Judges name third week's semifinalists in photo contest

With a week to go, the annual Foto Fest contest is heating up.

The contest has seen great participation, said Joyce Hunter, marketing director for Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

Judges named Tim Vollink of Oak Ridge, Rochelle Steffen, Sue Ponder and Grace Williams of Cape Girardeau this week's semifinalists.

Vollink's photo of an icy highway was chosen because although it looked cold, it also seemed quiet and peaceful.

"I was on the back roads around Cape after last year's ice storm," Vollink said, "and it was just one of those moments."

Judges appreciated the angle of Steffen's photo of two fish and thought it deserved a second look.

"I just got a new camera," Steffen said, "and was going crazy."

The panel chose Ponder's photo of a boy in overalls because they thought it was cute.

Williams' photo of her grandson, Drake, at the St. Louis Zoo reminded judges of carefree youth and made them want to recapture similar memories.

"He kept begging me to come up and take a photo of him going down the slide," Williams said.

There's only one more week to enter this year's contest. Complete entry information is on Page 4A of today's Southeast Missourian.