Nickertown

July Photo Contest

john@nickertown.com — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:53:44 -0600

The finalists and the Grand Prize winner of the NickerTown photo contest for July 2011 were put online last week. The winner is Kathy Holl with her photo “KBH_1162”. We asked Kathy to share a little info about her photo and here is what she said.

This photo was taken in early January on one of my outings taking
horse pictures with my new camera. I was leisurely on my way home on
a back road from a local horse training facility when my attention was
drawn to a threesome grazing. Grey horses have a great appeal to me
and this one was grazing alone from its two buddies. I decided to
take a ground level shot through the fence using my 70-300mm lens and
I wanted a subtle hint of the barn in the background. The lighting
was nice giving a soft background. This is one of many I took of this
particular horse, and later with his buddies, including their
interaction with one another. Thank heavens for digital!

Horse photography is one of my favorite subjects. Recently I have
been frequenting local horse events with my camera, including polo
games and horse/pony shows. Horses are amazing and mystical creatures
with a spirit of their own. My dream would be to have one of my own,
or better yet, as many as possible. Since that is not likely, I enjoy
focusing on photographing them and am planning on ways to help support
equine rescue organizations by dedicating proceeds from any horse
photography I do to a local foundation.

The judges added a comment as well.

Keep shooting Kathy. We know that if you continue to take beautiful photos like the one selected as the winner, your dream of owning horses may not be as far out of reach as you imagine.

You can see Kathy’s photo, as well as the other finalists by clicking on the photo below.

Congrats again Kathy!
The NickerTown Staff

Better late…

john@nickertown.com — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:46:05 -0600

We missed putting up a short note about the June photo contest winner.

The winning photo for June 2011 was "Horse Racing 332" by Dori Kais. When asked about her photo, Dori said:

I had spent most of a early summer day at the racetrack, which is one of my guilty pleasures, taking pictures of the horses pounding down the track. As the last race approached and I still hadn't gotten "the shot", I wondered down right along the rail. The bell rang and I started clicking all the way through the finish line. This photo is the result of the last race and shot of the day.

You can see Dori’s photo as well as the other finalists in the June winners album (click on the photo below).

Congrats Dori!

The NickerTown Staff

April Photo Contest Winner

john@nickertown.com — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:07:22 -0600

Sorry for the delay in announcing the Grand Prize winner for the April photo contest. We were out of town for the college graduation of our middle daughter (Congrats Lauren!). In any case, the winner for the April photo contest is the photo “Did I Win That” by Lisa Johnson. Here is the story behind the photo:

“The photo is of my 9 year old daughter (8 then) and her 20ish year old pony Peppermint. 1 year prior to that photo, Peppermint was found in a kill pen at a local horse auction by Mid Atlantic Horse Rescue. We worked with her and the next spring, they came in 2nd place competing Elementary Level at a local Horse Trial. It almost seemed like the pony was just as impressed with the ribbon!!”

For winning the April photo contest, Lisa won a $25 gift card from Amazon. Congrats Lisa!

Don’t forget, the photo contest is always open. The May contest is underway and is open and accepting photos. Just visit the photo contest link above. If you haven’t signed up, create an account and then add your photos to the May 2011 photo contest album. Good Luck!

The NickerTown Staff

March photo contest winner

john@nickertown.com — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:45:41 -0600

The photo “2 day old baby girl” was chosen as the winner of the March photo contest. Kim Jones submitted her photo and says “I took the picture of the little colt 2 days after she was born. She’s a mule and her Mother is a Belgium Draft Horse. At the time, she didn’t have a name.”.

For winning the March contest, Kim selected the Amazon gift card as her prize. Congrats Kim!

The April contest is under way. Visit the Photo Contest page and submit your photos for your chance to win. Don’t forget that all of the photos submitted from January 1st to December 31st 2011 are eligible to win the Photo of the Year prize – a Dell laptop computer…

Thanks,
The NickerTown Staff

Shhhh – One of our secrets

john@nickertown.com — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:21:09 -0600

Have you ever seen a photograph and said – “WOW… I wish I could take photos like that!”? Have you thought that there must be some secret to taking those great photos? Well, we’re going to share one of the best kept secrets and a key resource that we have personally used for years… PhotoVision!

A few years ago, we stumbled into PhotoVision and were immediately hooked with the educational DVD’s that we receive every other month. The DVD’s are jam packed with valuable information on posing, studio tours, equipment, and photography related news… and much more.

If you are interested in pursing photography as a career, we strongly encourage you to check out PhotoVision. The inspiration that you get will surely push your envelope and open your mind to the possibilities. Check them out!

Click here to visit the PhotoVision Web site

PS – Don’t forget to add your photos to the March photo contest. Only 2 days left to enter.