ec's first photography contest!

Maybe writing’s not your thing. That’s why we’re introducing the first ever ec photography contest. We can’t wait to see your skills and display them in ec and on our blog!

The Rules:
• The ec magazine photography contest will include two categories: faces (people, pets, etc.) and scenic shots (places, architecture, things). You can only submit one photo in the contest and must choose which category it best fits.

• The theme of the ec photo contest is “hometowns.” We want to know what makes your hometown special, quirky, unique, and interesting. Think about the personality of your town and try to capture a shot that showcases it.

• All submissions should be e-mailed to godlifefun@gmail.com and must be in a digital format. If necessary, you will work with the ec team to get the photo in a correct format for printing.

• The deadline for submissions is midnight on October 15, 2009. The winning photo and those of two finalists will be printed in the April 2010 issue of ec.

Tips from a photographer: Scott Greenwalt, one of ec’s favorite photographers (he often shoots our cover and cover story photos) offered a few tips for making your photo spectacular:

• Don’t be afraid to get closer to your subject. Fill up the screen or view finder, but not too much. Include some of the environment and use it to help communicate something about your subject.
• Take lots of pictures to get one great one.
• The best light is in the morning and in the evening. Direct midday sun is harsh and leaves dark shadows on peoples faces. Cloudy days are great for portraits, just wait until the sun goes behind a cloud and snap away.
• The most overshot photo subjects are babies, pets, sunsets, balloon races, and flowers with drops of water on them. If you do shoot any of these subjects, they need to be from a unique perspective.
• The thing that interests people the most is other people. Even if you’re shooting a picture of a landscape or a cool old building, a person in the photo can make it more interesting.