Dorothy Ralph Essay
This annual competition began in 1997 and is held in honor and memory of Dorothy Ralph. Dorothy was a longtime member of the Science Museum Camera Club who bequeathed a Hummel figurine of a photographer to the club. The figurine was mounted on the trophy that is awarded to the competition winner to keep for one year. All of the winners’ names, and year awarded, are engraved on the trophy base. When the trophy is returned, a keeper award is given.
2016 Dorothy Ralph Essay Winner - "Two For The Road" by Ernie Yu
Judge Mark Bowie
Several entries in this highly competitive contest are worthy of recognition, but for the consistent quality of the imagery and fulfillment of the statement of purpose, I’ve selected “Two for the Road” as the winning entry. It conveys both the vibrant colors of street scenes and their grittiness. Compositions are purposeful and tightly framed. It also showcases some poignant moments. The image of the woman tending her cooking fire, the "Boston Strong" running shoes image, the cemetery image, and the little girl peeking into the house as Goofy looks on, are especially powerful. As with all good street photography, they portray the essence of the subject matter. And the viewer is left with a better appreciation of them.
"Two For The Road" by Ernie Yu
I define Street Photography as random, unplanned chance encounters within public places. It doesn’t need the presence of street of urban environments. Though people are usually featured directly, Street Photography can be free of people. It can be an object or a surrounding.
My main objective in “Two For The Road” is to document a “street” scene that seduces my viewfinder. Not only because of aesthetic value but also because it projects a visual narrative. Amidst a captivating backdrop, a story about mood and emotion that soothes and refreshes the senses: joy and laughter, ache and numbness, fascination and daydream. In essence, “Two For The Road: is two packages for the price of one." |
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2016 All Entries
“The best camera is the one you have with you” by Andrea Burke
Many of you know that I like to hike and that I like to travel with multiple camera bodies and a variety of lenses. But a memorable moment can happen at any time. If you have a 400mm lens on your camera and you want to take a close up, what do you do? Over the last year, I have taken many photos with my Samsung Galaxy Smartphone. So…the most important camera is the one you have with you, for those unexpected moments.
Now, before you scoff, I will share with you a wide variety of images taken with my cellphone. Images taken in unexpected places and others at unexpected times. Did you know you could put the cellphone camera up to binoculars to take a picture? After hockey practice you see your husband laughing and see that he just texted your teenager and you capture the moment? Have you been driving and see a landscape photo you must pull over for? Grab your smartphone.
Additionally, the fun of taking cellphone photos is the ability to edit my favorite images with the Snapseed app. With this app, you can edit your photos anywhere… anytime and post the finished photo quickly. If you follow me on Facebook, then many of these images will be familiar to you….and one of these photos scored a 13 in color print competition this year. |
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“The Beauty of Trees” by Bob Kaderabeck
Purpose: To Show the Beauty of Trees
Poet Joyce Kilmer wrote: “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree...” and I
agree.
Trees are not only lovely, they are beautiful in all seasons, especially; winter, spring and
autumn. Here are my images depicting the beauty inherent in these botanical wonders. |
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"Creative Photography – I'm under your spell!" by Larry Mathewson
What do I mean by that?
I mean Nature and Wildlife seen in abstract ways. Landscapes or Architecture used as Radial Backgrounds. Everyday patterns seen in Black and white. In general all facets of photography seen as part of a creative process and not just used in their traditional ways.
Lets just think of some examples for a moment....
·A simple image of a flower but morphed into a beautiful pattern.
·An image of wildlife not even recognized after being changed in such a way as to appear as a colorful composite.
·A single image of a daisy multiplied and layered to create a wonderful mandala.
·The cross section of a shell can become a radial pattern or with some color and cropping become a kaleidoscope pattern. Maybe even complete with your own 3D planet in the background.
·Mundane Ceramic floor patterns that might normally go unnoticed when used in layers to create a repeating pattern or exploded and used with filters to add as a background become so beautiful.
·An average out-of-focus Mallard duck wing when cropped, rotated, layered with a radial background become a simply gorgeous patterned creation.
·An image of a clear glass ball used to create a 3D composition with a beautiful colorful wrap, warped and modified until it little resembles the original and can be truly out of this world as a final image.
I will never view the world around me in the same old way. Thank you members
of the SMCC for introducing me to this other world. |
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"Winter Wildlife in Hokkaido, Japan" by Cherie St. Pierre
When mentioning anything about Japan, most people think of kimono-clad Geishas walking amongst cherry blossoms in springtime. I have seen this beauty in the past, but now my purpose is to show nature's lesser known beauty during the winter season on Japan's second largest island called Hokkaido.
The Red Crowned Cranes, the largest in the world and indigenous to Japan, live in Kushiro Marshlands National Park.The stunning recovery story here, is that the crane population was down to only 12 cranes when concerned farmers took action and began feeding them corn. Today the park feeds them fish once a day, and a dramatic competition ensues with dozens of white tailed eagles swooping in to snatch their share, followed by deer, fox, and swans. Efforts to save the cranes have paid off with 1,500 now inhabiting the area, although they remain endangered.
The environment is extremely harsh, but with the geo-thermal action of the volcanic island, the cranes sleep in the Setsuri River with its hot springs. Whooper Swans migrate from Siberia to enjoy a hot swim in the caldera Lake Kussharo. And the Steller's Sea Eagles and Black-Earred Kites come from Russia to vacation in the Shiretako Peninsula. I hope you enjoy learning about this area. |
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2016 Bonus Entry - Non-competing
“I was so excited” by Kiley Burke
Last week, I was with my mom. We were at a hotel for her CanAm convention. We were practicing taking pictures. When we walked in, I was so excited. The room was full of stuff to take pictures of. I looked at everything! Someone took a picture of me taking a picture. The moment was so special. I have pictures to show.
[Mom’s note: I think this is Kiley’s 3rd outing with the Canon Powershot this year. Kiley was a trooper all day Saturday, playing as I went from speaker to speaker. Because of an unexpected late start on Sunday, I looked at the schedule and saw the Macro workshop and she was excited to take her camera. Kiley took 200 photos, navigated the room and the other photographers almost entirely on her own. I made exposure adjustments in Lightroom but did not make any changes to the photos she chose, like cropping straightening or cloning.) |
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