Resolved. We are NOT going to have what happened last year happen again.
Last year, two of my pictures were initially disqualified from the Vermont State Fair’s photography competition because the dimensions were too narrow on one side (the pictures needed to be a minimum of 8×10, and two of them had widths of about 7 1/2″). This time, I’m measuring these pictures down to the final micrometer to get them perfectly in sync with the rules. Trust me. I’m not taking ANY chances this year.
And with that, I planned to get a jump-start on assembling and printing and foam-boarding my entries for the 2014 Vermont State Fair. Get ’em printed early, and don’t worry about anything.
Based on last year’s rules, I’ve already foam-boarded and printed five images to specs, with a sixth image ready to go as soon as I decide on a decent photo. But a month ago, I received news that there were new organizers at the Vermont State Fair photography competition. And with the new organizers come new rules and new specs and new categories.
The good news is that the Vermont State Fair’s photography competition now has ten different categories, and I can enter one picture in each category. So I can send ten entries, all spread among the different categories. Aces.
The bad news? I have to have all my pictures framed and ready to hang – without any matting – no smaller than 8×10, no larger than 11×14.
Which, unfortunately, means that I can NOT enter the five pictures I already foam-boarded and matted and mounted. I don’t dare rip the pictures out of the foam-boarding, or tear open the matting to re-use the images.
That sound you heard was me banging my head against a tree. Repeatedly. Yeah, I’ve got bark in my forehead because of that.
Well… guess what.
I don’t take changes like this lightly. I have just enough time to re-calculate my options. There’s now ten categories, not six. And I can enter a maximum of one picture per category, so long as the pictures are framed.
So… the ten pictures I’m couriering to Rutland this Thursday are…
CATEGORY 1 – BLACK AND WHITE
He’s earned three ribbons so far… why not get a matched set and go for four blues?
CATEGORY 2 – LANDSCAPES
Technically, this counts as a landscape. A frozen, chilly, water-coated landscape. Plus, it did earn wall space earlier this week at the Washington State Fair’s Northwestern International Photo Competition… so there’s still a chance it can claim some silk.
CATEGORY 3 – VERMONT STATE FAIR PHOTOS
Your eyes do not deceive you. This photo was taken at one angle, and the image was flipped over and cropped to size. You’re seeing the reflection in the water. I needed to come up with something that would stand out, something that would create a bit of an optical illusion. Hopefully this will work.
CATEGORY 4 – BARNS
When you know y0u’ve hit the right shot… well, I did it with this, a picture taken with the first roll of film ever placed in my Kodak Medalist II camera. I also entered this picture in the Big E.
CATEGORY 5 – ANIMALS (PETS or WILDLIFE)
Yeah, I know. I’ve NEVER had a llama picture win in competition. Couldn’t win with Stella, couldn’t win with Aslan, couldn’t win with Mr. Tumnus. So hopefully… Hey Teri Conroy, is it okay if I take Ella with me to Vermont? I’ll bring her back in a few days…
CATEGORY 6 – MOTION
That’s right. I’m dusting off a five-year-old photograph and entering it in the Vermont State Fair. Nobody told me I couldn’t… and maybe I should have entered this picture in competition five years ago, instead of waiting until now.
CATEGORY 7 – FLOWERS AND TREES
I don’t know what it is about this picture … the idea of one yellow tulip jammed in with all the white-purple blooms… I look at this picture and all I can think of is Matthew 21: 10-11. “10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
CATEGORY 8 – MACRO
This last-minute shot, one of my first successful shots with my macro lens, covers the stitches on a 65-year-old baseball.
CATEGORY 9 – PEOPLE CATEGORY
It’s gotta be the shoes. I mean, Johnny Mayhane and Anthony Anderson are getting “posterized” by Antonio Ballard, who’s about to slam that ball through the hoop for an easy two points.
And finally…
CATEGORY 10 – FILM
You want a picture as part of the film category? Well, nobody’s going to mistake this picture for anything other than a film entry.
There we go. Ten entries, all framed and off to Rutland today.
Maybe this will turn my luck around. After going zero-for-six at the New York Sate Fair, I definitely need a change of fortune.
We can only see and hope.
Chuck The Writer 
I’m predicting some winners here Chuck. Great work that you’re entering up there. I wouldn’t mind taking the photo of Ella off your hands too. Let me know after the Fair. Good Luck!
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Good luck!
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I’D vote for you, 2, 7, 8 and 10 are some of my favorite photos, not just by you.
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Hi,
Just wanted to make sure you saw that Oakwood Cemetery is doing their 1st exhibition. Be well.
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