The Results Are In for the September Photo Contest!

Wow! Every time I open up a new monthly photo contest I am amazed at the quality of shots that are shared. Thank you all for making me work so hard at making my selections every month! You amaze me and, more importantly, inspire me to get out there and shoot!

Now, before you scroll through the whole list of photos from this month’s contest, be sure to check down at the bottom for the link to the October contest group and to find out the AWESOME prize that is in store for the winner.

Without further ado, this month’s winner is:

“pier 3 square” by M Greenbaum Photography

Marvin will be receiving a free item from my official Jason D. Moore Photography Apparel Store. Congratulations!

I was taken by this shot the first time I saw it. There are so many elements at work here that just come together and “make it” for me. First off, I like the square cropping. It makes it stand out and I like how it plays off of the repeating pattern of the supports for the pier. I like the play between contrasts here: cool vs. warm colors, solid vs. fluid, sharp focus vs. blur, angular vs. the organic nature of the clouds and surf. I like how the shot isn’t just of something pretty, it communicates something through the contrasts, through the fact that the structure is aged and weathered. It says something. Nicely done!

As always, there were a number of shots that are certainly worth noting here and are each amazing in their own right:

Thank you all for entering and for sharing your terrific work with all of us.

The October 2009 Photo Contest is now open! As always, you have until the 31st at midnight (Eastern) to submit up to 3 photos for the prize. And boy do we have a good one this month! Troy Breidenbach (the photographer who shot the football player image above) is the president of a company called IGT America that uses a really cool technology to “print” images onto metal to make signs, dry erase boards, etc.

Troy and one of his graphics guys are avid photographers and they thought it would be fun to try transferring their skills at making signs towards their own work, and the results are fantastic! The process is called “sublimation” and here’s what they do:

1.)  we get your image electronically and make sure the color space matches our profile (and convert it if not)
2.)  the image is printed on 64” ink jet printers with a special ink and paper
the paper allows the ink to be “transferred” to the metal later
3.)  the paper is married to the metal and put through a heat and pressure cycle that turns the ink from a solid to a gas without becoming a liquid in between.
4.)  because of the pressure the ink can only go into the specially coated metal where it is “locked” below the clear coat
5.)  the metal is cooled quickly so the color stays fast
6.)  the flat metal is stamped to round the corners and put the holes in

Troy was kind enough to send me a sample using one of my own images and I must say, the final piece is amazing! It has a great finish and a terrific feel! (I just have to figure out the best place to hang it!) I’ve heard of this process before using fabrics because we offer certain products at work using a sublimation process, but before Troy contacted me I’d never heard of it being used on metal for photos. It is a very unique way of displaying your photos.

So, long story short, the winner of the October contest will receive a free 16×20 sublimated piece of metal depicting one of their photos. So, be sure to enter your best work this month for your chance to win the awesome prize!

And another HUGE thanks to Troy and his team for donating this very cool piece for our winner!

Oct 05, 2009 | Categories: Contest, Inspiration, Photography | Tags: America, Contest, contest group, Flickr, ink, Jason D, M Greenbaum, Marvin, metal, month, Monthly Photo Contest, moore photography, Photo Contest, Photo Contest Flickr Group, pier 3, player image, Troy, Troy Breidenbach, warm colors, Work | 1 Comment »