the critters more when they visit our lawns but that photo was sublime.

All of them are so wonderful...but I think my favorite would have to be the baby Muscovy goslings in Domestic Pets and Animals....absolutely precious..! Just a great photo.... :)

lol Gina_Rose...That big water monster in the Blue Heron photo is actually a big Bull Frog. Loud, croaking critters they are!

Melanie

This message was edited Dec 3, 2006 10:17 PM

Pirl, could you give me a link to the geese pic and the bullfrog? Thanks
Teresa

I'll find the geese in the fog, Teresa, and maybe Tx can do the bullfrog.

Teresa - it's the 16th one on this link. I have NO idea who took it.
http://davesgarden.com/contest/2006/judging.php?catid=271

The geese in the fog is definitely prize material - a Pulitzer. The composition is magnificent and I'm no photographer or art critic. But it "spoke" to me. Ahhhhhh

Ann

The Bullfrog that I referred to as "a water monster" is near the heron in the pic "little blue heron" in the Wildlife category, almost halfway down the page....

I still say it's a water monster Melanie!!! lol :)

~Gina

Here's a link to the page: http://davesgarden.com/contest/2006/image.php?rid=7304&catid=260

This message was edited Dec 4, 2006 3:10 PM

Didn't even notice it! Time to slow down!

Looks like a croc or an alligator, to me...Sorry, too much fruitcake soaked in ???

Ann

The entries in the photo contest are amazing....and humbling. I'm no expert, so some of my votes went for unique subject matter....or the manner in which the photo was taken, while others just begged for a thumbs up.

One small problem however......my two entires in the Miscellaneous catagory aren't there. OMG.....they must have been so awful that Dave couldn't bring himself to let them be shown. LOL

Ahhh, shoot. I missed the deadline again...Two years running! Guess I'd better go vote at least! LOL

I have been plugging along voting on the categories as I can. Not done yet--but I am doing my best.

Here's what is bothering me! I do not consider it good photography if:

The picture submitted is not sized properly and I have to scroll up and down and across left to right to see the whole thing. How can I vote on something if I cannot see it in it's entirety on the screen?

Pictures that are of extreme close-ups, but to the level where I do not know what the plant is or why the photo-taker thought this would be just soooo great? SO! Your Macro focus works and you have a tripod or a VERY steady hand. Whoopie!!!!

Pictures where there seems to not be a "focus" on anything. Like, just a wide, broad scenery shot. Huh? There needs to be a scenic impact--structure--contrast--light vs dark, etc......A focus. Something your eye just goes to--and you cannot help it!

Pictures that are too dark to see what it is all about.

What I DO like is NOT knowing WHO took any particular picture. I think this is the most fair thing in this contest. We all "know" the best photographers--(a personal thing--I know)--but we DO! Not all of us live in tropical areas where one can just go out for a morning stroll and snap a Pulitzer-Prize photo. Some of us have to actually use our imagination and creative eye to snap the best pictures we see and can of the common things in our garden. This is where true creativity comes through. I really like those kind of shots!

Just musing here--as I am almost half-way through the voting. I DO like the brevity of the entries. It makes it easier for me to concentrate on what I actually liked in each category.

Lat year's was a NIGHTMARE!!!!!! AAAAGHHHH!!!!!

Gita

To each his own.

I think the sizing has to do with the resolution of your monitor. You can change the setting temporarily by right clicking on your desktop and choose properties, then settings. Then you slide it to a higher resolution. Then just go back and change it back when you're done. I think that would help.

This message was edited Dec 4, 2006 10:16 PM

Depending on the browser you use, you can change the settings so large images are resized for view within the browser window.

I think this flower is a Gazania... http://davesgarden.com/contest/2006/image.php?rid=7973&catid=262

Also, I think the pic came from the future, lol: "2084"

Well, since everyone is making comments on what they did and did not vote for here's my opinion:

1) I didn't vote for anything that appeared to be photoshopped... or otherwise enhanced by any software other than cropping.

2) I didn't vote for anything that was placed in the wrong category. Like things that were obviously annuals that were placed in perennials and the such. There are reasons for categories.

3) Being the wife of a photographer, I know how hard some shots are to get... particularly the macro shots.

4) The more creative the better. The more different the better. The more difficult the shot, the better...

That's how I voted in line with the category topic.

Donna

I find myself so entranced with the plants and animals and other subject matter that I have trouble remembering it is a photo contest. so I go over each category a second time and try to look at it with more of a photographer's eye.

I like looking at the thumbnails at the end to see compositional elements and to weed out the ones that I chose only because of the flower. I wish we (including me) wouldn't put everything splat in the center of the page.

boojum,

Hahaha.... my husband is always telling me to STOP centering everything. It's a hard habit to break. But actually some things are better centered. I just depends on the subject and what's around it.

Donna

Criteria is always oh-so-fun to read... ;)
Then again, if I find that something trivial is upsetting me, I can tell myself to stop letting it.