*** JANUARY PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST - WINNERS ***

First off, let me say that this was one of the closest photo contests I've seen here. A surfeit of excellent submissions meant that the finals were a real "horse race," with the outcome in doubt until well after most contests are "all over but the shouting."

And here's a coincidence...when I hosted my first monthly contest in April 2006, the winner was a newcomer to the group named JeffR. History, apparently, repeats itself. Now, it is with great pleasure that I announce the winner for January's Photo Contest...

JeffR

...for Askew.



:yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party:


Second place goes to...

soup

...for mimic.



:yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party:



Third place honors go to...

priller

...for Shadows on Steps.



:applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party:



I'm going to make a one-time change to the "Host Award" category this time around, and give out two prizes.

The first goes to a photo that could not be included in the contest, because it had been a finalist in a previous month, but was still one of the finest expressions of "Diagonals" I've seen. This special "Host's Award" goes to goes to Reflections, by ET Awful.



:applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party:

And this month's in-competition "Host's Award" goes to this way and that..., by mth44sc.



:applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party: :bounce: :applause: :yourock: :party:


The final standings:

1st: Askew - JeffR
2nd: mimic - soup
3rd: Shadows on Steps - priller
4th: Snoozing Snow Leopards - ET Awful
5th: (tie) Diagonally Frosty - Blue_In_AK and Under the Pier... - CaliforniaPeggy
7th: Iced Grass - WannaJumpMyScooter
8th: (tie) this way and that... - mth44sc and Frosty Diagonals - RadFemFL
10th: Nature's Geometry - Mz Pip

Congratulations to all! :woohoo:

is a little off...

Really nice photo, just about perfect for the theme.

to Jeff R and all the other winners.

Mike

loved the diagonals and the LIFE in that photo!

mimic was a thing of beauty too. (and a prefect title to boot)

were correct, though not in the order I predicted. As to the one I got totally wrong, I don't get why a snap of a really silly building would get any votes.

And yes, regnaD kciN, there's a real deja vu about this. And again, you just did a great job with the contest. Great Host's Choice picks too!

I'm reasonably confident I'll do a much better job next month than I did with my first hosting, if only because it would be hard to do any worse.

Congrats to everybody on their entries. There were so many great photos this month. This group never ceases to amaze.

the other finalists, and to everyone who entered.

Turned out to be a really interesting topic - with a wonderfully diverse range of 'takes' on it.

A well done! and thank you to regnaD kciN... absolutely seamless.

I was surprised (and so happy) my entry got much notice. Knew what I wanted from it when I saw those clouds/trails catch the rising sun and burst into life. Did the YES! dance when a bird finally cooperated and put itself into frame And in the right orientation about 2 minutes before the sun made it all disappear. But wasn't sure anyone else could see what I saw without having been there to share that one magic moment (if that makes sense). thank you.

Congrats Jeff and all others!

Nice photos everyone. :applause:

How can I enter my picture in the February Contest. I don't know how to attach the photo so if you could give me instructions that would be great. Also what is the time period of the monthly contest?

Thanks,

To post your photos here, you'll need to use a photo hosting service, such as Photobucket.

Accounts there are free...

I think they give you directions...

But if not, come back here, and someone will help you!

I know how, but I have difficulty explaining all the steps I take...soooooooo...

The announcement of the February contest will be posted here, in the Photo Group...

It normally happens later in the month, if I'm not mistaken...

Good luck!

:hi:

:hug:

Submissions for the February contest won't start until mid-month, once the Winter seasonal contest is wrapped up. Subs for the seasonal will start Feb. 1, so you might want to consider entering that one too.

As Peggy noted, all you need is a photo hosting account with a site like Photobucket. Once you have an account, you simply upload a photo to it, which will then have a unique URL. Simply paste that URL into a post, and the photo will display here. A caveat is that photos should be no more than 200K in size, and the longest dimension of the photo should be no more than 800 pixels.

http://photobucket.com/

Please check back here or PM me if you have any questions.

Look forward to seeing your entry!:hi:

Thanks Jeff I will give it a try. Thanks again

Very interesting and innovative choices.

I have to admit I loved Askew from the first time I saw it and am so happy others saw the magic in it too. For all our complaining about diagonal for a theme everyone came up with great photos and unique takes on it. It was a very hard contest to vote in. So many good choices so few votes leaving it hard to choose which on to vote for.:toast::toast::toast: