Photo Contest: Hot Pics for August

Subscribers to Dave Johnson's Digital Focus newsletter took these shots.

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8/1 Hot Pic: "Purple Tulip" by Len Taubman, Williamsburg, Virginia

Len writes: "I volunteer at Colonial Williamsburg and frequently take pictures of the many flowers in the wonderful gardens. This purple tulip intrigued me because of its color, shape and interesting features. I took the picture with my Canon 60D and a 60mm macro lens, using the spot meter mode."

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8/8 Hot Pic: "Tiles" by Russell "Rusty" Smith, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rusty writes: "I took this shot while walking out of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia." Russell used a Fuji FinePix S700.

8/15 Hot Pic: "Bluebell Forest" by Alessandro Sacilotto, Oakton, Virginia

Alessandro writes: "While taking a stroll through the forest in Auderghem, Belgium, I came across this lovely field of bluebells interspersed among the trees and stacks of firewood. I took the photo with an Olympus E-Volt 510 and used Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 to do some minor editing."

8/22 Hot Pic: "My Reflection" by Arnold Dubin, Indialantic, Florida

Arnold writes: "I shot this photo of the great egret at Gatorland in Florida. I used my Nikon D200 and then did some minor enhancement in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CS3."

8/29 Hot Pic: "Night Flight," by Michael Maluk, Milford, Pennsylvania

Michael writes: "This is a long exposure of a radio-controlled airplane. I used a Kodak Z981 to get this shot, which was actually something of an accident. I had left the light on underneath my canopy and it showed up in the background of another photo. I really liked the glow it gave off. All that was left was to fly the plane underneath the canopy to give it that surreal effect."

8/1 Runner-Up: "Salome Saguaros" by Kathy Sharp, Glendale, Arizona

Kathy writes: "I was hiking back to my car after a long day playing in Salome Creek, which empties into Roosevelt Lake here in Arizona. At one point, the lighting on the Saguaro cacti through the late afternoon clouds was breathtaking. I quickly pulled out my little point-and-shoot Canon PowerShot D10 and captured the moment, using the rule of thirds for placement of the main saguaro."

8/8 Runner-Up: "Swann Street Night" by Samuel Silva, Washington, DC

Samuel writes: "The first snow of the season blanketed Washington, DC, back in January, and I started taking pictures of my neighborhood at dusk, before the snow had stopped falling. Snow reflects light very well, turning daylight pictures into a challenge, but making night shots a delight, because you can take them without using a flash and without using a tripod. I used my Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 with an exposure of 1/10 second at ISO 800 and no flash."

8/15 Runner Up: "Tiger Swallowtail" by Darryl Hayes, Rocky Face, Georgia

Darryl writes: "On the first day of spring, I stepped outside to see this beautiful butterfly among the apple blossoms. I took this photo with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i mounted on monopod."

8/22 Runner Up: "Daring" by Ellen Daniel, Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Ellen writes: "I took this photo with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-257 set to macro mode. This little daring jumping spider was on a leaf 30 feet off the ground and seemed to be trying to get the nerve up to jump onto our deck."

8/29 Runner Up: "Up Close and Personal," by Dwayne Alan Taylor, Salem, Massachusetts

Dwayne writes: "It is butterfly season in my garden. This photo is a 'head shot' of an Eastern Black Swallowtail, taken with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel and a 100mm macro lens. The butterfly is on my lantana, a beautifully colored flower."