PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST ENTERS FINAL PHASE

The local KINSA contest enters the final phase this week as judges prepare to select the final week of entries. Friday was the final day for photographs to be entered in the contest.

KINSA, Kodak International Newspaper Snapshot Awards, is the world's largest annual amateur-snapshot contest. The Southeast Missourian is the only newspaper in Missouri sponsoring the competition.

In all, 24 semifinalists will be selected by a panel of community judges. From those, eight finalists will be forwarded to the international competition.

Winners from week five of the competition were Dr. Charles Kupchella of Cape Girardeau, Phyllis J. Brunke of Jackson, Mary Cobb of Scott City and David Baltzell of Cape Girardeau.

Charles Kupchella's photograph of the Mississippi River Bridge at Cape Girardeau depicts the view from his front porch each morning.

"We wake up to that scene every morning," he said.

On the morning when the photograph was taken, Kupchella walked across the street to the Knights of Columbus parking lot to get the best angle on the picture.

"The sky was just that color. It was a beautiful morning."

Kupchella loves to take photographs. "It's a great hobby," he said. "This is one of the few pictures that I didn't take of my grandchildren."

He said, "I keep my camera loaded and handy at all times."

Phyllis J. Brunke was taking photographs, as she typically does, when a young visitor wanted to try her hand at photography.

"I found an old camera in the closet and let her use it," Brunke said. "She wanted to take a picture of the horse. That horse is more like a dog than a horse."

The horse was inspecting the camera and the little girl, Brunke explained. "I was practicing with a new lens. I whirled around and saw this picture and just snapped it."

Brunke takes lots of photographs. "The stores like to see me coming to buy film," she said.

Mary Cobb was watching her children play in the backyard, walking along a new board fence, when she noticed an unusual scene unfold.

In typical Cobb fashion, she grabbed her camera to capture the moment.

"The neighbor cat always climbed the fence and got into our yard," Cobb said. "The kids were playing, thinking the dog and cat were playing with them. They were oblivious to the fact that the dog was much more interested in the cat than the kids."

David Baltzell planned his picture last Fourth of July.

"There is a little bandstand that is in front of the Old Court House in St. Louis," he explained. "When they have the fireworks up there, there are always a lot of photographers who set up there. It's the perfect vantage point to get the arch, fireworks and the courthouse in the same picture."

Baltzell set up his tripod, attached his zoom lens and adjusted his shutter speed. He shot a couple rolls of film aiming for one like this week's winner.

"I kind of messed around with the composition and the framing," he explained. "I had taken photos there in the past and was never quite happy with the results. That one is almost perfect."

Joyce Hunter, who is coordinating the contest for the Southeast Missourian, explained that after entries are judged, the photographs are immediately prepared and mounted on display boards.

All entries in the KINSA contest will be displayed Sept. 1 to 8 at West Park Mall. Those viewing the photographs may vote for the People's Choice award.

"Because the photos are being mounted for display, we are unable to return any of the entries," Hunter said.

For information about the contest, contact Hunter at (573) 335-6611, ext. 150.

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