August Picture of the Month Winners By Shawn Barnett (Friday, September 15, 2006 - 12:34 EDT) We chose "Grandpa's Brown Eyed Girl," "Room with a View," and "Morning Dew, Blue and Glory" as Photo of the Month contest winners for August. Congratulations to Sherry Skinner, Stephanie Thibaudeau, and Edward Muszkiewicz! August was another great month of Photo of the Day winners, and we made our choices with the usual sense of fun. Thanks again to all of you who submit photos, we truly enjoy them. We had a whole lot of great daily photos again by the way, so be sure to visit the POTD Winners Gallery to see all of the daily winners. And now, on to the top three monthly winners for August.  First Place Grandpa's Brown Eyed Girl, by Sherry Skinner (Sherry won a Canon EOS 30D kit digital SLR a Canon i9900 printer, and a Kingston 1GB CF card!) A fantastic shot of a girl leaning against an old truck with wonderful sunshine flooding the scene. All the colors are enriched by this golden glow. And then there's the juxtaposition of old and new between the girl and the truck, along with plenty of tension with the girl looking into the frame, yet far out of the frame. Normally I'd prefer the subject's feet in the shot, but here it works just fine, getting in tight on the truck and cropping both the truck and girl down to the important elements. It's a superb portrait, and the girl's brown eyes remain unseen; presumably a nickname given by Grandpa. Excellent shot, Sherry.  Second Place Room With A View, by Stephanie Thibaudeau (Stephanie won a Canon S3 IS digital camera, a Canon iP6600D Printer, and a Kingston 512MB SD memory card!) Sometimes Photoshop effects are applied where they don't enhance. That's not the case here. This shot is made to appear both modern and antique due to whatever edge-enhancement and color tweaking was made. It looks rustic and illustrative. I could be the cover of a book about the old west, or featured in a book about surviving buildings of the Old West. A very appealing shot.  Third Place Morning Dew, Blue and Glory, by Edward Muszkiewicz (Edward won a Canon MP800 multi-function printer!) Once in awhile a flower shot is done just right. This one has implied leading lines, lovely dew, excellent lighting, and splendid color, and just enough of the photo is in focus to keep it interesting. It is a photograph that expresses texture, moisture, and even temperature, as you can easily imagine the cold day that might have produced these droplets. Of course, the droplets could be from a spray bottle as well, but as long as it evokes the same feeling, it's a photo well done. Simply beautiful. Those are our picks for August. Congratulations to all the Daily Winners, thanks for lighting up our home page with your fine photos! And remember: one of these could be your photo next month! Grab the nearest digital camera, pick your best and join the fun! |