And the Winners Are!

 
I'm really pleased that 30 people made the effort to vote for their favorite pictures of 2013. That's very gratifying, and I do thank you all.

There were five clear winners, with the most votes. However, I think it's interesting that every single photo received at least one vote.

I'll tell you a little more about each one. So here they are:

Number 1, with 16 votes, is Osprey Landing. I was on a commercial boat tour of Lake Arthur in Pennsylvania. We all saw the bird coming in to the nest and were snapping pictures like crazy. This is called, "I got lucky."



Number 2, with 12 votes, is Sun Pillar. I find it interesting that this picture ranked so high. True, it has great colors. And they really were that intense. But it's got stupid electric wires in it, and they carry the eye away from the focal point. This is the kind of picture anyone could take if they were willing to stop the car to do so. And thank you, Om, for being willing to stop and wait while I began yelling and racing across the road!



Number 3, with 11 votes, is Pink Trees. I will actually take a tiny bit of credit for this one. The sunrise was unusually red and I looked around the yard for things that were being targeted by the light. Of course, without the snow, it wouldn't be much of anything, so I guess I have to also credit winter.



Number 4, with 10 votes, is Balanced Stone. Thank you, everyone who recognized this actually took an artistic eye. That stone is more like a pebble, maybe an inch across at most. There were all kinds of these little monuments on the beach that day, but I had to lie down on my belly, find one where the sand wasn't disturbed, and the shadow was right, and then get the camera to focus where I wanted it to. I'm happy with this one.



Finally, Number 5, with 7 votes, is Red Barn. Of the five pictures, this is the only one I manipulated at all. I did enhance the red color just a bit so that the picture looked as dramatic as what my eye saw. This was one of those drive-by shootings. I drove by, said "wow," and then turned around to go back and take the picture. Some of the good shots I am able to get are the result of that decision to go back and record it digitally when the light and conditions are right. This same barn is nice but rather ordinary most of the time.

	See Other Good Photos of 2013
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