news&views Autumn 2021 | Page 28

2021 Photo Contest

Jennifer Hope | Affiliate Marketing Advisor , ARTA
In a year where most of us barely left our homes , it was so encouraging to see that ARTA members didn ’ t lose touch with their creative spirits . Many entries found fresh new perspectives on the sights we take for granted every day . Others reached into their photo archives to tell a story that hadn ’ t yet been brought to light . To everyone who submitted , thank you for sharing the unique way you view the world . As always , it was so challenging to choose winners from a group of such talented photographers .
This year , for the first time , we separated entries into two categories : masters who have won in the past and novices — those who either haven ’ t submitted to the photo contest before or haven ’ t had their entries chosen yet . The idea was to encourage all members to submit , regardless of their perceived skill level or how well they feel they stack up to the rest . To the winners of our master category , your consistency and talent continues to amaze . But watch out . Next year , you ’ ll be competing against this year ’ s novice category winners , and their skill certainly isn ’ t to be taken lightly , as you ’ ll see in our judges ’ selections .
As in prior years , we kept the Nature and Travel categories as we continue to receive the most amazing photos of our members ’ travels and nature interpretations . We introduced two new categories this year : Comfort and Landscapes . From images of curling up with a book in front of a fire to warthogs lying in warm dirt , the comfort category provided some interesting interpretations . Of course , the submissions to the landscape category did not disappoint , as we received beautiful images of cities , mountains , and fields .
A special thanks to our judges , Virginia Quist and Jon Havelock , for judging this year . Virginia is ARTA ’ s own Creative Designer and a professional photographer , and this is Jon ’ s fifth year judging . He is a well-known photographer and more recently , a news & views author .
I consider myself more of an amateur photographer , but as the owner of a bed and breakfast , comfort is something I think about a lot . To me , comfort means being able to relax and not worry about other events in your life . Being able to create a calming atmosphere is an important part of that .
— Dave Goodwin
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