Tag: Photos

From 74 to 4

Published on by tbeckerphotos3 Comments

This weekend is the deadline to submit photos to the Iowa State Fair Photography Contest. You may recall in 2017, two of my images were selected for display, of which one of them received first place in it’s class. My process for selecting images to be submitted is somewhat logical and somewhat artistic, left brain vs. right brain. Over the last year I have added images to a collection for possible submission. The collection had 74 images. In May it was time to start my critique and get the images down from 74 to 4!

Only 4 images may be submitted, and only one per class. I know from prior experience there are several rounds of judging. First, each photographer’s entries are looked at as a group. The judges want to see 4 very different images. After that, I can only speculate as to the process. I do know that one judge must like a photo for it to be displayed and all 4 judges must like an image for it to receive an award.

So, first thing was to reduce down from 74 to the images I wanted to have printed to see how they looked in print. Every image has its own story. As I was selecting the images I had to set aside the stories and personal feelings attached to each image and look at the image for itself. I was able to narrow down my selection to 23 images to be printed as 4 x6 images. Print images may look quite different than on screen if your display is not calibrated. Even then, each printer has it’s own unique profile and your prints may not look how you want.

The 23 images selected for 4 x6 test prints.

The next step was to place the images in groups by class. The 23 images fell into 7 different classes. it was time to get extremely critical and choose the image I felt was strongest per class. Once down to 7 images, it was time to choose the 4 strongest images and look at them as a group to make sure they were all different. And if you have been following me, you know I prefer different!

The final step in my process was to adjust as necessary for final 8 x 12 prints. Once the prints were received they were then taken to a frame shop to be dry mounted on 11 x 14 white foam core as per the contest rules.

This weekend was the final two days for submission. Even with gas prices, the choice was made to drive to Des Moines to the Iowa State Fairgrounds and personally submit my images. Besides, what better way to spend my birthday, doing something I’m passionate about!

And below are the 4 images I selected for the 2022 Iowa State Fair Photography Contest. This is the first year I have submitted all color images. In the past, only my black and white images have been selected for display and/or an award. This year two of my photos are classes that I have not submitted images before, Anything Goes! and Macro. My goal is to have at least one image on display, anything more will be above my expectations.

Spring at Lacey – Class 13 – Iowa Places & Landscapes
Desert Globemallow – Class 17 Plants, Flowers & Trees
Twirling Swinging Bridge – Class 41 Anything Goes! For dramatically computer enhanced or radically altered photos only.
White Mushrooms – Class 46 Macro – Animals, insects and flowers are not eligible.

Now it’s time to wait for the pink card to arrive in the mail letting me know how many, if any, were chosen for display and with more luck there will be an award sticker. They will be sent out in early July as judging takes place next weekend. Here’s the clincher, 4 images were submitted and if any one, two or three are selected, I won’t know which one(s) until August 10th! And if I’m extremely honored to receive an award, it will be unknown as to how many and which images received an award. For example, if two or more images are selected and there is an award sticker, not only will I not know if one or both images received an award, but also which award was received. In past years, the Sunday before the opening of the Iowa State Fair, there was an awards ceremony and all photographers who submitted images were invited to attend. At that time all the images were on display along with the correlating awards. However, due to COVID, there will not be an awards ceremony this year. The judging results will be posted on iowastatefair.org on August 10th.

Follow along to see how I fare at the fair!

Mounted and ready for submission.

Lily Of The Valley

Published on by tbeckerphotos4 Comments

Lily Of The Valley is one of the most fragrant spring flowers.  A perennial flower that prefers moist soil and shade and grows in the northern zone, USDA 2-9.  Tiny white bell-shaped flowers on stems with lance-shaped green leaves.  As I sat on the ground to photograph these tiny white flowers there was a gentle spring breeze.  The breeze filling the air with the beautiful fragrance of Lily Of The Valley.

As a toddler, I loved to walk behind the evergreen shrubs to find the blooming tiny white bell-shaped flowers in the spring.  A memory that is vivid, so vivid that when relocating back to the Midwest I wanted to have Lily Of The Valley in my garden.  Not just any Lily Of The Valley, but the plants my mom had planted probably 50+ years ago.  And I did.  The owner of the home where we lived is not fond of the flowers and I asked if I could come over and dig them up to transplant to my yard.  She said yes and in fact helped me dig up the plants.

As I sit and process my photos and write, I can smell the beautiful fragrant flowers.  Not just in my mind, as I picked a few stems and have them in a small vase on my desk.  Soon the Lily Of The Valley blooms will be spent and I’ll have to wait until next spring to relive the vivid childhood memory.  Until then I can embrace the fragrance and beauty of Lily Of The Valley through my photography.