#714 Reader’s Photo of the Month Contest Winner

Posted on November 29, 2011 by admin

Our winner this month’s photo contest… is Willa Mason for her photo of a wild turkey feather.

Why did she win?

Well, it’s a classically good photo – strong leading lines and triangles – but what she says in her supporting text (see below) about observation skills tipped the photo over the edge to win!

Photo contest winner - Willa Mason

Willa says:

“I came across this wild turkey feather while on a walk on my Aunt & Uncle’s farm in Orton, Ontario.

It instantly caught my eye because of it’s unique stripes, I like this photo because I think it shows a simple thing that some people wouldn’t even give a second glance, but when I took the time to look at it closely, and observe the texture it made me wonder, because I never would have guessed that turkeys have striped feathers!

Thanks,

Willa Mason”

Nice work WIlla! For her fine photo Willa wins a Canadian Geographic Magazine Subscription. Congratulations!

Canadian Geographic Magazine

This is the final instalment of monthly photo contests this year. A big Thank-You to prize donators – DaveAndrews.ca, Canadian Geographic and Gwyn/Andrew Batchelor. And a special Thank-you to everyone who took the time to enter and share!

Stay tuned – the contest will return in 2012!

#701 – Photo Contest Winner Announced

Posted on October 30, 2011 by admin

It’s the end of October and that means we have a new winner for the Reader’s Photo of the Month.

We are pleased to announce top dog this month is Cheryl Kreis for her photo “Lift Off.” Cheryl has entered this contest before. Persistence has done her well! This month her flying hound grabbed our hearts. We love the motion and the fun and the timing. Nice work Cheryl!

Ottawa photo contest winner!!

Cheryl says:

“Being a dog walker I’m so fortunate to capture such funny scenes. I love this one because it show just how high this little Jack Russell can fly. The game they are playing is catch me if you can … Enjoy...”

For her efforts Cheryl wins a LowePro Nova 1 photo bag, courtesy of a couple of our readers – Thanks Andrew and Gwyn!

Next month Canadian Geographic has kindly donated a one year subscription to their amazing magazine. A big thnaks to Can Geo.

Canadian Geographic Magazine

See all the winners. We are wrapping up this photo contest at the end of November, 2011. So you have just ONE opportunity to win!

Keep clicking and submitting – make us smile!

#688 Reader’s Photo of the Month Contest

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin

Another month and another challenge to pick the top photo submitted to our monthly photo contest on our blog!

I sometimes feel bad because there are often a few that could run away with top spot. This month there were three that came very close. But there can only be one winner based on photo and supporting text.

And this month’s winner is…

Al Garner with his chrysalis of a Monarch butterfly.

Al Garner - Winner! - Ottawa photo contest

Al says:

“Each year in the late summer my wife, Cathy, likes to collect monarch caterpillars and the milkweed plants they feed on. We then watch as they eat and grow, eventually turn into achrysalis and later finally emerge as butterflies.

This summer we were at my aunt & uncle’s cottage when Cathy did her collecting. She collected 3 caterpillars and we watched them feeding while sitting on the deck. Then one “escaped” and we later discovered that it had moved to the outside wall of the cottage to make its chrysalis. I loved how it had attached itself right on a seam.

The long line of the seam leads your eye right to the amazing sight of the chrysalis hanging in space. I used a telephoto lens and extension tubes to get a close up view. The telephoto lens combined with a large aperture gave a thin slice of focus which helped to isolate the line of the seam and the chrysalis.”

Why did Al’s photo win? It’s a great photo with a good story and there was some significant thought and work that went into developing and capturing this photo. Congratulations Al!

Al wins a year’s subscription to Canadian Geographic Magazine. A big THANK-YOU!! to Canadian Geographic for their donation to the contest.

Canadian Geographic Magazine

Please keep your photos coming! It keeps me on my toes choosing the winner.

This month’s prize is a LowePro Nova 1 photo bag (suitable for an SLR camera and lens), courtesy of a couple of our readers – Andrew and Gwyn.

See all the winners. Keep clicking and submitting. Good luck!

#685 Ottawa photo contest – Honourable Mentions!

Posted on September 22, 2011 by admin

In honour of the last half year of our Reader’s Photo of the Month Photo Contest we would like to celebrate a few photos that deserve some trumpeting and applause. The photos below did not win the contest but came close – there are others that we could not include – sorry! These ‘honourable mentions’ are displayed in no particular order.

This month we have some strong contenders vying for this month’s prize of a Canadian Geographic subscription. There’s still time to enter your photos – sports, gardens, portraits, or dogs launching from your dock – send us your photos! We are looking for fine photos and some text about your inspiration.

Congratulations to the photographers below!

Photo Contest - Honourable Mention - Celso Bressan

Photo Contest - Honourable Mention - Sandra Croft

Photo Contest - Honourable Mention - Stéphanie Beauregard

Photo Contest - Honourable Mention - Joe Davis

Photo Contest - Honourable Mention - Pamela Byrtus

#674 Reader’s Photo of the Month

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin

On our photo blog we have been posting one of our reader’s photos each month selected from submissions from the Reader’s Photo of the Month contest.

This month we had more submissions than ever and it’s getting harder to select a winner.

The Winner

One photo kept coming out on top because of the creative thought that went into the process… This month’s winner is Erica McKay with an underwater portrait of her daughter, below.

Erica’s ethereal portrait is visually reminiscent of Millais’ “Ophelia”:

This month's winner of the "Reader's Photo of the Month" on the blog at HarryNowell.com

Erica’s comments:

“My eldest daughter has been resistant to me taking photos of her for the past couple of years, as she goes through the more awkward pre-teen stage. However, I’m beginning to discover that if she can be involved in the planning of the photos, sometimes she will get very excited to try out some new stuff.

Here, we were camping in Algonquin Park and she was happily swimming back and forth under the water so I could catch her motion. Then one time she came at me face up and it looked so neat we opted to play with that for a while. It was a fun morning of playing with photography, and discovering a way to get my eldest in front of the lens again!”

Why she won

What clinched the prize was Erica’s creative interpretation and process of a portrait. We were impressed! I often tell our ProProgrammers “Do something different!”

Need to inject some creative juices or get a creative kickstart? Consider our photo course: Creative Exploration through Photography with Dominique Larocque and Harry Nowell

The Prize

For her work Erica wins a free print from DaveAndrews.ca – Dave is a veteran printer who is sought by artists to produce prints that hang in the finest galleries in North America. Thanks Dave, for providing this month’s prize!

Dave Andrews - Ottawa photo printing

Next month we are offering a subscription to Canadian Geographic Magazine. And we are looking for more photos and the stories behind them. Keep them coming!

Canadian Geographic Magazine

What do you think of Erica’s photo? Comments please!

#651 Reader’s Photo of the Month

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

It’s that time of month – where we agonize a bit on the Reader’s Photo of the Month. Only one photo wins. And that’s the problem. We get some good entries – more should win but there can only be ONE winner per month in our contest!

This month Morina Reece cam out on top with this entry:

Reader's Photo of the Month Photo Contest Winner - Ottawa's Morina Reece

Morina supports her photo saying:

“Kristine asked me to do a photo shoot of her in both dance and yoga clothing. She specifically asked for a “light and airy” feel.

I decided to bring some props to help achieve this feel – scarves, feathers etc. Kristine also brought some interesting props too. Firstly, I decided on a white background for strong contrast and a very clean look. In this photo we chose the turquoise scarf to contrast and brighten up her darkish clothing and hopefully bring an airy feeling to the picture.

It was a little awkward at first as I didn’t quite know how to have her pose with a scarf that would look natural. We tried a few different positions with the scarf but it wasn’t achieving the look I thought she wanted.

It suddenly struck me that “music” might be the answer. We chose some energetic music and instantly she transformed into a dance teacher with lots of expression and fluid movements that matched the scarf’s flow. This pic captured a fun, light and airy look.”

Nice work Morina – some last minute inspiration made the day!!

For her hard work Morina receives a subscription to Canadian Geographic Magazine. Many thanks to Canadian Geographic for the prize!

Canadian Geographic Magazine

So, some of you may ask “Why didn’t MY photo win?!”

There could be many reasons. We look for the following criteria when picking our short list and ultimate winner:

Good solid photo. Technically well shot – good exposure, in focus in the right places, etc.
Good composition – an obvious focal point and well laid out
Something different, something new
Some accompanying text that tells the story of your shot – we’re not as fussed with camera info and shutter speed. We’re looking for inspiration and creative process.

Please keep trying. Send us your photos and accompanying text! We have another fine prize for next month’s winner – a premium print by renowned printer Dave Andrews. Dave is not just a printer – his work is displayed in Museums and Galleries across North America by artists who come to him for his lifetime of printing skills.

Dave Andrews - Ottawa Printer

Need some help with your photography to help win fame, fortune or our prizes? Consider a photo class or workshop!

#638 Reader’s Photo of the Month Contest

Posted on June 26, 2011 by admin

Every month we select one of YOUR photos for our Reader’s Photo of the Month. We look for a photo that moves us in some way and some kind of inspiration or indication of how the photo turns your crank! We’re less interested in what camera you used and more interested in your process.

This month was, as usual, a tough choice.

But in the end Andrea Johnstone came out on top with her photo, below, from a recent session:

Photo of the Month contest

Andrea says, simply, “I grabbed this photo of Christine’s daughter.

My inspiration was the way she was getting tuckered out and looked like she wanted some cuddling, which I thought was so spontaneous. It was just about the end of the session and the kids were getting tired. It was a perfect chance to grab an instant non-posed snap.“

Sometimes the best photos are the least planned – especially with children.

For Andrea’s efforts she wins a photo safari at HarryNowell.com this summer or fall. We have two coming up in July – bike racing or street performers – and are planning one for the fall – to be announced soon. Congratulations Andrea!

“Prizes? You never said anything about prizes!!“

Yes, we are now have prizes for the contest! Next month Canadian Geographic has kindly offered a subscription to their beautiful magazine. Interested in the prize, fame and glory?

Canadian Geographic prize

Send us your photos!

Please send one photo at a time. Maximum three photos per person per month. Please keep your photos small – we cannot consider photos greater than 1mb. Ideally, size photos to 450 x 300 pixels at 72 dpi. A gentle watermark is fine.

Supporting Text – This is as important as the photo. What inspired you? Why do you like it? How did you do it? Tell us about your photo!

Links – Would you like a link to your site? Please send us the specific link!

Sorry, we cannot reply to all photos submitted. Stay tuned. We will feature the Reader’s Photo of the Month at the end of each month.

#625 Reader’s Photo of the Month

Posted on May 26, 2011 by admin

Yep, this month we had to choose from some good submissions for this month’s “Reader’s Photo of the Month.” It was a tough final decision this month.

We choose a photo from reader’s submissions based on the photo but also the supporting commentary.

We don’t care what specific camera, lens or how many mega-zooples your processor zapped.

We do care about your inspiration, creative process and perhaps some minor technical info.

Read the guidelines.

Send us a photo for next month’s Reader’s Photo of the Month.

This month’s Photo of the Month belongs to Hagen Hohn:

Hagen Hohn - Reader's Photo of the Month

“My inspiration: Probably the biggest pleasure I get from driving, is the skill needed to drive at speed, door to door, with other drivers that I trust. I’ve been doing it for 12 years now and still love it. The race track provides the safest place to do it. So it was to the track that we went, to try to recreate the feel of sports cars running at speed.

Challenges to overcome:

• First, there is mounting a heavy camera on the side of a car without any shakes. I had a bit of difficulty here as part of the rig i had built (and tested), failed just before we went out. I compensated by shortening the shutter speed.

• The second is shooting at the height of the day. I could only get the track for 20 minutes at noon, so the sun is pretty harsh. I counted it with an 8 stop variable neutral density filter, and a 2 circular stop polarizer. Even with that, the first 5 minutes flew by arranging the cars and giving direction to the drivers, then another 5 minutes trying to get the exposure and camera settings right.

This is my vision: cars, owners and their passions, doing what they intend with their vehicles. Sometimes that might be showing them and participating in competitions, and for others, like these guys, driving them.”

Congratulations Hagen!! Send him some cheers.

#612 Reader’s Photo of the Month

Posted on April 27, 2011 by admin

That’s done it.

We have been deliberating for a couple of days. We recently started the Reader’s Photo of the Month. We choose a photo from reader’s submissions based on the photo but also the supporting commentary.

We don’t care what specific camera, lens or how many mega-zooples your processor zapped.

We do care about your inspiration, creative process and perhaps some minor technical info.

Read the guidelines.

Send us a photo for next month’s Reader’s Photo of the Month.

Darrell Larose won top spot this month for his version of a classic – see a larger version of Darrell’s portrait:

Reader's photo of the month

“Inspired by Karsh’s John F. Kennedy portrait.

I always liked this study (of Kennedy by Karsh), the fact reinforced when I held this original 11×14 photo in my hand. To see an original Karsh can’t be described. For a portrait photographer it is truly holding the Holy Grail. My self-portrait was inspired in terms of lighting and the profile. I opted not to be praying but I think I got the lighting close.

I opted to replicate Ilford FP-4 (my personal favourite B&W film)

I add just a hint of brown-sepia to emulate Agfa Portriga warm tone FB photo paper.”

Thanks Darrell.

His was chosen as this month’s Photo of the month.

Why?

We liked the lighting and technical elements, inspiration and homage to a classic portrait, photographer and medium. I have a spot for film photography and although Darrell shot this digitally he tips his hat to film.

Thanks Darrell and to all the people that sent in a photo.

Please try again in May.

#601 Reader’s Photo of the Month

Posted on March 31, 2011 by admin

Last post we announced a new feature: Photo of the Month

We will be highlighting one of your photos every month with links and much applause. Just follow the guidelines and send us a photo. We will pick one and add some comments.

This was sent to us by KFPhotoArts, one of our students:

Photo of the Month - March

He says:

“I shot this image about a week ago while the moon was full and close; according to NASA, it was the best view of the moon in 18 years! Well lit by moonlight, my frozen fingers fumbled around at the switches and buttons as I adjusted various settings on my camera. The resultant image was good but didn’t capture the cold that my fingers felt that night. I wanted more, and so I continued tonight to add an artistic element to the photo to draw the cold out of my fingers and onto the canvas. My pick #77 of 365”

KF started taking our photo courses last year with the goal of pursuing an artistic line of work. In the photo above he has taken a raw photo and started transforming it with painting software. To be effective you need to start with a good photo!

His work makes me remember the ache of cold fingers – good narrative that adds to the visual art.

Good work!

Check the guidelines.

Send us your photo of the month!