What I enjoyed about this contest, it became more than just a photo contest. It's a movement.
Basically, I wanted to put my pictures out there, have the caliber of
judges on the Por El Planeta see my pictures, and hopefully the viewing
public.
Register with Por El Planeta for free and vote.
It has been a positive, engaging, experience. photographing my dogs, the environment in which I live, and pass through are what I love best, however, I almost didn't enter. Reservations at first, about the quality of my photos, caliber of other photographers, camera quality, technical aspects, but with a $15 entry, and categories how could not try. The thought of competing against a planet of professional and amateur photographers with high powered, super charged, digital slr cameras, and zoom lens gave me pause. Even if I came up with the right photo, anyone with a better digital resolution would win over my photo. Still, I was up for the challenge, and a challenge it was.
A part of me hoped the little Canon sx170 powershot camera, and 30 year old manual Pentax ME Super film camera might actually succeed. How cool would that be! My subject matter, creativity, and all that, just might pull me through.
Sadly, this was not the case. I didn't get the email on April 16th alerting to winning a category. Still judges are picking 25 photos for public voting = starting April 23rd to May 5th. A $10,000 prize is offered to the winner of viewer's choice.
da-di-da-dida.- don't mind me, I am dreaming about what I could use that money for.
There sometimes is lot that goes into taking a photo- he's a few insights of what I was up against.
Portrait or macro shots were taken with the lens fully extended. This created huge problems with camera vibration/motion. I had to hold my breath. It is incredibly hard to photograph wildlife, especially when you can't get close, because your camera lens isn't big enough. Not to mention flighty subjects, with lightning speed. Life in the desert is either slow or lighting fast. I took over 1500 photos of the Baja in an 8 day period. That is not recording the ones deleted. It was probably double that.
I could have used photos spanning a five year period, but my current computer doesn't read those files, so the decision to enter mostly Mexico photos is what happened. I had a lot of fun recording the desert, its changes, its life. Any shot of a bird, wave, flower or crab you can bet is a fair distance across the planet. Waves were fun. I would watch them recoil, splash, recoil, get the rhythm. I'd wait, rush down to the water, get a side shot of the beach and wave coming in, click, and dash up the beach. My arms held high to keep my camera from getting wet. Usually I'd go home with wet shorts. The crabs were a pain. Talk about flighty!
Below are the categories and photos I entered. You can go to the website at the top of this page - Por El Planeta, to view rules, and see what the judges were looking for.
Animal Portrait: Didn't think a had any chance here, but thought I would try anyway.
Animal Behavior:
loved this one of the bee -
This gull was coming up to me, but humans came down the beach. It ran away. Guess they didn't see the person with a camera laying on their belly in the sand.
I actually entered the wrong one - I have a different shot of these three pelicans grooming I liked better.
Animals in their environment:
Another favorite - like the red on the flicker and the red flower
yummy honey bee
pesky rock crab
Our Changing Planet:
blending into the environment
new form of conservation
Gull: "Oh Shit, change is coming with that digger thing!"
6 frames for change (story telling) with 100 word essay
A desert, pristine, and mystifying. It's landscape extends uninterrupted into mountains. An expansive beach, devoid of people. The sun sets behind faces in clouds. Cardone cactus's dwarf my mortal position. Decades pass. An ecosystem transformed for "progress and Prosparity". Where is the desert I remembered? Toppled cardone's leave a broken heart. New hotels, condominiums, shacks, and houses bleed into the desert. Mexican's peddle wares, and tourist comb the beach.
How will the ecosystem sustain? What's done is done, and When its gone, it's gone forever. How will the pendulum swing, toward mindfulness, the awareness that every living thing is connected?
Portfolio
Taken with Pentax ME Super - 2/2014, film
Lighthouse and gull in Maine - example of when conservation works. Love the red door.
fish eye lens
Los Cerritos, Baja Mexico - Puffer fish
Micro/Macro
This flower was half way across the desert!
Everything is OK - or is it?
This is the trunk of the Holy Cow! a 300 year old cardone
Habitat
The Holy Cow - Desert - Baja Mexico
Classic Maine coast
Example of "wave rushing" Baja Mexico - thought this might get attention.
I think its an awesome photo. Looming pacific about to take out condo build too close to water.
Desert Baja Mexico
New England blizzard - favorite season.
Note:
A little background:
Three separate events converged. First in
January a ticket for Baja, Mexico to visit my mother, was purchased.
This meant leaving my dogs, my old dog, traveling on a plane (something I
don't really care for, because I hate the woozy sensation), traveling
to a non English speaking country, and leaving my friend in house with
wood stove (something she had reservations about). Oh, did I say I was
traveling alone.
Second, As a member of the national geographic your shot community,
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/#recent
I received an email for a world wide photo contest through Por El
Planeta. Upon closer examination they had a category for photos taken
in Mexico! Then closing date was March 27th. My Baja trip was from march
12th - 19th. Remember I booked my ticket BEFORE knowing about the
contest. This gave me a week to get organized upon my return. AND the
contest had a category specific for photos taken in Mexico!
Third: My new Canon Powershot camera arrived in the mail, and for $27 I purchased a new body for my Pentax ME super.
In the end. The contest itself made me feel as if I might actually have a winning
chance, even when the odds were stacked against me. Sample photos were
given to explain a category. The underlying movement to raise awareness
through photographs of our changing planet, and its beauty. Openness of
the judges, their work, and the process of judging. The variety of
categories elevated hopes for a win (portfolio, story telling, changing
planet).
