First-week winners of amateur photography contest announced

A mix of vacation photographs, pictures of children playing with pets, images of flowers and architectural details were among the entries in the first week of the Foto Fest contest.

There were nearly 200 entries for judges to view. Semifinalist winners were Jan Chamberlain, Laura Ritter and Dr. Robert Gardner, all of Cape Girardeau, and Christi Stevens of Chaffee. Gardner is out of town until next week and couldn't be reached for comment.

Foto Fest is an annual photography contest sponsored by the Southeast Missourian and Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

Four semifinalist photographs are chosen each week during the six weeks of the contest. From those 24 photos, six semifinalists and one grand prize winner will be chosen at the contest's conclusion. A People's Choice award winner also will be chosen.

Semifinalists and several other selected images are posted online at www.semissourian.com/fotofest.

Jan Chamberlain entered two images in the contest because she likes the idea of having a community photo exhibit. Her black and white photo of a man operating a thresher was selected by judges because of its composition. One judge said it "captures a piece of mid-America."

The photo was taken last year at the old thresher reunion in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. "I just liked the idea of seeing a picture of a farmer doing his job," Chamberlain said.

Ritter's photograph of a sailboat at sunset at Maui, Hawaii, was taken in June when she vacationed there.

"We were on our way to dinner and saw it. We just stopped and took the picture," she said. Once the pictures were developed, she knew it would be one she entered in the contest.

It was the first time she'd ever entered the Foto Fest contest. Judges liked the image for its unusual shades and appeal.

Christi Stevens of Chaffee snapped the picture of her son, Trey, and his dog Blondie as the pair climbed up the stairs to their house.

When Stevens saw the picture, "I couldn't believe I'd gotten that good of a shot," she said.

She had the print enlarged and it hangs as a black and white image in her living room. "It just has much more meaning for me in black and white," she said.

All photos will be on display today at the Foto Fest wall near the Pasta House restaurant and the mall Playtown area.

Entry forms and official rules are available at www. semissourian.com/fotofest.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126