I always get a bit giddy at this time of year.
It's County Fair time. And that means photography entries and the chance to be judged against other photo-enthusiats.
It's not fame or fortune we are talking about here... it's the Polk County Fair afterall. But seeing my work out there for the world to see is inspiring.
Here are a couple I didn't put up on the blog previously:
(Entered under "Farm Scenes")
I probably should not have entered this wheat one. The judges at the fair don't like any tricky business. The superintendent of the photography devision is about 106 years old and likes classic, sharp, and straight images. It doesn't say that anywhere in the rule book, but from the winners I've seen in other years, I can tell "washed-out w/ sun flare" isn't his cup of tea.
I love it though. I love everything about it. (Is that like complimenting my own cooking? Probably.)
I feel all warm and summer-filled when I look at it. You could say it's my cup of tea, iced with sugar please.
You've seen all the other pictures around the blog. This is a re-run:
I enjoyed it so much I had it printed off at Costco to update a frame I have hanging in the living room. Costco is cheap, but every time I get pictures back from them I think maybe I missed something in the editing process. Did my picture look this dark on my monitor? Oh well, it was cheap, I tell myself.
I accidentally ordered it again when I was putting together pictures for the fair. This time I ordered all my fair pics from the printing company I use for my photography business. I figured I could give the extra print of Mandy to some grandma somewhere. No one was complaining.
Until the professional print came back. Can you guess which one was "cheap"?
The top one is from Costco and is dark and drab. The bottom one fairly sparkles and is full of depth. I promise there was no editing between the pictures shown above -- it is the exact same high resolution JPEG sent to two different printers over the internet. The bottom one is printed at White House Custom Colour. I've used WHCC quite a bit and am always impressed with their quality. I wrote them a thank you note.
So my verdict: Costco is great for hotdogs and tube socks, but leave the photo printing to the pros.
9 comments:
What a difference the two prints are! Yikes! Good to see the two next to eachother for comparison. I love the sun flare of your wheat, as well, but you are right about those judges :) Maybe the people will show you some love and it'll get some votes! Fun stuff, and good luck!
~Jill
I think I see a few winners!!
Particularly love that John Deere photo...
Good luck!
Wow! What a difference!! So, I gotta know the cost comparison. Obviously the WHCC is money well spent, but I just gotta know. Do you have a link?
I totally agree with you, but will be happy to take the dark one off your hands anyway!!
LOVE the sun flare wheat and the John Deere photos! Hope the judges see your true genius!
Beautiful pictures Alysun! They are all winners!
I am so glad you said that about Costco. I uploaded 100 "free" prints from a coupon I got from buying my underwater camera and they were all so very dark. I was thinking it was just me.
I love your photography, your perspective is unique and I so enjoy it.
I found the very same thing with Costco. I did a comparison with our Christmas card one year and Costco couldn't hold a candle to our local printing company. Our judge in Tulelake, CA sounds like a twin to your photography judge. I love all of your pictures.
There is definitely a huge difference between Costco/Walmart/Walgreens prints and professional prints that is for sure. Good luck at the fair! I really like the sunflare photo even if the old fashioned judge doesn't like it. What does he know?
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