This month was very very hard. There were a lot of very great pictures. I had to get very picky to weed them down to this number.
How do I judge the pictures? First I move all of the pictures over to a secret location, where I can look at them over and over again. I returned to this page many times a day. I enlarge each picture using my computer zoom and look at every detail.
I first remove all pictures that are out of focus. Then comes the hard part. I look at all parts of the picture. I am looking for a really good picture, one that attracts my attention and tells me something-what this is, it, is different for each picture. There were a LOT of good STORIES in this group of pictures. And there where a lot of pictures that GRABBED my ATTENTION. What do I mean by this as you have noticed all of the pictures in the contest are moved together. When I scroll through them, I find my self stopping again and again at certain pictures. Some I would not mind hanging on my walls, some tell me something and a few where just plain odd enough to tickle my sense of quirkiness .
For those who are first timers to our site and contest, we have 4 or more that I feel are the best of the best and the ones I think need special mention and I will tell why I like each picture
These contests where started to help everyone learn to take better pictures
There where a number of very good close ups, especially of flowers. Close ups are very hard to get right, when done right they are wonderful pictures, this is what got me started in Photography.
There are also a number of great scenic pictures and each is good for a different reason.
We also had a number of great bird and insect pictures. Here was another place I had trouble limiting my choices as I like them all
Here are my results
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My top 4 choices are all flowers this month. And they are all very very close, I had a hard time not doing a 4 way tie for 1st place. Each one, has great color, is pleasing to the eye, the exposure is perfect. I would not mind having all of them on one of my wall.
1st place I went back and forth on this one, I like this one just a tiny bit more than the one I placed second
I like everything about this picture.
Muddymitts
 BEST PICTURE
2nd place is another picture I really like. Every detail is in focus, the lighting is just right, a very pleasing picture
bitbit
3rd place this is also a great picture and it is also my BEST USE OF COLOR
mcash70
4th place Also a great picture, like a spot of sunshine.
Justin
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In no special order here are the rest of the ones I wish to honor
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First are the three landscape pictures, they are good examples of how to use the rule of thirds
The rule of thirds means in scenic pictures you should divide you view into 3 parts both horizontally and vertically. . But also remember this rule can be broken in some cases as the first picture shows
Kelli
MOST INVITING SCENE
this one is a great scene, the only thing that would make it better would be a person way, way down that path
Does not use the rule of thirds but it works because it also draws your eye along that path
HollyAnnS
#2
very, very nice scene, the boat makes a so so sunrise/sunset a much more interesting picture-notice that the rule of thirds is working in this picture both horizontally and vertically. The sky is roughly 2/3 and the water 1/3 horizontally, the both is in the right 1/3 vertical section.
akfishergal
This is a wonderful picture. The photographer probable used a tripod and waited for a long time for just the right moment
Notice in this case the Horizontally is evenly divided into thirds but the Vertical is not divided into thirds
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BUGS, BIRDS AND BEAST
First Bugs
There where a lot of good bug pictures, but I had to chose these to because every part of the bugs where in focus
This is where the F-Stop comes into play. I know until I figured out how to be able to easily change the F-Stop, I had a lot of half out of focus bugs
Justin
 
a tie for
BEST USE OF F-STOP
Birds we had a number of really good birds
I chose this one as my best bird because not only is it a great picture but it shows the importance of shutter speed
Shutter is controlled the amount of light that comes into the camera-which in turn controlled by 2 main things
the F-stop and the ISO, back in the olden days of film camera there was different grades of film. The slower film gave the best pictures but needed the most light but the faster film needed less light, there for the shutter opened and closed faster.
For something still and in bright light a ISO of 100 is good but if you want to STOP the movement of something you need to go to a higher ISO.
akfishergal
 BEST BIRD
Creatures
The colors on this one makes it interesting, it was on and off my short list a couple of times but everything I went to the main list it make me stop for a look.
gingin
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Best Composition
candyd
 very good angle
very nice picture, some times if you take a picture from a angle it improves the subject. Take lots of pictures from different angles and see what you find out
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I like this one , the splash of yellow in the middle of all that gray makes a good picture. The only distraction is the shadow of the flag but I do not think the owner would want you rearranging his stuff.
HollyAnnS
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meickle2003
#1
Glass and indoor with natural light.
This picture makes me ask a number of questions-how did they put that up there with out breaking it, and who has such a odd sense of art-which tell you something about me as I like it
Getting a good picture indoor with out flash is very hard, this one comes very close.
The only thing wrong is the color is off a little. Most cameras have setting for different indoor lights.
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Ridesredmule
#4 this picture would be a good plant file picture-it tells you almost everything you need to know about this plant
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mcash70
#1 This is orange and not yellow but I really like this one. It is a great picture. Try taking pictures after a rain or lightly spray you plants
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Kelli
This picture has very little yellow but I really like it, and I see a couple of stories in here, what one do you see
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wildflowers
interesting picture, proves that you can find good picture subjects anywhere.
And right now I could use a couple of these.
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This was very hard to judge, there were a LOT pictures
Y'all are all doing great and I hope y'all will continue to enter these contest
We will grow and get better. Maybe in time we can even have real prizes.
I also plan, that in time we will have up to 3 judges.
As promised we will have a "People's Choice Award" but we have run into a problem, it seems that almost everyone has a different idea about the picture they like.
I have always said the a great picture is in "The Eye of the Beholder" and this is proof.
So until we grow large enough that we can get enough votes we will just post all of the pictures
Here are the "People's Choice Award"
All of these pictures where on my short list but then almost all of them where on my short list!!!!
gardengus
 2 votes
Ridesredmule 2 votes
Muddymitts
quietyard
mcash70
wildflowers
akfishergal
akfishergal
gardengus
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