Shutter Mike Photography

Give Us Your Best Shot is the theme of warehouse superstore Costco’s 2010 International Photo Contest.  Open to Costco members and employees worldwide, the contest is rather simple.  There are no theme limits or regulations on post-processing your images, but you do have to be a member of Costco.  For the complete rules and legal mumbo-jumbo click here.

To enter online have your membership number ready and go to the Costco International Photo Contest entry page.  For some inspiration take a look at the winners of the 2009 photo contest.

The prizes this year are as follows:

International Grand Prize:

Most avid garage sale shoppers dream of finding something with a $1 price tag that turns out to be worth much, much more.  The original Picasso thought to be another replica print; the vase that really was “Made in China,” but during the Ming Dynasty; the long lost hand written memoirs of insert famous name here.  It has happened from time to time and like picking the 6 winning lottery numbers, many have dreamed of such find.  One such find by a California man has caused quite a stir with experts claiming he has authentic long lost negatives created by none other than Ansel Adams while the famous photographer’s descendants are saying “no way.”

Experts on Adams along with hand writing analysts concluded that the $45 garage sale buy of 65 negatives are in fact early work of Ansel Adams and are valued at $200 million dollars.  Matthew Adams, Ansel’s grandson, says they are not his grandfather’s work.  He claims the handwriting on the negatives that the experts attribute to his grandmother, Virginia Adams, is not a match and she would never have made the spelling errors found on the negatives.  He also claims his grandfather’s meticulous record keeping and organization would never have allowed for losing such a valuable piece of his collection.  The experts are standing by their conclusion however.

In the end, they are worth what somebody is willing to pay for them.  If the dispute raises questions of authenticity in the minds of potential buyers, then they may just be worth the $45 that was originally paid.  However, if the Ansel Adams family’s doubts are silenced with enough scientific evidence there may be a lot more garage sale shoppers out there hoping they stumble upon such a win fall.

You can read the full story Ansel Adams’ Grandson: ‘Lost’ Negatives Aren’t Real from AOL News.

Moon Over Balboa

Balboa Park in San Diego is one of my all time favorite places for photography in general.  But the night photography opportunities in the park are some of the best of anyplace.  Throw in a full moon night and it is just extra icing on the cake.

There are quiet a few architecturally interesting churches in the greater Phoenix area.  Many from the middle part of the last century are of particular photographic interest to me.  They represent a time in architectural history when a building such as a church was truly designed to be a statement and a representation of the congregation and the community.  Today a little stucco slapped over a box and voila, you have a church.

The Capstone Cathedral has a colorful history to it which if you are so inclined you can read all about here.  It involves all the good stuff; a colorful TV evangelist, bizarre behavior, the voice of God and the downfall of an “empire.”  But the end result is still a great piece of architecture that makes for some interesting photography.

f/9.0 – 1/250 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 50 mm