Dear Reader,

We received a lot of really great photo entries in last month’s Photo Challenge.  Scroll below to see who won…

This month’s challenge is a photo scavenger hunt.  If you want to participate, you’ll find details, here.

 -- Lori

Lori Allen
Director, AWAI Travel Division

P.S. We’re switching gears this month to talk mostly about travel writing and what it takes to sell stories and photos to magazines, newspapers and travel websites.  If you missed our announcement about grabbing a FREE copy of our new Lazy Man's Guide to Travel Writing (a $29.95 value) when you agree to test-drive our Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program risk-free for 30 days, you’ll find more details here.

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June 3, 2010
The Right Way to Travel
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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS -- WINNING ENTRIES  
By Shelly Perry in Portland, OR

Last month’s Photo Challenge theme was “Taking Care of Business.” April’s winner, Katie-Lee, was our guest judge. See below what she had to say about her first-place pick.

** First Place goes to hapyday for “Warehouse manager in the dark”

** Second Place goes to LAGuzda for “Business and Pleasure do mix”

** Third Place goes to SmellyPrawn for “Accounting”

** Honorable Mention goes to Tenazz for “Climbing the corporate ladder!”

FIRST PLACE -- WAREHOUSE MANAGER IN THE DARK

“Very cool shot. The face is sharp and the wall behind the subject shows detail and enhances the curve of the head and shoulders. The colors look good -- I like this a lot.” -- Katie-Lee

I have to agree with Katie-Lee here: this shot is a standout. For starters, I really like that this photo was shot with nothing but existing light -- in this case, light from the subject’s computer. It creates that huge eerie shadow on the wall behind the guy. Normally I don’t care for super-strong shadows but it adds to the shot in this case, lending it a sense of mystery.

Placing the subject in the center of the photo does break the Rule of Thirds, but the way the light falls and creates that shadow arch across the bottom, I can understand why the photographer made the choice to place the subject (the man’s face) in the center.

I also love the intensity on the man’s face. It’s as if the photographer were not even there. Well done.

SECOND PLACE -- BUSINESS AND PLEASURE DO MIX

This is a clean and simple photo, illustrating a clean and simple idea. The subject is well-placed with the man’s shadow moving into the frame, which is a nice call on the photographer’s part.

I love how the toes are curling up out of the water. It gives the photo some action and the man some character. I could see this photo used as a stock shot.

THIRD PLACE -- ACCOUNTING

This shot is exposed well and certainly nails the theme. Compositionally, I like that the photographer included the busy desk, because it provides a feeling of “lots of work,” or perhaps “overwhelmed,” which coincides with the subject’s facial expression.

The horizon is not straight here, which I would ordinarily point out as a problem. However, by giving it an exaggerated tilt, it actually ads to the “tension” of the photo, which again complements the model’s expression.

HONORABLE MENTION -- CLIMBING THE CORPORATE LADDER

This is well thought-out as a concept shot, and I’m sure it took a lot of time to plan and pull together. I’m giving it an honorable mention to point out that concept shots that are carefully crafted can do extremely well for stock photography. Though I can only see it small, this particular shot could benefit from a little bit of refining which would make it a good stock shot.

Congratulations to each of our winners!!

The first-place winner will get a $30 gift certificate to the AWAI E-Bookstore, and all winners will be entered into the Hall of Fame, to compete for the $2,000 Grand Prize in October.

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shelly Perry from Portland, Oregon, specializes in people photography, what she calls documentary or lifestyle portraits. She is known especially for her imaging of children. Shelly’s concern for people is reflected both in her sense of purpose and the images she produces. Her images have been seen all over the globe on music CD covers, books, magazines, catalogues, websites, ad campaigns and even on TV. Her work has also appeared in several local exhibits and gallery shows.

Shelly will be with us at the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Santa Monica, CA this August 5-7 to talk about taking photos that you can sell with your articles. Combining travel writing and photography not only increases your chances of getting published, but it can double or even triple your income, too. Find out more here.

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