(This particular contest is now closed - please do not submit any images to this contest.  If you would like to submit pictures for consideration in one of our ongoing galleries or features, please go here.)

CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW OF TOP SUBMISSIONS
FROM WINTER MAGIC 2013

And the winners are...

First Place:
Nancy Armstrong-Thomson
photo location: Kincardine, Ontario, Canada

Boardwalk at Tiny Tots Beach, Kincardine, Ontario
Pentax *ist DL, 70mm focal length; f/8.0, 1/2000, ISO 200
Photo Credit: Nancy Armstrong-Thomson, © 2012, all rights reserved.

Congratulations Nancy on winning First Place in our Winter Magic 2013 photo contest!  There are many reasons Nancy's picture took the top spot, but let's first recognize the simplicity and emotional impact of this dream-like photo.

This is a powerful, artistic image that expresses so much about a certain aspect of winter.  Anyone who has experienced the quiet solitude of a frozen northern lake - the wind carving its initials in the snow drifts and ice - can easily see how this stunning picture so perfectly captures the essence of that experience.  Nancy's photo appeals to the emotions inescapably, drawing you to sense of peace and serenity, while simultaneously  reminding you about how tough and unforgiving winter can be.  Two opposite emotions effectively coerced by one photo.  Truly brilliant!

As for her technique, the photo is perfectly exposed.  A low ISO guaranteed a noise-free image, while her fast shutter speed froze any blowing snow or branches.  Snow is one of the most challenging subjects to photograph, often appearing too bright and without detail.  However, Nancy's exposure balance allows for detail in and out of the shadows and a subtle tonal gradation within the mostly sepia hue.

Nancy's composition is so aesthetically pleasing that her photo would work beautifully in a frame and would likely see brisk sales in any art or photo gallery, or lakeside shop.  The partial natural frame created by the tree and its leafless branches helps move the eye down toward the bench.  The line created by the pier provides rhythm and a parallel to the horizon, while the hazy sun at the top right encourages more eye movement.  The natural diffusion likely created by suspended ice particles or snow, helps the exposure and completes the dreamy appearance.  Nancy summed it up, saying, "It's a shot that can never be duplicated again even if I tried because of those few moments of special lighting nature provided."

What an intense and beautiful picture!

As a first place winner, Nancy will receive a National Geographic sling-style camera bag and a SanDisk Ultra 16GB SDHC Class 10 SD camera memory card.  (National Geographic and SanDisk are not sponsors of this contest, nor are they in any way affiliated with FreePhotoCourse.com; the prizes are products chosen for this contest and do not reflect any endorsement.)

Second Place:
Loretta Colbeck
photo location: Virden, Manitoba, Canada

Virden, Manitoba is a small town about 70 miles north of the North Dakota border.  It's far from the big city; a slower-paced rural style of life is the norm here.  Professional photo-grapher Loretta Colbeck must have known as she pulled-up to this house and barn on Christmas Eve 2012, that the winter scene staring her in the face was a prize-winning photo opportunity!

It's an archetypal rural winter scene; like something you'd expect to see in a feel-good Christmas themed movie, on a winter postcard or on the front of a holiday greeting card.  Loretta happened upon something quite magical here and that's one of the reasons we chose this to be a prize winner; it's very much what we envisioned for our Winter "Magic" contest.

Rural winter scene in Virden, Manitoba, Canada
Canon EOS Rebel T3i, 131mm focal length; f/5.0, 1/2000, ISO 100
Photo Credit: Loretta Colbeck, © 2013, all rights reserved.

The bushes and trees are gleaming as though God himself had just hand-painted each tiny twig with the whitest, purest snow you could imagine!  The baby-blue sky contrasts subtly against the snow in a way that's believable and not overly processed as one often sees in the results of over-eager photo enthusiasts.  No, instead, this photographer relied on her camera, her knowledge and her instincts rather than doing something fake.  The red barn provides a point of interest and variety, thus ensuring that the fantasy-like snow scene remains interesting no matter how long you look at the picture.  There's just enough of a house on the right to provide the context.  It says, "This is not just a farm scene; it's someone's home, and what a welcome they have for us!"

The snow-covered dirt road leading up to a shadowed door and the rhythmic fence posts on the left help to guide the eye for movement.

Really, this picture is a delight to look at...over and over again!

So, what does she do when she's not visiting idyllic photo scenes like the one above?  Loretta does commissioned photo work in the Toronto area.  In addition to being featured as the 2nd place winner in this contest, Loretta also wins a 16GB SDHC Class 10 SD camera memory card.  Congratulations on creating such a lively and uplifting winter photo!

Runners-Up:

We received so many spectacular and beautifully composed photo entries in this contest, that it was difficult to choose our First and Second Place winners.  A few images that were in strong contention for the top spots are featured below.
These runners-up photos by Justin Benson of New York City and Pauline MacMillan from Brantford, Ontario,
say "winter" in different ways, but are both equally breathtaking.

Justin Benson
photo location: Monticello, New York

Long exposure special-effects shot of half-frozen waterfall
Nikon D90, 14mm wide angle; f/22, 5 seconds, ISO 100
Photo Credit: Justin Benson, © 2013, all rights reserved.

Twenty-four year old Justin Benson shared with us how he came upon this scene.  He was visiting with a friend and, while in the Monticello, NY area, came upon this waterfall that had both ice and snow on and around it.  The light, he said, was perfect and he obviously knew his way around a camera well enough to produce this stunning image!

Justin did not tell us whether he used a tripod or if he found a dry rock upon which to rest his Nikon D90, but he clearly needed one or the other.  This special effect work is created by selecting a very slow shutter speed to capture the water's motion, while the camera remains perfectly still.  The goal is to show the movement of the running water over a period of five seconds - long enough for the motion to appear fantasy-like and silken.

The high f/stop value means a very small aperture in the lens, which is crucial if you want to show various parts of the frame that are at different distances, in sharp detail.  In layperson's terms, a high f/stop number ensures more clarity throughout the picture.  Justin focused squarely on the first rock from the bottom of the frame; the one that appears to have the most life and playful distortion.  The other ledges and icicles in the background are almost as clear.

The other factor that makes this picture a Runner-Up is the fact that Justin had the forethought to shoot from a very low position  to the ground, thus enhancing the perspective.  Congratulations Justin and pat yourself on the back because you've earned some bragging rights for this one!

Pauline MacMillan
photo location: Burford, Ontario, Canada

Snow covered country lane flanked by snow coated mature trees
Canon Powershot SX30 IS, 70mm (SLR equiv); f/4.5, 1/500, ISO 80
Photo Credit: Pauline MacMillan, © 2013, all rights reserved.

Pauline's photo is a great example of how a simple theme with equally simple content can be far more interesting and emotional, compared to images that have too much going on.  The theme here is unmistakably 'winter' and the snowy country lane invites the viewer to take a brisk winter walk along the path.

The old maple trees, their intricate branches holding snow, look like steadfast guardians that secure safety and guide the weary traveler.  Don't you also love the gentle canopy formed overhead?

There's not much in the way of color and the image breaks the composition rule of avoiding symmetry, but these two factors don't seem to do one bit of harm from a photo analysis standpoint.  This is fine work, of which Pauline should be very proud.

Pauline's submission also underscores the fact that you don't necessarily need the most advanced camera or gear to create a great picture.  Her camera, while not a DSLR, is a bridge or cross-over super zoom camera.  Its lens can bring a subject in at an equivalent of 800mm for a DSLR camera.  But she didn't need to use that power at all; a gentle zoom of about 70mm was all it took to create the perfect perspective.

Congratulations Pauline on being a Runner-Up in our Winter Magic 2013 Photo Contest and enjoy the frame worthy personalized certificate we have mailed you!

...And now, the
Honorable Mentions:

This photo contest attracted photographers of every level of skill and creative insight.  Many of these images were technically flawless, featured dramatic subject matter and/or had beautiful composition.  Of the hundreds of submissions we received, the pictures sported a very wide and imaginative variety of content; everything from children and pets playing in the snow, to stately bucks and other wildlife, to grand scenes of nature.

All-in-all, we were very encouraged by the tremendous response and are encouraged to launch another photo contest in the near future.

Below we have featured the photographers whose work merits an Honorable Mention.  Each of these contest participants will receive a frame-worthy personalized certificate in the mail, along with our heartfelt congratulations for their photographic achievement!

Click any picture below to see an expanded version:

Nancy Albright
Sedona, Arizona

Nikon D7000, 70mm; f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 200
Photo Credit: Nancy Albright, © 2013,
all rights reserved.

Samantha Rejc
Simcoe, Ontario

Nikon D90, 50mm; f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 200
Photo Credit: Samantha Rejc, © 2013,
all rights reserved.

Aiden Mahoney
Stephenville,
Newfoundland and Labrador

Kodak DX6490 74mm (DSLR equiv); f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200
Photo Credit: Aiden Mahoney, © 2013,
all rights reserved.

Rachel Kulchin
Santa Cruz, California
(Shot in Ushuaia, Argentina)

Canon EOS 40D, 157mm; f/5, 1/1600, ISO 400
Photo Credit: Rachel Kulchin, © 2013,
all rights reserved.

Jeremy Swider
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Sony NEX 5N, 27mm (DSLR equiv); f/5.6, 1/80, ISO 400
Photo Credit: Jeremy Swider, © 2013,
all rights reserved.

Anita Smuck
Brantford, Ontario

Sony DSLR A330, 140mm; f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 200
Photo Credit: Pauline Anita Smuck, © 2013, all rights reserved.

Brian Nguyen
Toronto, Ontario

Photo Credit: Brian Nguyen, © 2013,
all rights reserved.

J.J. Guy Longtin
Renfrew-Ottawa, Ontario

Canon EOS 7D, 120mm; f/4.5, 1/4000, ISO 200
Photo Credit: J.J. Guy Longtin, © 2013,
all rights reserved.

A huge "Thank You" to everyone who participated in this contest!
Click here to see a slideshow of all of the images that made it through the first cut.

Check our main Photo Contest Page if you would like to participate in future contests!

(THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW SUBMISSIONS)


ALTERNATIVELY, CONSIDER SUBMITTING YOUR BEST PHOTO WORK TO OUR
MONTHLY CONTRIBUTORS' GALLERY, AS WE REGULARLY POST NEW OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE OPEN TO BOTH AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS.

LINKS:

HOME    PHOTO TIPS INDEX     FULL COURSE INDEX    "HOW TO" INDEX    PHOTO FORUM   GREAT CITIES EXPOSED

SITE SEARCH    CONTRIBUTOR'S GALLERY    COMPOSITION TUTORIALS    PHOTO LINKS     FREE DIGITAL IMAGES
 





© FreePhotoCourse.com.  All rights reserved.  Reproduction, storage, copying, publishing, manipulation, digitizing or selling of any of the text or photos on this website is strictly prohibited.  Under no circumstances shall any part of the content on this website be plagiarized or referenced as the work of an author or photographer.  Re-selling of any of the content on this site is strictly prohibited.  The lessons on this website were provided free of charge for individual home users; if you paid for any of this you have been cheated.
Please report any misuse, sale or plagiarism of this material here OR E-MAIL US AT: CONTACT@FREEPHOTOCOURSE-DOT-COM

Associate-Sponsor Disclosure        Content Download & Terms of Use        Privacy Policy         Contact Us        Contributor's Gallery Terms of Use        Forum Terms of Use