::Google+ Weekly Photography Theme Recognition – “Our Planet”::

From last week’s Google+ PAC Photography Community weekly “Self Portrait” photography theme challenge, the judges have chosen to highlight Casey Stanford! Congratulations, Casey!

Casey reports that he made this impressive self-portrait on Shiprock in the Superstition Mountains.  He tells us: “Easily the best view in the valley, Shiprock on Superstition Mountain will really make you work for it. I climb it at least once a year, usually in the cooler months, but this climb was in August. It seemed like a nicely overcast day….until I got to the top and saw those rain clouds heading right toward me! Needless to say, it made for quite an eventful climb down!”

Casey, a semi-professional photographer, used his point-and-shoot Olympus TG-310 camera to make this picture.

His settings for this pictures are as follows:

ISO 100

Aperture f/8.4

Shutter Speed 1/350sec

Focal Length 5mm

When asked about his background in photography, Casey said:

“I actually only got started in photography in late 2010, give or take a few months. Some health issues had sidelined me for a while at that point, and in my efforts to overcome them, I began to ride my mountain bike 10-15 miles per day. In doing so, I began to see lots of really cool sunsets and sunrises, and I began to shoot pictures of them on my little 2MP cell phone camera. Throughout 2011, more and more people who knew me began to remark that they couldn’t believe that I took them with my phone, and their feedback got me chasing more shots. By the end of 2011, my interest had become a passion, and my boss gave me a Christmas bonus that bought me my first point-and-shoot, which I spent most of 2012 learning everything I could with. Finally in October 2012, I got my first DSLR (a Sony a57) and Lightroom 4, and it’s been full steam ahead ever since.”

Casey, a resident of Mesa, Arizona, reports that, “The majority of my work is in sunrises or sunsets (which one is usually dependent upon what time of year it is – sunrises tend to be more summer-based, sunsets tend to be winter), but Landscape as a whole is my favorite. I also really enjoy low-light and nighttime photography, and have recently been putting work into bettering my time-lapse skills.”

Casey is an active participant on our PAC Google+ Community as well as our PAC Facebook Group! Casey’s web presence can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/CaseyStanfordPhotography  and of course on Google+.

Congratulations Casey Stanford on the G+ Weekly Photography Theme Recognition! Take a moment to congratulate him and add him to your circle of photographers.

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::Facebook PAC Group — Creative “Close to Home” Theme Recognition ::

For last week’s Facebook Group Creative Theme, “Close to Home” our judges have chosen to highlight Amir Arnautovic’s excellent picture of Phoenix, Arizona at night! Congratulations, Amir!

Amir made this picture with his Canon xTi.

His settings are reported as:

ISO 100

Shutter Speed 25s

Focal Length 18mm

Aperture f/5

When asked about the backstory for this picture, Amir shared, “This photograph was one of my first attempts to try long exposure. Kit lens is not that sharp like lens I got later 17-40mm L. I was pleased (with) how (this) picture came out after post-processing in Canon dpp software (adjustments included: contrast, sharpness, slight color correction).”

Amir, a hobbyist photographer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona  says that he started with his first DSLR in March 2012. He says he is “just starting my photography , and am ready to learn and improve more and more. I am ready always to learn from others and also to share what i know. He also reports that “I don’t have any favorite subjects, but am attracted (to) and would like to learn flash and portrait photography.”

More of Amir’s photography can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amir_arnautovicphotography  Amir is an active member of our PAC Group on FB, and we really appreciate his participation in the Weekly Photography Theme Recognition! Thanks for sharing your pictures with us, Amir!

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::Facebook PAC Group — Technical “Vintage (Aging Photos)” Photography Theme Recognition::

For last week’s Technical “Vintage” theme on our PAC Facebook Group, our judges selected Joe DiFlorio’s  fun vintage-look picture he made while at a car show. Congratulations, Joe – you nailed it!!

Joe,a semi-professional photographer who lives in Wilmington, Delaware, made this picture with his Olympus E-30.  His settings for this picture are as follows:

ISO 200

Aperture F/8

Shutter Speed 1/200s

Focal Length 24mm

When asked about the backstory for this picture, Joe wrote: “This photo was taken at the Warminster PBA Annual Car Show. I was one of a group of photographers assigned to cover the Pin Up pageant that day.”

As far as his photography background goes, Joe tells us,”I’ve been interested in photography to some degree for the past 30 years but just got back into it seriously during 2008. As far as my favorite subject to photograph, I live by the Rick Sammons quote, ‘My specialty is not specializing.’ ”

You can find more of Joe’s pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/DiFlorioPhotography. He’s also very active in our PAC FB group! Congratulations, Joe, on your PAC recognition! We love your photos and look forward to seeing more of them!

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Please comment on this post to show our three PAC Weekly Photography Theme Recognition winners some love!

Also, don’t forget to take some time to check out the other awesome themed photos, on Google+ and on Facebook, and get inspired to go out and shoot!

To be considered for this PAC challenge, simply check the calendar  for the weekly photo assignments.

• Photos submitted for the Google+ Community Weekly Theme must be shot during the assignment week—no archived photos.
  • Hash tag #PACWeekly.
• Photos submitted for the Facebook Group 3-day Themes may be archived, or shot during the run of the theme.
• Post your BEST three shots each week based on the current theme.
• Any details you can add to your post, such as: camera used, settings, caption, and/or a brief story of your subject, will also be considered a plus!

The winning photographers will have their photos published here on the PAC blog for all to enjoy!
To learn more about our Amazing Photo community check out our website here:www.PhotoAdvClub.com (Open to all States and Countries!)

~ Sarah Hales
on behalf of the PAC Community Leaders