FOTO FEST SEMIFINALISTS SELECTED FOR THIRD WEEK

Mother and son Marty and Anthony Riley of Cape Girardeau both entered winning photographs in the third week of the Foto Fest amateur photography contest.

Other winners were Nikki Thompson of Jackson, Mo. and Judy White of Fredericktown, Mo. The photos are published on page 1C of today's Southeast Missourian.

Judges described Marty Riley's portrait of an older woman as "thoughtful and revealing" and made the judges wonder about the subject's life.

The photo, of a family friend living in Florida, was taken last year at an outdoor cafe. "I've always got my camera, and she was just looking so quiet," Marty Riley said.

Judges weren't left to wonder what the subject in Anthony Riley's photo was trying to capture: geese. The photo shows Riley's niece chasing several geese at a park near Springfield, Mo.

The child's "arms wide open makes the picture what it is," one judge said.

Anthony Riley said he doesn't usually take as many photos as his mother, but has selected others to enter in the contest.

Nikki Thompson's use of shadows won over judges who selected her entry. The photograph shows the feet of her youngest son, now 5 months old.

Thompson said she impressed herself with that photo. "I got the idea from a card I received at a baby shower," she said. The card was in color and Thompson prefers the look of black and white.

Originally taken to be included in her son's scrapbook, Thompson said he was just a month old when the photo was taken.

Judy White of Fredericktown captured a rainbow as it arched into the sky behind an old, weathered barn. Judges liked the balance and composition.

A panel of judges selected from the community pared down 150 entries to four semifinalists. Winning pictures are published in the Southeast Missourian, and additional photos will be posted on the newspaper's Web site at www.semissourian.com. The photos also go on display at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

The contest, sponsored by the Shoppingtown and the Southeast Missourian, is open to amateur photographers who are residents of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. Other sponsors are Schnucks, Albertson's, Mac's Smokehouse, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and St. Francis Medical Center.