My Entries for the 2026 Iowa State Fair Photo Salon are …

Competition Season is upon me. It has arrived.

And I’m nervous as hell with my entries.

Last year wasn’t the best Competition Season … I stiffed at Iowa, I stiffed at Altamont, I stiffed in Syracuse, and it took the Big E to actually help me win something. I do not like Competition Season moments like that.

So I’m going full-bore on my entries. No goofing off.

I’m also sending my entries in early this year; today is the first day that one can submit mailed-in entries to Des Moines. So after I pick up my fourth and final print from McGreevy Pro Lab (my pro lab of choice) later today, everything will be packed up in a Priority Mail carton and shipped off.

So I’ve narrowed things down to these four entries for 2026. Hopefully I’ve picked the right ones.

And I’m going with …

A CO RAILFAN’S DREAM

This is essentially my “I want this to win something” piece. A combination of film and digital iconography. Can this artwork earn some pretty silk? I don’t know. But I have plenty of good hopes for its success. I’m entering this photo in the competition’s “Anything Goes” category.

And while I’m at it …

HERBIE JR. :v) WAS HERE

Hey, YOU try to photograph the inner grooves of a black vinyl 12-inch dance record. It’s not easy. And somehow, I managed to pull it off. Plus … how can you go wrong when you see someone’s signature AND a smiley face in the dead wax? This is going in the black and white “Still Life” category.

Let’s see what I can pull from the infrared category.

CARISSIMA IN INFRARED

Can this Kolari-Vision-infrared-modded Nikon Df get me some sweet imagery? Can this work? Is it even possible??? This photo did receive a second-place silk at the Big E last year, so it does have a teeny tiny bit of a pedigree. Plus, the Iowa State Fair combined a few categories, so I can’t add an infrared AND an HDR photo, as they’re now in the same category and you’re only allowed one photo per category.

And one final entrant.

THE SHOOTING STAR

Yes, I have a lenticular “magic motion” print of this artwork … but the Iowa State Fair just opened a new category called Night Photography, and they were specific in their instructions of NO STACKING PHOTOS in that category. So the lenticular print wouldn’t work here. But a static shot that shows the meteor as it crosses the Milky Way … that will work. Yes?

Also included in the package is a $28 money order ($5 per photo and $8 for the competition results book), and $25 in postage stamps (for return Priority Mail postage).

Trust me. I know that sending these in early is kind of a big issue with me. But the last thing I need is for my photos to not get to Des Moines in time.

And I have high hopes for all four entries.

All right. Here we go.

Competition Season 2026 begins … NOW.