By the time this publishes, the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon will be over and hopefully I will be in possession of my entries. I don’t know I had a completely successful Iowa State Fair Photography Contest, but it wasn’t a complete failure. I only got one picture accepted. I shouldn’t say only because getting one picture in is an incredible accomplishment. There have definitely been years when I got shutout. There will definitely be years in the future where I will get shutout as well. One picture is an accomplishment. But I got three pictures in last year.

On the other hand, last year I got two Honorable Mentions. This year, I got 1st Place in Color Iowa Places and Landscapes.

In the end, there is a ton of luck involved. You never know what the judges will like. When they wake up in the morning, the judges don’t even know what they will like. What they had for breakfast might change their mood and change how they judge. So maybe I entered one great pictured and three terrible pictures. Maybe the judges needed a better breakfast burrito in the morning.

Regardless, here are the pictures I entered.

Class 11 – Open Road – “Olive Avenue” – Not Selected for Display

Class 13 – Iowa Places & Landscapes – “Hi Trestle Trail” – 1st Place in Class

Class 17 – Plants, Flowers & Trees – “She Hates Pink Flowers” – Not Selected for Display

Class 23 – Places & Landscapes – “Best Mislaid Plans” – Not Selected for Display

I didn’t really feel great about my entries this year. I’m crazy far behind on photo editing and my selection process was sloppy at least, so all things considered, not a bad year.

Here are some statistics about the this years Iowa State Fair Photography Salon:

+ 2191 pictures entered. 635 exhibited. 29%.
+ Of the 635 pictures exhibited. 193 got ribbons. 30%.
+ 125 pictures entered in Iowa Places & Landscapes (Color). 19 exhibited. 15%.
+ 158 pictures entered in The Open Road (Color). 43 exhibited. 27%.
+ 149 pictures entered in Plants, Flowers & Trees (Color). 33 exhibited. 22%.
+ 82 pictures entered in Places & Landscapes (Black & White). 23 exhibited. 28%.
+ 1179 Adult color pictures entered. 285 exhibited. 24%.
+ 339 Adult black & white pictures entered. 118 exhibited. 35%.
+ 191 Youth pictures entered. 79 exhibited. 41%.
+ 482 Special Division entered. 153 exhibited. 32%.
+ 7 photographers from Boone County entered 27 pictures.
+ 51 photographers from other states entered 169 pictures.
+ 669 photographers entered.
+ As near as I can tell, ZERO photographers got all 4 pictures in. The book claims that 2 people got all 4 pictures in, but my scan of all the entrants that had pictures accepted comes up with zero. This is my main goal every year. I did it once.

The theme class for 2023 is Sunrise, Sunset. I don’t imagine I will be entering that next year, but stranger things have happened. We’ll see what happens when I procrastinate and throw together my entries in hurry in late May next year.

+++++++

It is another Formal Portrait Sunday. This is the final collection of images from Kyle’s Senior Picture Photo Shoot. Included in here is a picture that was used for his campaign to be the Winter Formal King. A crown that he did claim.

Kyle’s current plan is to attend DMACC. He was recruited to play football for a Division III school, but decided to retire from the game and concentrate on figuring out what he wants to do with his life. Good luck with that, I’m still working on that myself.

Next Formal Portrait Sunday we will check back in with the Junck Family Photo Shoot.