Seven members of the West Central Georgia Shutterbugs received ribbons and cash awards for photos they entered into the 2007 Georgia National Fair, held in Perry, GA. Their awards are significant since, according to Alan Thiese, Chairman of the Photography Competition, there were 1605 photos entered, 970 of those photos in the Beginner Division, 396 in Advanced, and 239 in Open.
Shutterbugs receiving awards in the Beginner Division were: Linda Best—6th place, Melba Brown—two 6th place awards, Harolyn Castleberry—a 2nd and a 3rd place, Anna Mary Ellerbee—a 3rd and a 5th place, Marcia Fisher—two 2nd place awards, plus a 3rd and a 6th, and Ester Fry—4th place.
In the “Advanced” division, Johnnie Ann Gaskill won sixteen awards, including three 1st place awards. She also received the Sweepstakes Award, which is awarded annually to the photographer who earns more awards than any other photographer competing in that division.
Several Shutterbugs have received recognitions for photos they’ve posted on
http://www.betterphoto.com/, the premier educational web site on photography that offers an astonishing array of resources for photographers world-wide who want to improve their skills, share their photos, and learn more about the art and technique of photography. Photographers may enter one photo per day to any one of the ten contests BetterPhoto sponsors each month. Out of the thousands of beautiful photos entered each month, some photos are designated as “Editor’s Pick,” which means they have advanced to the next level of competition from which the “Finalists” are chosen, from which “Winners” are selected. According to recent statistics posted on
http://www.betterphoto.com/, 7,120 photographers from 225 countries have received awards. Out of the more than 30,000 photos submitted each month, BetterPhoto chooses only a small percentage of photos for special recognition, which makes receiving even an “Editor’s Pick” a real thrill.
Shutterbugs whose photos have been designated “Editor’s Pick” include: Melba Brown, Harolyn Castleberry, Hazel Cromer, Dee DeLoatch, Anna Mary Ellerbee, Johnnie Ann Gaskill, and Lyndsey York. Anna Mary and Melba have also received one “Finalist” award each. Hazel has received numerous “Editor’s Picks,” two “Finalists,” and one “Winner.” Congratulations to all!
Five Shutterbugs have had photos chosen for the “Puppy Love” exhibit on display during February at A Novel Experience (bookstore) on the courthouse square in Zebulon. The public is invited to a reception there on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 7-9 p.m. to view the photos of dogs and to meet all of the photographers, including Shutterbugs Melba Brown, Harolyn Castleberry, Fawne DeRosia, Brenda Fayard, and Malgorzata Florkowska.
The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will meet on Tuesday, February 12, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery, located on the courthouse square in Thomaston. The program will feature a PowerPoint presentation of photos taken by Melba Brown, Harolyn Castleberry, and Linda Best during their recent trip to Italy. The group was organized in November 2005 and met for the first time in January 2006. Currently, there are 25 members, including the award-winning photographers shown here (front row, left to right): Melba Brown, Ellen Tew, Harolyn Castleberry, Malgorzata Florkowska, Johnnie Ann Gaskill, Linda Best, Fawne DeRosia, and (back row, L-R) Marcia Fisher, Anna Mary Ellerbee, Lyndsey York, and Hazel Cromer. They, along with other Shutterbugs, invite anyone interested in photography and/or in viewing the photos of Italy to attend the meeting. Photo by King Davis.
Written by Johnnie Ann Gaskill.
Nine members of the West Central Georgia Shutterbugs attended a Photo Expo hosted by the Georgia Nature Photographers' Association (GNPA) at Callaway Gardens, January 30-31. Shown in the photo are: (L-R) Jan Hatten, Anna Mary Ellerbee, Melba Brown; Marcia Fisher, Harolyn Castleberry, Jimmy Day, Dianne Kelly, and Johnnie Ann Gaskill. Bonny Shockley also attended but was not present for the photo. (Photo by Jim Henderson)
On Saturday, January 30th, several members of the Shutterbugs attended the grave marking of Austin Dabney, a slave who became a private in the Georgia militia and fought against the British during the Revolutionary War. Pictured above are Shutterbugs with Joe Dooley (third from left), the Genealogist General of the National Society of the SAR Bob Galer of the Georgia Society (white Militia uniform).
Linda Best's photo titled "John Muir's Heaven" was selected for the Nature, Undisturbed Photography Exhibit at the Dogwood Gallery and Framer in Tyrone, Georgia. They received 320 entries from 75 photographers in 10 states and chose 60. The exhibit will be on display from April 16th to the 25th.
Eighteen of the current 50 members submitted a total of 133 entries into the first photography competition sponsored by the West Central Georgia Shutterbugs. 53 of the images were in the “Color” category, 49 in Monochrome, and 31 in Creative.
For their 2009 calendar, United Bank chose images taken by six West Central Georgia Shutterbugs and honored them, along with other photographers whose images were selected, at a reception held at the Zebulon office on Thursday, November 13, 2008. Shown here (left to right) are Melba Brown, Shakeira Trice, Linda Best, Anna Mary Ellerbee, and Ellen Tew. (Not shown: Marcia Fisher)
Nine members of the West Central Georgia Shutterbugs received ribbons in the Photography Competition at the Georgia National Fair in Perry in October. Linda Best earned a second place ribbon in the Beginner Section. Krista Williams earned the Award of Excellence in the Advanced Division, as well as the Cokes Camera Center Award, along with five ribbons. Other Shutterbugs who received ribbons in the Advanced Division were: Johnnie Ann Gaskill (9), Yvette Tolson (3), Bonny Shockley (2), Melba Brown (1), Fawne DeRosia (1), Marcia Fisher (1) and Marcia Miller (1). Out of the 1800 photos entered in this year’s competition, Shutterbugs earned 26% of the ribbons awarded in the Advanced Division for color photos and 21% of the ribbons awarded in that division for monochrome images.
Krista Williams, of Thomaston, was thrilled with the multiple awards she received at the Georgia National Fair, especially the Award of Excellence, which is given annually for the photo the judges consider to be the very best one in the Division.
Nancy McCrary has curated a fabulous show of lovely dog photos from over 20 photographers--the images are funny, inspiring, and poignant. For anyone who has ever loved a dog, this show will elicit wonderful memories and appreciation of that special relationship between the species. The subjects span the dog world --from serious working guys to pampered pooches of the clueless ilk. Doubt the Great Pyrennees can express complex emotions? Come let us make a believer of you!
