Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles

With the closing of the 2nd Annual Finding Direction Winter Desktop Photo Contest, the Super Bowl of all contests has ended.  All that remains is the announcement of the winners.  Oh yeah – and copies of the winning photos for you to ooh and aah over.

The Finding Direction Judges have been busy pouring through the record 45 entries and have made their decision.  As usual, the ersatz publisher, editor, reporter, photographer, accountant, financier and general flunkie of Finding Direction will accept high praise for their finely honed judging skills, but accept no flak from disappointed would be winners.  (There are never any losers here at Finding Direction, as you know, except in the minds of some of the disgruntled entrants, who must be placated at all costs by fellow would be complainees.)

And, as usual, all decisions are final, although an appeal process might be considered in the event of an extraordinary oversight by the FD Judges, which is highly unlikely but let fairness abound.

Finally, as usual, the intro into the announcements of the winners is taking entirely too long (the Judges like to read their own words way too much, obviously) so let the announcement begin.

The first category is the "Photo From Farthest Away."  This winning photo was taken in Tomsk, Siberia by a good friend of Marina Chervyakova, who is a friend of Finding Direction reader in Houston, Bobbie Huebner, who submitted the photo.  It also wins Honorable Mention in the "Most Wintry" category.  According to the Siberian friend of Marina, they are in the middle of a "mild" winter.  Judge for yourself below:

 

 The next award goes to the somewhat sneaky Brad Palmore (he must be kin to Bobby Ross a winner in the last contest with the "Best Photo of a Tree Disguised as Kids" Award) who insisted he couldn’t find any winter water to photograph.  His plight was rashly considered plausible (he does after all live in a suburb of Washington, D. C.) in a moment of weakness by the Finding Direction Judges so he pretty automatically wins the "Best Photo in the Special Dispensation Category of Non-Water Photos" since he was the only one who entered any.  (There were five to choose from, one being an evergreen peace symbol on a chain link fence, poor Brad, who said it was shot within 50 feet of his home).  So, here’s Brad’s winner:

The next photo award goes to Brian Nicklaus, which is another semi-sympathy award since Brian lives in New Jersey, not exactly known as a place anyone particularly wants to live.  At least none of us Southerners, and especially considering his winner of the "New Jersey Award" or the "Most Wintry Looking Photo" Award.  Brian says he loves winter, though, so all is well.  Honorable Mention in this category goes to Patrick Mead for his Loch Lomond scene.  Check out this photo below.

The next award is the "Best Winter Photo of a Child" Award where competition was interesting.  The winner is Anthony Parker with his winning shot titled "You Can Take A Boy Out of Africa."  The unique thing about this winning photo is that it is not actually of a child, but just his son’s footprints in the snow in Albany, Texas recently.  Check this out:

Honorable Mention in this category goes to Denise Waldrop for her entry of "Snow Angel" made by her daughter (another one without the child actually in it, which was interesting).  Honorable Mention in this category also goes to Greg England who sent in a cute baby looking out the window at a snow man and to Bobby Ross for his kids in the snow.  Finally, Honorable Mention in this category goes to Danny Sims of the creatively named Danny Sims Blog for the Philippine boy climbing a coconut palm tree above a brook.  The Finding Direction Judges obviously have a weakness for children, so remember that for future contests.  After all, as has already been mentioned, it got the unflappable Bobby Ross a winning photo last time with his kids "disguised as trees" award when he had the mere glimmer of a tree in the picture.

Moving on.

The "Best Composition" Award goes to reader Bill Barrick for his outstanding photo that looks very much black and white.  It also wins the "Most Nostalgic" Award because it is a northern New Mexico landscape and all of the Finding Direction readers know how much glorious northern New Mexico and southern Colorado mean to the Finding Direction judges who spent half of their dream vacation in ICU looking out the window at the landscape.  Such memories are hard to erase and the Finding Direction Judges remain very nostalgic for those glorious days, as you all know.  (Yeah, right.)  Anyway . . . this photo also wins Honorable Mention in the "best black and white looking color photos" category.  Here’s the winner:

While all of the photos sent in were color photos (except one), several looked very much black and white and so several awards go to some of these creative endeavors.  The first such award goes to the only actual black and white photo entered by Ray Fleming of The New Freedom Sanction.  Ray’s photo is a rainy New York City winter night scene and it wins the "Best Black & White Photo" Award, as follows:

 

The next award goes to the writer Nancy French for the "Most Interesting Depiction of Water" Award with her frozen fountain shot taken in Columbia, Tennessee.  The photo is a color one, but looks black and white and shows the water drops cascading as if they were diamonds in the sun.  Thus this photo also wins the "Best Black and White Looking Color Photo" Award.   This is a very interesting and unique shot.  The photo cannot really be appreciated without being made much larger than is allowed here,
but try it to see if you can blow it up (no, not that way, TCS, be nice).

 The next award goes to Scotsman Patrick Mead of blog fame (also of Tentpegs).  It is the "Most Romantic Photo" Award.  This is Eilean Donan Castle close to Patrick’s home on the Isle of Skye in Scotland and the Finding Direction Judges find it to be most romantic (although perhaps a bit drafty in winter) as the Judges have always wanted to go visit and stay in a castle.  

Next is the "Impeccable Taste in Subject Matter" Photo Award which goes to that man who is always a winner with the Finding Direction Judges, the esteemed Tom Andrews for his "Snow on Christmas Day in Slidell, Louisiana 2004."   As usual, this award is strictly politically motivated and also as usual, no money changed hands.  Bribes and kickbacks were of the more fun variety and the Finding Direction Judges were very easily swayed.  Such is the stuff of life, and no flak will be accepted by the Judges for the awarding of this winner.  Be sure to note the exquisite nature of the photo and properly admire the subject presented.  It will bode well for you in future contests if you do thus.  Begin your oohs and aahs now:

 The next award is the "Best Use of Color" Award.   The winner of this award is Janice Evans-Lauder of My Place for her cardinals in ice tree photo from her yard in Missouri.  Honorable Mention in this category goes to TCS for his Bluff Lake lake scene, to Greg England for his Niagra Falls and to Patrick Mead for his Loch Lomond scene.  Here are the cardinals on ice:

  

The last two awards before the announcement of the Third, Second and First Place Grand Prize winners both go to the illuminating work of our own Tommy Stewart (officially known in blogdom as TCS) for his stellar depiction of the Catfish Queen reject, Nancy French, in winter shot.  This photo wins the "Technical Achievement" Award for the superior manipulation of parts and pieces which result in a winning winter water combination and also wins the "Most Humorous Photo" Award for it’s outstanding subject matter (the writer Nancy French) in a humorous setting.  You have to see it to believe it, so here it is in all its glory:

 

Finally – the moment you’ve all been waiting for.  The grand prize winners and purveyors of phenomenal photography.

Third Place in the 2nd Annual Finding Direction Winter Desktop Photo Contest is a tie.  Thus there are two winners in third place, which is good because competition between these two contestants was stiff and filled with amusing bribe attempts by both.  But all such funny bribes were turned away, despite the FD Judges’ weakness for both the offer of a free tattoo and sermon tapes to be used as sleep aids.   Such bribes were tempting, but the Judges did not succumb, much to the relief of the winner of the "Impeccable Taste in Subject Matter"  Photo Award, Tom Andrews.

Suspense has built enough so the FD Judges are happy to announce that tied for Third Place with their outstanding photos are Greg England and Patrick Mead.  Greg wins Third Place (and Honorable Mention for Best Use of Color) for his amethyst snow scene as follows:

Patrick’s Third Place winning photo is his Loch Lomond photo (that also won Honorable Mention in the Best Use of Color category).  Both of these entrants submitted outstanding work and also win for creating such a humorous environment in the FD Judges’ office and many delightful hours while working on the contest.  Here’s Patrick’s entry:

 

Second Place goes to Janice Evans-Lauder for her two professional looking photos of a single cardinal on snow covered wheels.  The Judges could not decide between the two photos, so is awarding Second Prize to Janice for both.  Plus the FD Judges wanted you all to see some of Janice’s outstanding work.  So without further adieu, here are the two winners:

Here is the second one:

 The Finding Direction Judges are happy to award First Place and the Grand Prize of six months’ free web hosting by TheoBloggers for her blog to blogger Donna Gossett for her "Ducks Flying Over Lake" Scene taken in back of her waterfront home.  This photo is an excellent choice for winter photography and the picture looks absolutely fabulous as a winter desktop on the computer of the Finding Direction Judges.  The Judges have also seen Donna’s photo as the new header on one of her blogs where it looks great, too.  So, here’s the First Place Grand Prize winner:

 

Congratulations to Donna and to all of the winners in the contest.  As was said, 45 photos were entered and all were amazing, even those not receiving specific awards.  The FD Judges would like to thank every entrant for their submissions and all are currently being displayed, and will be until spring, as the Finding Direction Judges’ rolling screen savers.  Thus the FD Judges looks at each entry every day and is particularly impressed with the quality of pictures received this time.

The FD Judges also wish to express deepest thank
s to TheoBloggers who graciously supported this fun and worthwhile endeavor with the Grand Prize of six months free blog web hosting.  The Finding Direction Judges highly commend TheoBloggers to each and every reader and blogger.  TheoBloggers currently host several of the winners today, including Brian Nicklaus, Greg England, Patrick Mead and yours truly.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank each and every reader, commenter, fellow blogger and friend for making this such a joyous place to hang out.  You all make my day in every way better each and every day by joining me here.  My life wouldn’t be nearly as good or so much fun without each of you! 

Cheers & Blessings to each of you today!  Dee