Hot Pic of the Week

Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $10 and $100.

A gentle reminder, folks: We disqualify some really wonderful pictures every week because the submissions don't follow the rules. Be sure to include everything we ask for in your e-mail message, including a description of your picture and your complete contact information, or your entry is wasted!

Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering please read the full description of the contest rules and regs.

This week's Hot Pic: "All That Sparkles," by Stacy A. Niedzwiecki, Rockford, Michigan

Stacy says, "Here is a photo of my son, Alex, enjoying his first sparkler on the Fourth of July. The shot was tricky because I didn't want to ruin the effect of the dark night and the glow on his face by using my flash. Actually, the real trick here was to tell my very active two-year old to 'freeze!' while I attempted to take the shot without a flash. (And with no tripod, I might add!) It was taken with my Olympus C-3040."

Hot Pic of the Month

Each month we choose one of our weekly winners to be the Hot Pic of the Month. For the month of August, we chose an unusual portrait of a car. Earl Stuckey gives us "The Ford," a look at a '53 Ford reflected in another car's hubcap. Earl has won a PC World CD case. As always, congratulations to all the other weekly winners. Keep up the good work!

We want your feedback! Send your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself to comments@bydavejohnson.com. If you have a question that you'd like to see answered in the weekly Q&A, send it to question@bydavejohnson.com.

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