The oblong canary yellow postcard is in my mailbox right now.
That card contains information on whether any of my pictures made it through to the walls of the Iowa State Fair’s 2019 Photography Salon.
I can’t take any chances here.
This is my fifth attempt to earn silk in Iowa. In 2017, two of my pictures made the walls, with one earning a third-place silk in its category. Last year, my splitfilm photo The AGFA Bridge Over Ansco Lake snagged its second blue at Iowa (it also had a blue in Durham, as well as a Best in Show there).
This year, I entered the maximum four pictures in Iowa. I don’t know how I did – the little yellow postcard will reveal all.
I took care to enter pictures that I thought had the best possible chance to appear on the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon walls. Yes, I put Washington County 2:30 a.m. in the mix, with the hope that it would earn its fourth silk to go with the three pretty blues it already possess. Man, my first-ever truly successful and defined Milky Way photo. One more exhibition, one more chance for love.
First place at Altamont. First place at the Big E. First place in Durham. One of only three Chuck Miller photos to claim the “Triple Blue” (first place in three different competitions). Could this be my first-ever photo to claim FOUR different silks? I’m entering this in Category 23, “Places and Landscapes – Black and White.”
I dusted off my old polar panorama shot The Bridge to Infinity for the Iowa State Fair’s 80th anniversary specialization contest, hoping that the metal structure of the polar panorama would show off the “8” that was required in the competition rules.
I really thought this picture would garner more success, but it got stiffed at the New York State Fair and I never entered it anywhere else. Bummers.

The only one of the four submissions to be created in 2019, my attempt to capture macro snowflake photography – which can be breathtaking when done correctly – was entered. Although I don’t think there was a really good snowfall this year – at least not good enough by the time I figured out what the hell I was doing with macro photography – Mittsu No Yuki (Japanese for “three snowflakes”) made my final cut for submission.

And finally, I’m gonna take my horse to New Scotland Road, I’m gonna … ride, till I can’t no more …
Two years ago, my infrared shot Farrell landed on the walls of the Iowa Photo Salon. Can I do it again with color infrared film?
I don’t know. I can hope. That’s all I can do.
There’s a canary yellow postcard in my mailbox.
Okay. Let’s pull this
I grab a piece of white paper and put it against the back of the postcard. The information on the postcard is covered.
Okay. Slow reveal.
I pull the card down over the letters.
Okay. I don’t seen an AWARD sticker, so I’m not thinking that silk will be coming from the heartland this year. However, that still means I could get one of my images on the wall.
Okay, Miller. Deep breath.
Slowly slide the piece of paper down the postcard.
And we reveal…
Hold it … three pictures got in?
THREE GOT IN?
THREE GOT IN?!?!?
Three got in!!
I sent four, and three are going to appear on the wall!!!
That equals the number of photos that I’ve gotten through to Iowa in the past two years!!
(happy dance)
But wait … wait … wait …
Three got in…
But I submitted four.
So which one didn’t make the cut? Was the “It’s All About the 8’s” category so hyper-competitive that The Bridge to Infinity missed the cut? Did all the success from 2018 wear off for Washington County 2:30 a.m. in 2019? Did I submit the wrong infrared picture in New Scotland Road? And was Mittsu No Yuki fail like a bad episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion?
I won’t know until the show opens in August.
So if anybody happens to be in downtown Des Moines that weekend…
Wanna help a brother out with some photo-selfie photos? 😀
Congrats, and best of luck!
Wow. Are Iowa’s rules consistent with those of other competitions that you enter?
The “8” category seems like an interesting challenge, and I think you’ve satisfied their “outside of the box.”
Have you ever considered drone photography?
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Iowa asks for a maximum of four photos, but no more than one in specific categories. So I couldn’t enter several different “8” photos in the same categroy. And that special category changes every year.
As for drone photography … I’ve contemplated it, but I think the only way drone photography would work for me is if I started making movies with it.
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boffo. no way to know, though. did they not want two bridge pictures, thinking it was too Madison County?
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Roger – the pictureswould have been entered in two different categories, so they would be judged in those categories individually and not as a whole. Still … I don’t know which pic missed the cut.
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Congrats Chuck – three is a great accomplishment. All four is nearly impossible to do – I think last year only 2 of the ~1,500 photographers entered did it.
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I will get the required Iowa State Fair selfie and let you know how things look!
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