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Photo Contest

Page history last edited by John W Lehman 12 years, 1 month ago

2009 Sault Naturalists Nature Photo Contest

 

The 2009 photo contest was quite successful. There were 68 entrants who submitted a total of 460 photos (395 digital photos and 65 prints) in the three categories Scenery, Fauna, and Flora. Prior to the meeting the three judges, Gene Santoro, Jude McConkey, and Gregory Steele, selected 18 photos from these categories submitted by 14 entrants. (The original intent was to select 5 from each category but there were some tie votes.) The finalists were Jim Hayden, Angela Nebel, Wendy Jamros, Kim Zaniboni, Dieter Ropke, Rob Harten, George Ford, Tina Keranen, Carolynn Oullette, Terri Hurleyu, Alan Comfort, Nick Vitale, Katherine Huckson, and Meta Geyer.

 

About 65 members and visitors were present at the Dec. 8 meeting, and Harvey Robbins signed up several of the visitors as new members. The speaker, nature photographer and pediatrician Kirk Zufelt, gave a very informative presentation that included his five "Zufelt rules," each illustrated by his amazing nature photos. His rules (paraphrased here) included (1) going where the birds (etc.) are, (2) selecting an appropriate background, (3) taking bazillions of photos, (4) trying to photograph goofy or otherwise interesting behavior, and (5) using RAW data files rather than JPG. Donna Ryckman-Rooney and Helen Hutchinson arranged for refreshments, which were provided by various club members and served during the intermission.

 

Following the presentation Dave Euler encouraged attendees to vote for their favorite photo in each category. The votes were counted by Don Hall and helpers, and the results were announced by John Lehman. The winning photo in the Scenery category was taken by Dieter Ropke, in the Fauna category by Nick Vitale, and in the Flora Category by Dieter Ropke. Their superb photos can be seen in the Photo Gallery. The winners will be provided with framed ceramic tile with reproductions of their winning photos, to be created by Gregory Steele at Riverstone Gallery.

 

See all of the digital photos entered in the contest at Flickr, including the finalists photos and the entries in the Scenery, Flora, and Fauna categories.

 

Here is the final description of the photo contest that was posted on this site.

 

NATURE PHOTO CONTEST

 

 

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) have been invited to submit photos for the contest. A panel of three judges, Gene Santoro, Jude McConkey, and Gregory Steele, have selected the best photos in each category. Because of some tie votes, there will be 6 photos in the Scenery category, 7 in the Fauna category, and 5 in the Flora category. All of the selected photos are now on display at Photo Contest Finalists. They will be displayed at the meeting, as prints and possibly on the screen. Photos not selected by the judges will also be displayed as prints or on monitors. The 3 winners will be selected by ballot. The winner in each category will receive a framed 6 x 8 reproduction of his or her winning photo on a framed ceramic tile (you can see examples of such reproductions at Riverstone Gallery, 413 Ashmun St., Sault Ste. Marie, MI).

 

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.

 

Biographical Information: Kirk Zufelt was born and raised in southern Ontario and practice Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology in SSM, ON.
     Kirk says "I have been a keen birder since the 1970s. At 16 I attended the  3rd American Birding Association convention in Beaumont, Texas. My Father was a very keen birder and was one of the first 50 people to see 700 bird sp. in North America. I spent several years travelling North America in search of butterflies and was one of the first people to have seen 500 sp. in North America. I have also travelled extensively throughout North America searching for Trillium. I still maintain a large collection of Trillium and other native, woodland and rare plants on my property in the Soo. I became keenly involved in photography 6 years ago, initially to document rare bird sightings and subsequently for the aesthetic value. I have had pictures published in  Birding and North American Birds, as well as cover pictures on Michigan Birds and Natural History and The Forestry Chronicle. I generally don't promote my photography much as I am too busy working, travelling, taking pictures and birding. From Newfoundland to the Salton Sea in California, from the Outer Aleutians to the Dry Tortugas and hundreds of places in between I have travelled over 500,000 miles in the last 6 years photographing birds around North America. I have photographed over 400 species of birds and seen over 700 sp. in that period. I have easily taken over  250,000 pictures since starting and the occasional one turns out quite nicely."

 

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