Images That Have Won Awards

The Minnesota Nature Photography Club is a group of photographers that focuses on capturing images of nature. They travel extensively, are fanatically dedicated, and it is typically very difficult to receive a high score from this group. They judge digital images (and slides) on an absolute (each entry on its own merit rather than against the other entries received that month) 10-point scale, and only images receiving an "8" or higher are recognized and eligible for year-end competition.

Minnesota Valley Photography Club is a more social group that alternates months between prints and digital entries, and selects a different topic each month. One of the best things about MVPC is their policy of giving the photographer full latitude for editing images. That gives me the flexibility to put together the images I see in my head, not just those I see in the viewfinder. Entries are judged on a relative scale (the best of what is received gets 1st place, next best 2nd, and so on, down to those those entries receiving an Honorable Mention) of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, HM, and 1st through 3rd are eligible for year-end competition.