Get Out There: Only one Denver Entry for North America's Cutest Family Photo Competition

Right now, there is only one Denver photo entry in the running for the "North America's Cutest Family" competition benefitting the Now I Lay Be Down to Sleep Foundation. The 2010 Sandy Puc International Charity Model Search is on the look for the nation's best looking family. Only one finalist with the most votes from each of the 52 tour cities will move on to the final round of judging round. The grand prize winner will drive away with a new car!

The Denver finalist should be YOUR FAMILY. But you can't compete if you don't have a photo taken by a participating photographer. You're in luck because PICTURE YOUR WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY is a registered participant in the model search!

Call NOW at 303-548-6112 to book your Model Search Special session and be eligible for the contest.

Model Search Special:
$50 entrance fee includes:
60-minute photo session
one free 8X10 and one image submitted to the national gallery. Once the photo has been uploaded to the gallery, send the url to your friends, family and co-workers and have them vote for the image!



The image MUST have been taken on or after November 1, 2009 through the end of the submission deadline date of April 5, 2010. So contact me today!

Have your family photo standout by one after a fresh Colorado seasonal snow!

Get Inspired: Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest Winner

When I saw the above image, I knew I just had to show it on my blog as a source of inspiration to both you and me. It's always a good idea to study another photographer's work so that you can use similar ideas, techniques, editing or compositional elements to craft your own images. Congratulations Bernardo Medina. What an imazing, storytelling image...the kind I strive to capture.

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - October 22, 2009) - From among 12,500 entries, Bernardo Medina's incredible photo was selected as the Grand Prize Winner in the 2009 "Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest" (NYSE: ENR) with National Geographic. Medina will now receive the "ultimate" grand prize: a trip of a lifetime for two to the Galápagos Islands and seeing his photo grace the pages of National Geographic magazine in an ad for Energizer® Ultimate Lithium batteries.

Last spring, Medina, an architect by trade, submitted his photo -- Peddling Bicycle in Wind -- in the Inspiration/Keep Going® category. In August, his photo was named a Category Finalist by Jim Richardson, a National Geographic photographer and the judge for the "Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest." Then America was asked to go online to nationalgeographic.com/lithium to vote for a favorite in each of the six categories: animals/wildlife, nature, travel, people and cultures, weather and inspiration/Keep Going®. After four weeks of voting, Medina's photo advanced to become a Category Winner. Richardson went back and reviewed all of the Category Winners, and in the end, he selected Medina's photo as the "ultimate" best and named the Houston photographer the Grand Prize Winner.

"Each and every finalist in the 'Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest' would have been a worthy winner, but one photo so captured the essence of its category that I ultimately chose it as the Grand Prize Winner," said Richardson. "I have no idea what sort of storm this rider faced, but the photographer drew on every creative tool available to produce an image that truly captured the heart of the theme: Inspiration/Keep Going®. Congratulations to one and all!"

Energizer, the company known for innovative solutions to power people's lives, partnered with the world-famous magazine National Geographic for the second annual "Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest" to highlight Energizer® Ultimate Lithium batteries, which last up to 8x times longer* in digital cameras.

Medina will now begin planning his once-in-a-lifetime adventure to the Galápagos Islands, and his photo will be featured in the December issue of National Geographic magazine in an ad for Energizer® Ultimate Lithium batteries. Medina will also receive a prize pack of a 2.0 USB scanner, an assortment of Energizer® Ultimate Lithium batteries, two National Geographic books: Organize Your Digital Life and National Geographic: The Photographs, and a framed and signed 16x20 print from Richardson's photography gallery.

For more information on the "Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest" and to see Medina's photo and the other five Category Winners, go to www.nationalgeographic.com/lithium.

Get the Goods: Win a $1,000 shopping spree at Aaron Brothers!

Aaron Brothers in Denver is one of my favorite places to shop for supplies, including mats, frames and presentation materials such as easels. I was drooling by the time I finished reading this email about Aaron Brother's first annual "Show Us Your America" photo and art contest.

Aaron Brothers, America's art and framing experts, is looking for the next great American artist. Could it be one of my readers?

Have you taken a winning photograph of what makes America great or created a piece of artwork that captures the American spirit? Then enter Aaron Brothers "Show Us Your America" photo and art contest and win a chance for a $1,000 shopping spree at an Aaron Brothers store.

Aaron Brothers will award one winner for best photography and one winner for best art. Visit the contest page to enter, rate and help judge winning entries. Contest entries will be accepted online only through Sept. 15, 2009.

Breaking News: Call for Entry!

Kim Sporrer, one of my sources and the spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley asked me to get the word out about their first annual pet photography contest. Enter to win! And if you do, drop me a line and let me know! Good luck!
How fun would it be to see your pet featured in our publications that encourage other people to adopt more animals and learn more about humane education and training from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley? We’re looking for your best furry and feathered friends’ mug shots, so pull out your digital camera and start shooting photos. The Humane Society of Boulder Valley is announcing its first online photo contest.

We believe the relationship between a guardian and his/her pet is unique, so feel free to have people in your photos, too. If you include people in your shot, tell us how the photo demonstrates the special relationship between the person(s) and the pet, other family members or other animals.

All pet types are encouraged to enter, although we expect that dog and cat photos will be the bulk of our entries. Know that our judges will ensure the contest is fair and equal for all of our animal friends.

Photographs may be entered into one of the following five categories:

Best Baby Photograph
Best Glamour/Costume Photograph
Best Smile Photograph
Best Humane Society of Boulder Valley Alumni Photograph
Digitally Altered/Artistic Images
All entries must be submitted online by 3 p.m. MDT on September 1, 2009.

$15 donation per photo

To submit a photo or for more information visit this website.

Breaking News: "Faces of Hunger" Photography Contest

I believe this is a great opportunity to use your photographic skills for the betterment of someone suffering in your community. Nearly 600,000 people in Colorado live with the reality of hunger. Food Bank of the Rockies’ blog, profiles faces of our hungry neighbors. There are SO many more faces and stories that deserve to be seen and told. FBR & Denver Magazine have partnered to give local photography lovers the opportunity to give more faces of hunger visibility and to learn, first-hand, the reality of a problem taking place in our own backyard.

The details...

* Photographers, amateur and professional....use your artistic abilities to profile an individual or family struggling with hunger in Colorado and submit your photos and application for judging.

* Only 12% of those served by FBR agencies are homeless. The face of hunger could be your neighbor, your mechanic, a fellow student... Go out and meet real people dealing with hunger. Ask for their story. FBR works with over 700 hunger relief agencies. If you need referrals for locations, let us know.

* Submissions judged by a panel of Channel 2’s Natalie Tysdal, Mayor Hickenlooper, Kevin Seggelke, CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies, professional photographers and Denver Magazine’s CEO & Publisher, Michael Ledwitz.

* Top 50 entries featured at a Fat Tail Gallery event on September 2, 2009. Winning entries under both categories to be featured in Denver Magazine and will receive exclusive prize packages. Top entries featured on http://www.frontlinesofhunger.blogspot.com/ and will receive complimentary subscriptions to Denver Magazine.

All entries must be postmarked by June 15, 2009

download application

download photo release form

download flyer

Get Out There: Photographers, name your dream shoot!

U.S. Photographers: Dream Big - Then Grab Your Passports
Lenovo® and Microsoft team up for first-ever "Name Your Dream Assignment" Contest

Grand-prize is $50,000, a digital camcorder and the Lenovo® ThinkPad® W700ds with Microsoft Windows Vista®

Daydreaming about Anguilla's coastline at sunset? Taking a canoe down the Taramakau River? Or standing inside Mount Kenya's Ice Cave? If you're a U.S. resident with a camera and a vision, you could make your dream come true in Lenovo's first-ever "Name Your Dream Assignment" photo contest.

From March 3 to April 3, 2009, U.S. residents of any skill level will have a chance to win $50,000 to shoot a dream photo assignment anywhere in the world. In addition to $50,000, the grand-prize winner will also receive a digital camcorder and the Lenovo® ThinkPad® W700ds with Microsoft Windows Vista® to take on the journey. Photographers can enter their ideas and with clear, succinct explanations here.

Each participant may submit up to three ideas. Take the time to read through some of the ideas that have already been submitted. I found inspiration from just reading what others dream of shooting.




Participants don't just enter this contest - they'll help select the winner. A public online vote and a panel of expert judges will determine the outcome. The panel will also take into consideration skill and experience. Two runners-up will also receive the Lenovo® ThinkPad® W700ds with Microsoft Windows Vista®.

To continue daydreaming with other hopefuls, please join the contest's online community at its official Facebook fan page and on Twitter.

Get contest rules and information here.

About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo's business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Blog Monthly Contest Extended from February

I don't know about you guys, but February was a crazy busy month for me. So crazy indeed that I didn't have enough time to shoot an entry for my own blog's monthly assignment topic! Seems as if other photographers were in the same boat as well, as no entries were turned in last month for the topic.

Since I think the topic was a good one and the lack of entries wasn't because of a lack of interest in the topic itself, I think the best way to handle things is to just extend the topic through March. That way, my blog readers have TWO months instead of one to challenge themselves to shoot the topic chosen by January's photo assignment winner Amy Martin. Even Amy had to miss out on shooting for her own topic since she had shoulder surgery last month.

So here it is: March's assignment is: YOUTH AND MATURITY. I asked Amy to explain her topic so everyone would get a better idea of what to photography. Here's what she said:

"Sheba,
I was envisioning youth and maturity together. Example would be a mother and baby. I got the idea from a photo I purchased. It had a young green plant on the window sill of an old window with peeling paint. It looks like it was taken in a village in Italy. Another example would be a young kitten sleeping with an old dog. With there being an endless number of combinations of youth and maturity, I thought people could find something that interests them. Hope this helps."

You have from NOW until March 22 at midnight to turn in an entry. The photo must be taken during this time frame, as the goal of this assignment is to keep us all out shooting regularly and working on our conceptualization skills.

Please email entries to srwheelr@comcast.net

Entries should include EXIF data and be no larger than 800 on the longest side. Watermarks are optional to help protect your photo from unauthorized usage.

Monthly Photo Assignment Announced: "Youth and Maturity"

Amy Martin, January's photo assignment winner, has chosen the topic for February 2009. The assignment is: YOUTH AND MATURITY. I asked Amy to explain her topic so everyone would get a better idea of what to photography. Here's what she said:

"Sheba,
I was envisioning youth and maturity together. Example would be a mother and baby. I got the idea from a photo I purchased. It had a young green plant on the window sill of an old window with peeling paint. It looks like it was taken in a village in Italy. Another example would be a young kitten sleeping with an old dog. With there being an endless number of combinations of youth and maturity, I thought people could find something that interests them. Hope this helps."

You have from NOW until Feb. 22 at midnight to turn in an entry. The photo must be taken during this time frame, as the goal of this assignment is to keep us all out shooting regularly and working on our conceptualization skills.

Please email entries to srwheelr@comcast.net

Entries should include EXIF data and be no larger than 800 on the longest side. Watermarks are optional to help protect your photo from unauthorized usage.

Congratulations January Photo of the Month Contest Winner: Amy Martin

Congratulations Amy Martin for your winning entry in the PYWP Photo of the Month: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. This month's poll was another tight race with only four votes separating the top entries shot by Amy and Sean Donnelly. The topic was difficult but fun, giving the photographers who entered a chance to stretch their creative muscle.

Since this the second contest Amy has one in a row, she has promised us that she will host a session on shooting pets. Pet photography is definitely something I've been wanting to learn how to do better. Besides bragging rights, Amy gets to choose February's monthly assignment, which will be announced tomorrow! So make sure you come back to see what the topic will be!

VOTE NOW For January's Photo Assignment: "THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS"

The polls are now open for January's blog photo assignment: "THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS." The entries this month are wonderful, so have a good time choosing your favorite interpretation.

Besides bragging rights, the winner gets to choose next month's topic. Cast your VOTE NOW!

Monthly Photo Assignment Announced: 7 Deadly Sins

(Image seen on this blog)


Amy Martin, December's photo assignment winner, has chosen the first topic for the new year. The assignment for January 2009 is: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS, which are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. "I hope people have fun with it," Amy said in her email to me announcing her topic. This one seems filled with photographic possibilities. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

You have from NOW until Jan. 25 at midnight to turn in an entry. The photo must be taken during this time frame, as the goal of this assignment is to keep us all out shooting regularly and working on our conceptualization skills.

Please email entries to srwheelr@comcast.net

Entries should include EXIF data and be no larger than 800 on the longest side. Watermarks are optional to help protect your photo from unauthorized usage.

Congratulations December Monthly Photo Contest Winner: Amy Martin

Image by Amy Martin

Congratulations Amy for your winning blog entry for THE DECISIVE MOMENT. This month's assignment drew the most votes ever with 52 people casting for their favorite image. I'm very proud of the entries this month and want to personally thank everyone who took the time to shoot. You got the best compliment ever: numerous statements from people saying they had a hard time deciding whom to vote for because all of the entries were so great. Only three votes separated the to top entries shot by Amy and Armando Martinez!

Besides bragging rights, Amy gets to choose January's monthly assignment, which will be announced tomorrow! So make sure you come back to see what the topic will be!

On Deadline: Monthly Assignment Due Sunday by Midnight!

You are officially On Deadline! Submissions for this month's blog photo assignment, THE DECISIVE MOMENT, is due in to my email by midnight on Sunday.

Send your entries to srwheelr@comcast.net, sized no larger than 800 on the longest side, and please include a link to your business website, Flickr account or any other site to help promote your photography.

Good luck!

December Photo Assignment Topic Announced: The Decisive Moment

Sean Donnelly, winner of November's photo assignment, has chosen December's photo assignment topic.

The topic is THE DECISIVE MOMENT

(C) Image by Henri Cartier-Bresson

"There was a plank fence around some repairs behind the Gare Saint-Lazare train station. I happened to be peeking through a gap in the fence with my camera at the moment the man jumped." - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 - August 3, 2004) was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism, an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography. He helped develop the "street photography" style that has influenced generations of photographers that followed. Cartier-Bresson is now synonymous with the term "the decisive moment" -- "There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment."

"Photography is not like painting," Cartier-Bresson told the Washington Post in 1957. "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative," he said. "Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."[3]

Sean, who takes photography classes at the Denver Darkroom, struggled with capturing this assignment given by instructor Nick Reti, so he's curious to see what others can come up with. Reti described the assignment as: "The defining moment or passing time. Time can be shown in many ways in a photograph, a person can define time, a group of people, the seasons, time of day. In this assignment challenge yourself to define a moment or passing of time. Rusted fences, seasonal references, peeling paint. Take a photo that defines a specific moment or passing of time."

So there you go. Those explanations should be more than a enough to get you started. Just follow these guidelines please:

The rules:
1) The image must be taken between NOW and Dec. 28. The goal of the monthly topic is to get us out there shooting new subject matters on a regular basis. Interpret the topic as you wish, as long as the window is the main subject. Submit a photo related to the topic to my email at shebawheeler@picture-yourworld.com.

Please have EXIF intact. Photos not taken during the time frame will not be included.

Please send photos no larger than 1MB and add a watermark if you see fit.

Now, GET OUT THERE!

Congratulations November Monthly Photo Contest Winner: Sean Donnelly

© Image by Anthony Sean Donnelly

Congratulations Sean for winning November's monthly photo assignment contest! The theme was WINDOWS. Sean gets to choose December's topic, and I will post his choice on Monday.

Vote Now For November's Monthly Photo Assignment: "WINDOWS"

Vote Now for your favorite interpretation of November's monthly photo assignment "WINDOWS." Thank you to all those who took the time to shoot for this assignment and turn in an entry. These topics seem to keep getting more and more challenging. I hope you learned to see your subjects in a new light. And good luck to everyone.

The winner will choose December's topic, which will be announced on Monday.

On Deadline: Monthly Assignment Due By Midnight!

You are officially On Deadline! Submissions for this month's blog photo assignment, WINDOWS, is due in to my email by midnight tonight.

Send your entries to srwheelr@comcast.net and please include a link to your business website, Flickr account or any other site to help promote your photography.

Good luck!

Get Out There: One of My Images Featured in a Traveling Exhibit

Want to see one of my images up close and personal? Here's hoping a traveling photography exhibit featuring one of my pics will reach a city near you next year.



My image above, "The Allure of Water," was chosen as one of 12 assignment winners from 2007/2008 and will be featured in a traveling exhibition beginning February 2009 in 11 of the museums and art galleries where Digital Photo Academy classes were held.

If you remember, I took two DPA classes with Highlands Ranch-based photographer Russ Burden, whose guest "Instructor's Tips" run on my blog on Mondays. Each month, DPA students and others submitted photos for various topics and a winner was chosen. Now, the 12 assignment winners will be featured in the exhibition running across the 20 participating cities where the DPA host photography workshops, including: ATLANTA, BOSTON, CHICAGO, CLEVELAND, DALLAS, DENVER (my home town), DETROIT, HOUSTON, LOS ANGELES, MIAMI, MINNEAPOLIS, NEW YORK, ORLANDO, PHILADELPHIA, PHOENIX, SAN DIEGO, SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE, TAMPA and WASHINGTON, D.C.

Congratulations to all the winners and their images (check them out here), especially Jean Hayes who took top honors as "the overall monthly assignment winner," with her fabulous image seen below.


THE EXHIBITION GALLERY SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY 2009:

Tilt Gallery in Phoenix on Tuesday, February 3 - Sunday, February 8. Opening night gathering on February 3.

The Park Shelton Gallery in Detroit on Tuesday, February 3 - Sunday, February 8.

Ray Street Studios Gallery in San Diego on Wednesday, February 11 - Tuesday, February 17. Opening night on Saturday, February 14th during community gallery walk.

Windermere Gallery in Seattle on Wednesday, February 11 - Tuesday, February 17. Opening night on Saturday, February 14th.

ICEBOX Gallery in Minneapolis on Wednesday, February 11 - Tuesday, February 17.

Paul Duda Gallery in Cleveland on Wednesday, February 11 - Tuesday, February 17.

Light Wave Studios Gallery in Bethesda, MD, on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19. Opening night party on Friday, February 13th during community gallery walk.

Griffin Museum of Photography in Boston on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19. Opening night party on Saturday, February 14.

The MAC Gallery in Dallas on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19. Opening night party on Saturday, February 14.

Fastback Creative Books & Gallery in NYC on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19. Opening night party on Saturday, February 14.

Yo! Darkroom Gallery in Philadelphia on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19. Opening night party on Saturday, February 14.

Working With Artists Gallery in Denver on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19. Opening night party on Saturday, February 14.

Image Mechanics Gallery in Los Angeles on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19. Opening night party on Saturday, February 14.

Ron Gould Studios Gallery in Chicago on Friday, February 13 - Thursday, February 19.

I would be honored to meet some of my blog readers if you have a chance to stop by the opening night party in Denver.

Think you can top the winning images? Then upload some already and get involved in a DPA workshop in your town! The gauntlet has been thrown. Now BRING IT! ;)

November Photo Assignment Topic Announced: Windows

Matt Lewis, aka gcmandrake has chosen November's photo assignment topic.

The topic is WINDOWS. Here's how Matt explained it: Windows seen from the inside or the outside. The window(s) must be the main subject of the photo.

The rules:
1) The image must be taken between NOW and Nov. 23. The goal of the monthly topic is to get us out there shooting new subject matters on a regular basis. Interpret the topic as you wish, as long as the window is the main subject. Submit a photo related to the topic to my email at shebawheeler@picture-yourworld.com.

Please have EXIF intact. Photos not taken during the time frame will not be included.

Now, GET OUT THERE!

Congratulations October Monthly Photo Contest Winner: Matt Lewis

Image by M. Lewis

Congratulations Matt for winning October's monthly photo assignment contest! The theme was HIGH NOON. Matt gets to choose November's topic, and I will post his choice on Sunday.