Every day, we use numerous tools or devices to accomplish tasks. These can be as simple and primitive as a branch and rock being used as a lever and fulcrum. Or as complex as the state of the art cell phone or laptop. Nature is awe inspiring in the breadth and depth of beauty and wonder. But technological implements, old or new, working or now broken or rusted, have a beauty of their own. The image doesn't have to depict the entire object. It can be a set of gears of a clock, the numberpad on a keyboard, a hammer, or a quarter of a bicycle wheel. It can be in use, idle, or long abandoned. Though there may be some grey areas in terms of what fits, as a guideline, the object in question needs to do something more than merely existing to perform it's function. For example, a well wouldn't fit but the pulley system for moving the bucket would. For post-processing, try to keep it relatively minimal. Have fun!

MONTHLY CONTEST:

Only one entry of your own original work per person, unless/until the Volunteer Host opens Submissions for second entries. You need to post your entry in the submission thread started by the Host of a contest. Please be sure to include a "Title" for your photograph in the Subject line of your post. The submission thread is for photo entries only, no comments, no questions. The Host will start a separate thread just for comments and questions.

Once a photo is entered in a contest it is ineligible for any future contest unless the Host specifies otherwise.

The Winner of the contest is the one that comes up with the Theme of the next contest. They can just decide on a theme or may ask for suggestions and then run a poll to pick one of them. Either way the Theme will always be at the discretion of the person who won the contest.

The Volunteer Host has the option of adding other rules to the contest they are hosting. An example would be no Black & White or all Black & White entries.

The Volunteer Host has the option of declaring the submissions being blind (no one knows who entered which photo) or public. Should the Host op for blind submissions it is their responsibility to instruct entrants on how to get their entries to the host.

Please keep your entry no larger than 1024 pixels in its longest dimension and under 675K in file size. If you need help posting a photograph or with image sizing, just ask.

The Volunteer Host is the final authority in their contests. The Volunteer Host may enter a contest as long as the Volunteer Host is not the previous winner and has not selected the theme for the contest which they are hosting.

Submissions will be limited to 30 entries maximum unless the Photography Group votes to change the limits.

The Winner of the contest agrees to pick the next month's theme. The Winner of the monthly contest may not enter the contest for which they selected a theme.

The Submission & Comment threads will be posted in the Photography Group. The Preliminary polls and Final Contest poll will be posted in GD per Skinner’s permission.

The Host of the Contest may copy and paste these rules into their submission thread or post a link to these rules into the submission thread. The Host WILL copy and paste the CONTEST LICENSE into the submission thread in its entirety. (At bottom of post)