The 18th Annual Readers' Photo Contest

Action/Sport Category Winner: Suzy Burleson, 69, president of Letters Inc., Houston, TX Returning to her hotel in Florence, Italy, Suzy Burleson noticed that recent rains had transformed the Arno River into a “muddy torrent.” As she crossed it on a footbridge, she sagely noted that the river’s new color “was ideal to show every swirl and eddy as each paddle slipped into the water.” Her composition deftly frames the still water, the blade-shaped single scull, and its Rorschach-Test wake. Despite having a DSLR in her bag, she had less than 30 seconds before the oarsmen disappeared, so instead she reached for the compact camera she had hanging from her neck. Tech Specs: Canon PowerShot G9 (at 35mm equivalent); exposure, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 80. Sharpening in Adobe Photoshop CS5. Suzy Burleson

Action/Sports Runner-up: Dustin Snipes “Olympic water polo player Brenda Villa poses with her medals during a portrait session at the Commerce Aquatics Center in Commerce California. Villa is the most decorated water polo player in history.” Tech Specs: Nikon D3X with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; 1/250 sec at f/11, ISO 50. Dustin Snipes

Action/Sports Runner-up: Ali Engin “Pro triathlete Mac Brown at the halfway of Ironman Wisconsin bike course.” Tech Specs: Canon 7D with a Sigma 10-20mm lens; 1/1250 sec at f/2.5, ISO 100. Ali Engin

Action/Sports Runner-up: Dustin Snipes “Baseball player Eric Snyder hits during a photo shoot in Huntington Beach CA on February 15, 2011.” Tech Specs: Nikon D3X with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; 1/250 sec at f/9, ISO 200. Dustin Snipes

Action/Sports Runner-up: Randy Carr “Bo Gibbs in his 2nd Pro fight knocks out the other fighter while somehow spitting in his ear. I didn’t notice until I started editing pic.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D with a Canon 24-70L lens; 1/400 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1250. Randy Carr

Action/Sports Runner-up: Chris Wraight “On a calm morning, having fun wakeboarding.” Tech Specs: Nikon D3s with a Nikon 70-200 F/2.8 VR II lens; 1/2000 sec at f/4, ISO 500. Chris Wraight

Action/Sports Runner-up: Craig O’Brien “Over 100 jumpers exit 5 different aircraft then fly together to build formations.” Tech Specs: Canon 7D with a Tokina 10-17mm lens; 1/800 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100. Craig O’Brien

Action/Sports Runner-up: Derek Heisler “WBFF Pro Andrew Bambury doing what he does best!” Tech Specs: Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens; 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 100. Derek Heisler

Action/Sports Runner-up: Elizabeth Lautner “This is a photo taken at a little league game in Seguin, Texas, late afternoon, hand held. The runner is progressing from 1st to 2nd and the outfielder just caught the ball.” Tech Specs: Canon D60 with a Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens; 1/250 sec at f/8, ISO 200. Elizabeth Lautner

Action/Sports Runner-up: Ryan Kasak “Photo of former Purdue football standout Ryan Kerrigan, now in the NFL. I call this photo “Superman” because he seems to be just throwing the Michigan lineman aside with one arm. I am an amateur photographer and this was my first time shooting sports, so I was pretty thrilled when I got this shot.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D with a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens. Ryan Kasak

Animal Category Winner: Kathy Hicks, Graphic Designer Returning to her hotel in Florence, Italy, Suzy Burleson noticed that recent rains had transformed the Arno River into a “muddy torrent.” As she crossed it on a footbridge, she sagely noted that the river’s new color “was ideal to show every swirl and eddy as each paddle slipped into the water.” Her composition deftly frames the still water, the blade-shaped single scull, and its Rorschach-Test wake. Despite having a DSLR in her bag, she had less than 30 seconds before the oarsmen disappeared, so instead she reached for the compact camera she had hanging from her neck. Tech Specs: Canon PowerShot G9 (at 35mm equivalent); exposure, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 80. Sharpening in Adobe Photoshop CS5. Kathy Hicks

Animal Runner-up: George Diamantis “Out in the Savanna of Masai Mara a mother giraffe was disciplining a young calf as she strayed away from the safety of the three adults.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 100-400mm lens; 1/320 sec at f/6.3, ISO 640. George Diamantis

Animal Runner-up: Lisa Pessin “This photo was taken at the Dallas Zoo in Dallas, TX. While all the other penguins were gathered together at the back of their enclosure, this one penguin was right up at the glass showing off for the crowd of people.” Tech Specs: Nikon D3 with a Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens; 1/200 sec at f/3.5, ISO 200. Lisa Pessin

Animal Runner-up: Adriana Basques “This is a creature of superlatives. Biggest brain, deepest divers, longest migration, loudest sound made by any creature. This whale was very curious and spent more then 10 minutes swimming with us before going back to the depths.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 17-40mm lens; 1/80 sec at f/8, ISO 320. Adriana Basques

Animal Runner-up: Mark Theriot “A young eagle circling overhead, preparing to dive into the Mississippi River for a nice fishy breakfast! The lock and dams along the Mississippi are a favorite winter location for Bald Eagles due to the open water south of the dams.” Tech Specs: Canon 1D Mark IV with a Canon 500mm lens; 1/1250 sec at f/9, ISO 1250. Mark Theriot

Animal Runner-up: Karla Welch “Seals resting on a boat dock in Santa Cruz California. The shot was taken from above the seals while standing on the pier.” Tech Specs: Panasonic DMC-TZ3 Karla Welch

Animal Runner-up: Michael Cohen “This was one of several Roseate Spoonbills I found in the Tampa Bay area. I was fortunate enough to catch this guy coming in for a landing after a brief touch and go.” Tech Specs: Canon 7D with a 50mm lens; 1/8000 sec at f/7.1, ISO 640. Michael Cohen

Animal Runner-up: Sanjay Nayar “This image of a male Klipspringer was taken on a safari while traveling through the Lake Manyara region of Tanzania. This young male stood alert and guarded as the female grazed nearby. The nearly flaming color of the vegetation behind him made this image come to life.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 100-400mm lens; 1/320 sec at f/5.6, ISO 125. Sanjay Nayar

Animal Runner-up: J. Spence Reid “This great blue heron was staring into the ocean, then suddenly went into this pose that lasted about 5 sec.I love the fierce look in his eye.” Tech Specs: Nikon D300 with a Nikon 300mm f/28 VR lens; 1/320 sec at f/7.1, ISO 640. J. Spence Reid

Animal Runner-up: Charlotte Claypoole “I was on the campus of NC State when this little squirrel stopped to pose for this photo for me. It was pretty amazing how still he sat for a few moments. He even seemed to smile for me. I love how he is surrounded in green. It was a great shot that I was really happy to get.” Tech Specs: Canon 40D with a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens; 1/400 sec at f/5.6, ISO 320. Charlotte Claypoole

Animal Runner-up: Dennis Abriola “I was stalking this bird and it was trying to hide.” Tech Specs: Nikon D700 with a 150-500mm lens; 1/500 sec at f/9, ISO 500. Dennis Abriola

Animal Runner-up: Steve Whiston “A deer blends into the background grasses on a hillside at sunset.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon 75-300mm lens; 1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 500. Steve Whiston

City/Architecture Category Winner: Ricardo Pradilla, 32, food runner, Las Vegas, NV Ricardo Pradilla’s monochrome HDR of the Prada store in Las Vegas defies the usual neon glare. “The architecture of the new City Center shows almost a different city,” he says. Indeed, the building’s façade and structure, along with the dramatic angles of Pradilla’s composition, give his image a menacing feel that would not seem out of place in Blade Runner. Tech Specs: Canon EOS 7D with 11–16mm f/2.8 Tokina Pro DX lens (at 15mm); b&w conversion and 17-shot bracket combined using Photomatix Pro. Ricardo Pradilla

City/Architecture Runner-up: R C Fulwiler “The Milwaukee Art Center.” Tech Specs: Sigma SD-14 with a Sigma 10-20mm lens; 1/80 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100. R C Fulwiler

City/Architecture Runner-up: Francisco Alcala “This image is of a pottery factory in Morocco. It caught my attention due to the amount of geometric forms and the contrast between the shadows and the highlights. There are also hints of what the place is about but the viewer has to look around to put them together.” Tech Specs: Canon 7D with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens; 1/800 sec at f/8, ISO 200. Francisco Alcala

City/Architecture Runner-up: Justin Alvarez “I made this picture while traveling through the DC metro system.” Tech Specs: Nikon D300 with a Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G fisheye lens; 1/5 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200. Justin Alvarez

City/Architecture Runner-up: Glen Marquardt “A sculptural modern building in Munich, Germany.” Tech Specs: Nikon D90; 1/2000 sec at f/7.1, ISO 200. Glen Marquardt

City/Architecture Runner-up: Jian Hang “The chapel bell calling the faithful to prayer is reflected in the setting of the sun.” Jian Hang

City/Architecture Runner-up: Alice Cahill “This is an HDR image taken using 3 shots blended together using NIK HDR. I then used NIK Silver Efex Pro to convert the image into B+W.” Tech Specs: Canon 7D with a Canon 18-200mm lens; Varying shutter speeds at f/11, ISO 100. Alice Cahill

City/Architecture Runner-up: Arthur Braitman “I’ve seen this scene hundreds of times and finally had to take a photo of it. It is of a walkway through City Hall, Philadelphia, Pa. (a great work of art). It was taken from the second floor a few feet from the Prothonotary’s Office. The distortion is a result of a fisheye lens.” Arthur Braitman

City/Architecture Runner-up: Raghuveer Makala “The Nagoya TV tower, shot from a handicap access ramp of the nearby Oasis building. This is a 3 shot HDR image made at dusk using a tripod-mounted Canon Rebel XTi and a circular polarizer filter.” Tech Specs: Canon Rebel XTi with a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens; Varying shutter speeds at f/16, ISO 400. Raghuveer Makala

Landscape/Nature Category Winner: Darwin Wiggett, 50, photographer, Cochrane, Alberta “Abraham Lake in the Bighorn Wildlands, Alberta, has wonderful ice and snow formations in the winter,” Darwin Wiggett says. “The light can be spectacular, but this was the first time in eight years that I saw a mountain casting its own shadow onto the clouds.” While the mountainous shadow created by the hidden sun is certainly dramatic, it’s the incredible detail in his composition that completes this image. His landscape has near-perfect saturation levels, and each blade of grass in the foreground is as sharp as the peak’s infinite crags. No wonder he frequently contributes photos and tips to this magazine. Tech Specs: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with 17mm f/4L Canon TS-E; 1/320 sec at f/11, ISO 100. Contrast and clarity adjusted in Adobe Camera RAW, bracketed exposures combined in Adobe Photoshop CS5. Darwin Wiggett

Landscape/Nature Runner-up: David J. West “While exploring this beautiful canyon on the outskirts of Zion National Park, I created this image of Kanaraville Falls. I was trying to make the viewer feel as though you can reach out and touch the sandstone walls in the foreground and hear the water flowing by.” Tech Specs: Hasselblad H4D40 with a Hasselblad HCD 35-90mm lens; 32 seconds at f/27, ISO 100. David J. West

Landscape/Nature Runner-up: Madelyn Carr Bonnett “As we walked the trail to one of the old homeplaces in the Cataloochee Valley section (NC) of the Smoky Mountain National Park, I shot the winter trees on the hillside with the sun lighting them. I slowed down the shutter speed, reset the f-stop and panned upward from the ground. I love how the tree trunks emerge from the brown ground and shoot into the blue sky. No Photoshop manipulation or filters were used other than lighting and contrast adjustments.” Tech Specs: Nikon D70 with a Nikon DX 55-200mm lens. Madelyn Carr Bonnett

Landscape/Nature Runner-up: Peter Lik “Standing beneath the canopy of this Japanese Maple tree was an incredible feeling, I was in awe as the late afternoon light backlit the delicate leaves. Every branch told its own story, and I felt this special tree had so much to tell. I used a really wide-angle lens to reach out to as much of the tree as possible. As the sun sunk toward the horizon, the tree came to life with an incredible display of color, shape and texture; its rays burst into a star within the tree.” Peter Lik

Landscape/Nature Runner-up: Cliff LaPlant “Captured during an ascent of Tresidder Peak. Cathedral Peak and Mount Conness can be seen rising in the sky to the north.” Tech Specs: Nikon D5000 with a Nikon 28-300mm lens; 1/750 sec at f/8, ISO 500. Cliff LaPlant

Landscape/Nature Runner-up: Jared Ropelato “Shot looking out across Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park as the sun just begins to light the tops of the trees. In the still of the morning, the lake allows for a reflection, creating a symmetry and balance to the shot. The lake was so still and the light and reflection were so incredibly beautiful.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens; 1/10 sec at f/8, ISO 200. Jared Ropelato

Landscape/Nature Runner-up: Kevin Barry “It was the dry season in the everglades, and numerous alligators had gathered in an area holding some of the last water. I watched as these two slowly swam parallel to one another, and was ready to fire when they presented me with a pleasing composition.” Tech Specs: Nikon D300 with a Nikon 300mm f/4 lens; 1/800 sec at f/7, ISO 500. Kevin Barry

Objects Category Winner: Erich Chen, 26, photographer, Los Angeles, CA Inspired by “the flashy car photos I always see in magazines,” Erich Chen admits he had only “a little experience in photographing cars, and only outdoors; this was my first indoor car shoot.” Without a professional automotive studio, he found himself struggling to light every crease and corner of this highly photogenic 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo. Using an assortment of lights, flags, PocketWizard wireless remote triggers, and “pretty much everything we had,” Chen and his team managed this anthropomorphic portrait of the bright-eyed Italian beauty. Tech Specs: Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 50mm f/2.5 Canon EF Compact Macro; 1/160 sec at f/10, ISO 100. Lighting by AlienBees, Hensel, and Paul C. Buff White Lightning. Color, saturation and sharpening adjusted in Adobe Photoshop CS3. Erich Chen

Objects Runner-up: Paul Sadler “This is a photo I took while at the Indianapolis Air Show. Like most photographers, I’m always drawn to shiny, reflective objects and this plane had plenty of that.” Tech Specs: Canon 5D; 1/1250 sec at f/8, ISO 400. Paul Sadler

Objects Runner-up: Sue Ford “These are stairs leading up the side of fuel storage tanks.” Tech Specs: Nikon D80 with a Sigma 70-210 lens; 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100. Sue Ford

Objects Runner-up: Kathy Turpin “This photo was taken on a countertop with window light. It is actually a color photo, (note the greenish tint of the water) but the way the sun created the play of light and shadow is glorious.” Tech Specs: Canon 20D; 1/125 sec at f/11, ISO 100. Kathy Turpin

Objects Runner-up: John Gasca “I wanted to capture the explosion of a match during ignition.” Tech Specs: Canon EOS 7D; 1/50 sec at f/10, ISO 100. John Gasca

Objects Runner-up: Rhiannon Stewart “I was always curious how to take a good bubble picture because I had tried before and not succeeded. Luckily for me Popular Photography had and article on how to take the perfect shot. I followed their directions and advice and finally captured the perfect bubble shot.” Tech Specs: Nikon D5000 with a Nikon DX 18-55mm lens; 1/60 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1000. Rhiannon Stewart

Objects Runner-up: Allison Phelps “This photograph was created in the studio. The idea I wanted to achieve was for my viewers to think of the smells and the tastes of bread, possibly even bringing them to a place in their minds or a memory.” Tech Specs: Canon Rebel XSi. Allison Phelps

People Category Winner: Ricardo Mejia,44, graphic designer, Weston, FL Travelling through the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, during the 2010 World Cup, Ricardo Mejia stumbled upon a local soccer game. While he was on the ground photographing a pair of young spectators, this sea of smiling faces swirled around him. The low angle adds intimacy and helps the children’s personalities shine through. Tech Specs: Nikon D300 with 14–24mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens (at 14mm) and Nikon SB-800 Speedlight; 1/400 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200. Edits in Apple Aperture 3. Ricardo Mejia

People Runner-up: Michael Schmidt “An Italian couple married for decades is still affectionate and in love.” Tech Specs: Canon 7D with a Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens; 1/125 sec at f/6.3, ISO 320. Michael Schmidt

People Runner-up: Ryan Kasak “This woman stood waiting on the corner in a small Mexican town across from a church. Her traditional clothing stood out against a paint chipped wall as she looked out into the street. You could see the years of experience on the lines of her face as she patiently waited.” Tech Specs: Nikon D60. 1/100 sec at f/1.8 ISO 200. Ryan Kasak

People Runner-up: Shiree Beckwith-Funk “At a local art show I noticed this exquisite child watching me. As I raised the camera she didn’t even blink. After checking the LCD screen I looked up and she was gone. All that was left was the faint scent of patchouli. The vendor lightly laughed, shook her head, and said, ‘Jacqueline.'” Tech Specs: Canon 5D with a Canon 24-105mm lens. 1/100 sec at f/8 ISO 160. Shiree Beckwith-Funk

People Runner-up: John Felegi “My nephew and his fiancée were having their portraits taken at the beach using stop-action techniques to capture her “floating” away. I noticed their reflection in a pool of water and thought it gave an ethereal feel to an already unique photo shoot.” Tech Specs: Nikon D80 with a Nikon 18-70mm lens. 1/320 sec at f/4.2, ISO 200. John Felegi

People Runner-up: Anthony Maddaloni “Taken on set of the zombie short film ‘The Risen.'” Anthony Maddaloni

People Runner-up: Richard Fadera “The day I took this picture, she was not in the mood to have her picture taken. Tried several attempts but she was not into it. I had one shot and I thought it was a no-keeper. After downloading the picture to my computer, it turned out to be a good picture and the parents actually likes it.” Tech Specs: Canon XSiwith a Canon 17-70mm lens. 1/125 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100. Richard Fadera

People Runner-up: Stephan Arias “On a recent vacation trip to Vancouver, my grandmother sat directly in front of me on the plane ride there. Through the space between the chair and window, I could see her deep in thought, seemingly lost in the clouds above California. My grandfather, her husband of 50+ years, died just four years ago and she hadn’t been the same ever since. Through the weight of her gaze, I could almost be certain that she was looking for him in the heavens we were flying through.” Tech Specs: Panasonic Lumix GF2 with a 14mm lens. 1/500 sec at f/2.5, ISO 100. Stephan Arias

People Runner-up: Theo Civitello “I wanted to capture a silhouette shot of the Bride & Groom’s first dance to really carry across the emotion of the event. I set up two speedlights on a second floor balcony to create a criss-cross light pattern so that the highlights would be well exposed. I shot this crouching down, looking up at the couple, and the speedlight behind them created a wonderful starry glow that completes the photo with a dreamy effect.” Tech Specs: Nikon D700 with a Nikon 85mm f/1.8. 1/60 sec at f/5, ISO 640. Theo Civitello

Readers’ Choice Category Winner: Tamiz U. Rezvi, 26, underwriting analyst, Brooklyn, NY According to the photographer, the “colors, culture, and emotion” of an Indian wedding inspired this demure portrait of a bride hiding behind an elaborately decorated shawl—selected by visitors to PopPhoto.com as their favorite photo in our contest. Tamiz U. Rezvi used the many windows in the Valley Stream, NY, home of the bride’s makeup artist to his advantage, even utilizing a sliding glass door as a diffuser. The intricate patterns in the jewelry, dress, and shawl juxtaposed with the smooth, clean lines of the bride’s expertly painted face culminate in an image Rezvi considered “perfect on the first click. It was one of those rare occasions when the image comes out just as I pictured it in my mind,” he says. Tech Specs: Canon EOS Rebel XS with Sigma 18–200mm f/3.5–6.3 DC lens (at 35mm); 1/80 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400. Crop, white balance and color adjustments in Adobe Lightroom 3; retouches in Photoshop CS5. Tamiz U. Rezvi

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Nabilly (Nabil) Caban-Soto “This photo has been shot at Chichicastenango Market, in the Republico of Guatemala. You can find women’s like these every Thursday and Sunday, awaiting for a better tomorrow.” Tech Specs: Nikon D90 with an 18-55mm lens; F/5 at 1/100 second, ISO 200. Nabilly (Nabil) Caban-Soto

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Christian Watkins “A miniature statue that I found out at Westmoreland Berry Farms. Digitally altered in Photoshop to represent a photograph taken by a Lomo film camera.” Tech Specs: Canon EOS Rebel XS with an 18-55m lens; F5.6 at 1/640 second, ISO 200 Christian Watkins

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Stephaine Boltjes “I came across this closed bridge on a back road off of Highway 126 near Piru, CA. A wider bridge had been built and is the background. I love the idea of old bridge and the new bridge side-by-side. I also thought the lines were incredible in this shot.” Stephaine Boltjes

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Tanner Thompson “I went to Rockaway Beach, Oregon with a friend of mine. It was about 8:30p.m when we decided to take pictures of the sunset. The sun was right above the horizon making a beautiful beam of light on the wet sand. All of a sudden a Seagull went walking right past it. It took me a few tries, but finally I got the picture I was waiting for.” Tech Specs: Nikon D70 with a 70-300mm lens; F/5 at 1/200 second, ISO 1600 Tanner Thompson

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Angelica Whisenant “A natural portrait.” Tech Specs: Nikon D300s with a Tamron 70-200mm lens; F/13 at 1/100 second, ISO 100. Angelica Whisenant

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: JoAn Stout “Henbit flowers cover many yards and fields in North Carolina in early spring. They bring to mind the coming of Easter. A single flower – with the help of dew and macro lenses can give the look of a rabbit even down to the fur on its ears. I made this image for the year of the rabbit by positioning two flowers to give the rabbit two ears.’ Tech Specs: Canon EOS Rebel with an 18-55mm lens; F/6.3 at 1/80 second, ISO 200 JoAn Stout

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Robert Dorris Jr Ohio Valley Mudcat baseball player slides head first into 2nd base. Sticks in the soggy dirt. Tech Specs: Canon EOS 40D with a 70-200mm IS lens; F/2.8 at 1/3200 second, ISO 500. Robert Dorris Jr

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Tracy Litchfield This is a Female Crab Spider eating a fly. I was looking at my flowers when i came by the spider, I’ve never seen anything like this. There is so much to see out in the wild! Tracy Litchfield

Readers’ Choice Runner-up: Charles Cornett “This little frog startled my wife as she was spritzing her plants. He seemed to enjoy showing off his little place inside our house. This was my first shoot with a vintage Minolta 50mm f1.7 I bought on Ebay. I’m gonna love this lens.” Tech Specs: Sony A33 with a 50mm lens; F/18 at 1/125 second, ISO 400. Charles Cornett