NATURE PHOTO CONTEST

Photo by Kirk Zufelt

7:30 pm December 8, 2009. Central United Methodist Church, Sault Ste Marie, MI

The December Meeting will feature a Nature Photo Contest and a presentation by nature photographer Kirk Zufelt, who will provide information on some of the artistic and technical aspects of bird and nature photography. A secret ballot will be conducted to select the winning photo in each of three categories (flora, fauna, and scenery), and each winning photographer will be awarded an appropriate prize. Refreshments, including hot cider and some homemade goodies, will be served. Come and enjoy the event and the company of your fellow naturalists in a congenial atmosphere!

     Both members and non-members (excluding professional photographers) are invited to submit photos for the contest. They should be e-mailed (as attachments) or mailed to the program chair, John Lehman (jwillehman@gmail.com, 4555 S Nicolet Road, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783), by Friday Nov. 27, 2009. A panel of three judges, Gene Santoro, Jude McConkey, and Gregory Steele, will select the five best photos in each category and the prints will be displayed at the meeting site, where the 3 winners will be selected by ballot. Photos not selected by the judges will also be displayed as prints or on a monitor. The winner in each category will receive a framed 6 x 8 reproduction of his or her winning photo on the surface of a framed ceramic tile (you can see examples of such reproductions at Riverstone Gallery, 413 Ashmun St., Sault Ste. Marie, MI). The deadline for submissions has now passed; 455 photos have been submitted.

     The 15 photos selected by the judges will probably be displayed on the club's Flickr site before the meeting as well; check this page for information on how to access them.

     The rules for the photo contest follow. 

Contest Conditions

1. Members of the Sault Naturalists are encouraged to submit photos, but anyone who is not a professional photographer* or one of the judges is eligible to enter.

2. Photos must be submitted on or before November 27, 2009 to be considered. Please include your name, address, and a phone number. Do not include any identifying information on no photos themselves, as they are to be judged anonymously.

3. There will be a limit of 5 photos in each category per contributor.

4. There is no limit on the date of any photograph.

5. Photos in print or digital formats will be accepted, but digital photos are preferred. The 15 photos selected by the judges will be converted to prints for display at the meeting.

6. Photos will be judged in the following categories: flora (wildflowers, mushrooms etc.); fauna (birds & other animals); scenery (including people in nature).

7. Photos should be taken within an approximately 100-mile radius of the International Bridge. The area includes the Algoma District of Ontario and the Eastern Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

8. There will be prizes, as described above, for the winners in the 3 categories.

*We define a professional photographer as someone who supports him/herself mostly or entirely by taking and selling photographs. The definition would  include someone whose job includes taking photos for publication if that is a major part of his or her job description.

Go to Next Program for biographical information about Kirk Zufelt.

Click on General Information for directions to the meeting site, meeting times, etc.