DEL.ICIO.USThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/16/07
When The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's annual travel photo contest gets under way, we expect a flood of entries. If this year's photos were water, Georgia's drought would be over.
Though technical difficulties shortened the contest from six weeks to four this year, almost 3,000 entries arrived.
 Ilhan Ermutlu / Special | ||
| During our trip Chile, we visited San Pedro de Atacama, a desert town in northern Chile. On the way to lunch, I came up to this scene of dogs sleeping on the street in April 2007. | ||
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| Ilhan Ermutlu | ||
 Seegar Swanson / Special | ||
| Daughter Ilsa dreams of faraway places during a Destin-based dolphin cruise on 4/5/07. | ||
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| Seegar W. Swanson | ||
 Kevin Abeyta / Special | ||
| This was shot at White Sands National Park in July 2007. It was amazing to watch these huge dark storm clouds move over the white sand dunes. I hand held my camera for 20 minutes or so watching and waiting for the lightning strikes. | ||
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| Kevin Abeyta | ||
Traveling Georgians ranged near and far. As in past years, many stayed close to home at spots in the Southeast or visited perennial favorites in the West: Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle or the national parks. Others were off to adventures in the Antarctic, Thailand, China, Mozambique, Iceland and Argentina.
Fewer photos from Europe arrived this year, perhaps because of the dollar's falling value against the euro. And more images arrived from outside the AJC's traditional print readership area, coming instead from ajc.com readers.
Our judges from Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Corinne Adams and Susan Todd-Raque, had a difficult time choosing the top photos in three categories: People, Places and Animals.
All three first-place winners will receive AirTran Airways tickets for themselves and a companion to any place the airline flies in the United States. Second-place winners will receive $100 and third-place winners $50.
TOP PHOTO: ANIMALS
ILHAN ERMUTLU in Chile
This group of locals in San Pedro de Atacama, a desert town in northern Chile, must have been dog-tired, and perhaps a little protective of the fire hydrant.
Corinne Adams said: "The vanishing-point perspective is beautifully illustrated in this photo. The verticals work against the strong diagonals, and the photographer had the aesthetic to capture the scene at an angle."
Susan Todd-Raque said: "Who's the choreographer? This photo is quite humorous and wonderful, and the photographer has a good eye."
Ermutlu, of Alpharetta, shot this photo using a Canon Powershot A540 camera. The judges chose another of his entries as fourth place in the Places category.
TOP PHOTO: PEOPLE
SEEGAR W. SWANSON in Destin, Fla.
A commonplace cruise to see dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico presented an extraordinary photo opportunity.
Corinne Adams said: "The depth of field is what makes this photo for me. ... It has fabulous composition and it's beautifully cropped."
Susan Todd-Raque said: "The depth of field makes it for me, too, and the detail with her. I love the strands of blond hair wisping around her head."
Swanson, of Decatur, shot this photo of his daughter, Ilsa, using a Canon EOS 30D digital SLR camera.
TOP PHOTO: PLACES
KEVIN ABEYTA in New Mexico
Sometimes patience pays off, and that's especially true in photography. The photo, shot at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, was well worth the 20 minutes of watching and waiting for just the right shot.
Corinne Adams said: "It's like the hand of God appearing on Earth. I like the mystical color and the monochromatic landscape ... we don't know whether we're in the desert or on a beach."
Susan Todd-Raque said: "It's so dramatic, and the lightning coming down is a reminder of how powerful nature is."
Abeyta, of Decatur, shot this photo using a Nikon D70 camera.
THE JUDGES:
Susan Todd-Raque
An independent curator, collection consultant and photo historian, Susan Todd-Raque is a co-founder of Atlanta Celebrates Photography. She has a bachelor's degree in business from DePaul University in Chicago and a master's degree in art history from Emory University. Todd-Raque has taught at several colleges and universities as well as lectured on photography at numerous museums. This fall, Todd-Raque curated the exhibition "Responding to Home" at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. She also has continued to represent Sylvia Plachy, and has a Web site specializing in contemporary and vintage photography, www.susantodd-raque.com.Corinne Adams
Corinne Adams is a fine-art photographer whose work is found in exhibitions and private collections around the country. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia and the Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography. She chairs the advisory board of Atlanta Celebrates Photography, the annual citywide photography festival that she co-founded. She works at Wing & a Prayer Studio in Buckhead. Adams is represented by Soho Myriad Inc. in Atlanta and Whitney Gallery in Savannah. She is preparing for a Jan. 12 show at Jennifer Hunt Gallery in Birmingham.RELATED LINKS:
• Read about the 3 winners• Photos: Top 10 Places
• What the judges had to say about Places
• Photos: Top 10 Animals
• What the judges had to say about Animals
• Photos: Top 10 People
• What the judges had to say about People
