Your Best Shot Finalist Gallery: June 2015

Taken near my home In Connecticut. I shot this photo of my friend Alec Ash skateboarding down this handrail In Detroit, Michigan, around dusk on my Canon EOS 7D and Rokinon 8mm f/3.5. ISO 320 and 1/250 sec at f/5.6. Nikon Speedlight SB-800 1/4 power at upper left, Nikon SB-80DX 1/4 power at camera far right, and Paul C Buff Einstein E640 1/8 power behind camera right Another photo I took at Yosemite. This is the classic Valley view. A storm had just cleared and I was fortunate to capture these clouds swirling over the peaks. It had rained heavily all morning and all other photographers, in despair, had taken off. Goes to show that the patient bird, as they say, gets the worm. Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 16–35mm f/2.8L II at 16mm; ISO 100 at f/16, shutter speed 2 seconds. Taken from the top Of Steptoe Butte In the Palouse near Colfax, Washington, on May 24, 2015. Taken handheld with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera with a Zuiko 12-40mm zoom lens at 125mm, in Aperture Priority mode at f/18, shutter speed 1/100 sec, ISO 1600 and Exposure Bias –7/10 EV and no filters. While photographing great blue heron at great falls on the Potomac River (Maryland side), I noticed this one flying towards a spot just in front of one of the more dramatic falls on the river. I took a series of shots of the landing, and this one is my favorite. Taken at "2015 Lake Havasu Balloon Festival" in January. A "yoda" hot-air balloon in foreground watching many little hot-air balloons in the distance. I grabbed this shot of a horse entering its stall from the outside. I was intrigued by the silhouette I saw, yet there is still a lot of detail in the horse's features. I also like the contrast of the beautiful animal versus the somewhat dingy surroundings. Shot with a Sony NEX-6. ISO 1600, F9, 1/400, Postprocessing In Lightroom 5. Panther Creek Falls is one of the most unique and diverse waterfalls I have seen. Its sheer size and number of features kept me busy shooting for hours. The upper tier features hundreds of thin veils of water cascading down a 102' mossy rock face. Taking a hard turn, the creek then drops another 30', which is what you see here. While shooting the upper tier, I stood waist high in the creek for about twenty minutes. I've been in some cold water before, but this was painfully frigid. After several minutes of numbness, I figured I should probably get out and restore feeling to my lower half...only to go back for more in the lower section. Numbness aside, it was a thrilling experience! Storm over the city. Nikon D7000, 20mm, 30sec, f/9 I had been in Japan for two months for work. The whole time I was looking for a good deal on a used lens. Finally I found a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro for a super sweet price. For the next couple weeks I was obsessed with macro photography. On my last week in Okinawa, Japan, I was hitting the outdoors hard, looking for cool subjects to shoot. I found that good macro photography didn't come easy. I often found myself chasing things around with unsuccessful results... Towards the end of one of those "chasing stuff days" I ran across a really cool fish market. Once I walked in I immediately noticed all of stationary creatures... They were perfect specimens! Eventually, I came across the lobster tanks and that’s where I snapped one off of this guy "Lobster Face." Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T2I. Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM macro. ISO: 400. Aperture: 3.5. Shutter speed: 1/100 sec. Edited in Asobe Photoshop Lightroom CC 2015. Edits: contrast, saturation, and clarity. Coming through eastern Oregon, I was stunned by the magnificent Wallowa Mountains and completely attracted to the large herd of sheep. I shot an event for Sweetgreen, a D.C.-based salad shop, for their opening in West Hollywood, CA. Loved the fresh produce and the photo opportunities they presented. I used my Canon EOS 6D with my 24–70mm f/2.8L at 70mm. You can see more of my food and events images at www.kellyelainephoto.com/events/ Dennis Tvrdik of Affiance performing In a Christmas show. Tokyo, Japan — Crepe and ice cream vendor at Harajuku's, Takeshita Street, known for its colorful shops and punk manga/anime overall look. One of my favorite spots in Ann Arbor to shoot is Nickels Arcade. And there are few times that are better to make pictures there than now. The light sun shines right through making some early morning drama with the long shadows. This shot was taken on my way to work, and I'm positive that some of my colleagues and students have seen me laying on the ground hunched over my Joby Gorillapod and Fujifilm X-T1 like a crazy person. This guy with the headphones was a UM student too! I hope you enjoy (because I’ve posted several pics from here now). Camera: Fujifilm X-T1. Lens: Zeiss Touit 2.8/12. Focal length:12mm. Shutter speed: 1/180 sec. Aperture: f/10. ISO 200. A peacock at the zoo in Norfolk, Virginia I had seen paintings of Gene Davis in the past. He is probably best known for his line paintings and many, many vertical lines of differing colors. I thought the verticals of the aspen tree trunks and the colored leaves of autumn might blend into something similar to those paintings I had seen and used camera motion during the exposure to create the "lines." It took many attempts to get the affect I was after; but that is the advantage of digital. Hamer tribe shepherds observing the area of Omo Valley I found a small antique shop under a church near my house. I did not buy anything, but on my way out I saw these curtains illuminated by the outside sun. This image is so timeless that it could have been shot 20–30 years ago and no one would know. Canon AE-1 and a Canon 35–70mm f/3.5–4.5 with Kodak Portra 160, 1/125, and f/4 (I am assuming, I didn't write anything down). (No edits) Aurora Borealis over the Snake River and Jackson Hole Valley the night of June 22 was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I have dreamed of seeing the Aurora for many years but I never expected I would see such an incredible display from Wilson, WY, under the Teton range. Thanks to a large solar flare, the Northern Lights were so strong that they could be seen much farther south than usual. I watched forecasts all day and lucked out being in the right place when this rare Aurora peaked. Name: Giselle Yeung. Location: Houston, TX. Title: Patience. I was sitting on the beach in Cambria, California, enjoying the waves as they crashed into the shore. I finally decided to capture some wave images after a peaceful nap on the beach. An Beautiful Sunset Casting A Rainbow Gradient At The Salton Sea In Californias' Colorado Desert. Sleeping on a pier on Lake Tahoe, gazing up into infinity. The lupines are blooming and the sky is glowing. A road trip to me is loading up the car and heading to a spot where I can completely unplug. Camping at Jalama Beach, California, was a perfect road trip... No cell phone service, beautiful sunsets, peaceful days on the beach. It doesn't get any better! f/7.1, 200 ISO, 24mm Rose thorns frozen In distilled water I discovered an outcrop of reef above the water where the waves were hitting them and making a big splash. I thought it looked pretty cool with the light and the soft moss covering the reef. I took my GoPro Hero 4 and Knekt trigger system and fired a bunch of shots until the water resided. Model: Hannah Glass. Canon EOS 60D, 50mm f/1.4 Lens, ISO 100, f/2.0, 1/640 sec, VSCO 00 Pack Tri-X+1 +, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6. This photo was created a few months ago at Union Station In Los Angeles, CA. Basic edits were applied In Adobe Lightroom 5, then I selectively brightened the chandelier. Canon EOS 5D Mark III with 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. Focal length 100mm; ISO 100; 1/200 sec; f/32. Got bored in the studio. Had a dog toy at my feet and I decided to use the macro lens and shoot a flash through the toy...............the dog was not amused. My girlfriend and I were recently on holiday in Istanbul. This day we were walking across the Galata Bridge and the Suleymaniye Mosque looked stunning, perched on a hill above the Golden Horn. This simple photo of the city is one of my favorites from our trip. Housewife from the city of Nubia mediated a number of pots This little guy enjoyed having his picture taken! Our life is made up of the tiniest of details. You may have noticed that our Your Best Shot finalist galleries have been on a bit of a hiatus while we transferred over to our new contest management system, but they're back and looking better than ever. This month's collection of images runs the gamut from intimate portraits to sweeping landscapes. There is one common theme, though, and it's that every single image was shot and submitted by one of our extremely talented readers. If you want your images considered for next month's gallery (and a chance to win money and get printed in the pages of Popular Photography), you can check out our Contest Page for chances to show off your work and win great prizes.