November Winners: Homecoming

This month’s Photo Challenge theme is “Whiten Up.” You can enter to win on our website.
Today we’re announcing the winners of November’s Photo Challenge, “Homecoming.” Scroll below to see the winning pictures…
HOMECOMING — WINNING ENTRIES
By Shelly Perry in Portland, OR
Last month’s photo challenge theme was “Homecoming,” with photos ranging from the long road home… to pets greeting their owners… and soldiers returning from service. Since October’s challenge crowned the 2011 Grand Prize Winner, our guest judge for November is September’s challenge winner, melynnique.  You can see her pick and what she had to say about first place below.
** First Place goes to bscpremium for “Maggie and Son”
** Second Place goes to DeborahKolb for “Happy to be together again”
** Third Place goes to alwaysae  for “Katie Miss”
** Honorable Mention chowiri  for “Couple on a Jetty”
FIRST PLACE: MAGGIE AND SON

“The photo I like the best is ‘Maggie and Son.’  The lighting is excellent; the emotion that jumps out of the picture is palpable, and the feeling of ‘Homecoming’ is so strong.  The focus on the two people in the center is powerful, and the blurred figure off to the right in the back adds to the feel of homecoming. Some other little child may also be waiting for a parent to come home.”
SECOND PLACE: HAPPY TO BE TOGETHER AGAIN

Great emotion and action in this shot. The young couple appear happy and enthusiastic and are energetic. It has a candid, natural feel, while maintaining good lighting, exposure, and composition. Although the “Vespa” logo would not be allowed for stock, this shot has a stock look and quality about it.
THIRD PLACE: KATIE MISS

I find this to be a very tender shot; the four-legged ones in our lives certainly can and do become a part of the family and this shot clearly depicts that love and bond. The black and white works really well, enhancing the mood and emotion of the shot. The subject is maybe a little too centered compositionally — it would be a stronger shot if they were moved to the right third’s line, or perhaps cropped into a square. But regardless, it’s a very nice shot.
HONORABLE MENTION: COUPLE ON A JETTY

“Couple on a Jetty” is a beautiful shot that I wanted to mention. The colors are striking and I really enjoy the whole scene here. Though the horizon is a bit too centered, the overall composition with the jetty, the water, and the clouds makes it less of an issue in this shot. I wish there were a good strong description with the photo, so we could all know the story behind the shot and how it applies to the theme of homecoming.
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 2012.
Remember, this month is “Whiten Up.” Submit your photo by 8:00 a.m. EST on Friday, January 6, 2012.
Photos need to be between 30 and 50 KB in size, or between 300 and 500 pixels in width/height.  In Lightroom, you can plug in these size requirements when you export your photo.  If you’re using a photo-editing software other than Lightroom, simply go to Google.com and type in “how to resize a photo in <fill in the name of your program>” for details.
You can submit your photos by clicking on the “Photo Challenge” tab on our website. Proceed to log in with your information, or if you’re not already registered, go ahead and register now.
This month’s first-place winner will get a $30 gift certificate to the AWAI E-Bookstore, and the first-, second-, and third-place winners will all be entered into the Hall of Fame to compete for next year’s $2,000 Grand Prize.
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.  Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]