The announcement of our latest contest winners marks the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one for Lenzr.com. As such, we are pleased to feature two celebrity broadcasters in our Letters from the Judges video: meet Lauren H. and Mary Bratko, also known as WeddingGirl.ca. Please go ahead and watch the video to find out who won the latest photo contests on Lenzr!

Lenzr’s Old Beside New photo contest was looking to see submissions that juxtaposed an old invention, idea, person, place or thing with an updated version. Interestingly, the majority of entries submitted contained technological subject matter, but there were a few more organic ideas such as an infant being held by adult hands and a fresh, juicy tangerine pictured beside a rotting one. This contest was sponsored by Solarsoft’s continuous improvement and without any further ado, the winner is:

Musical Eras by Cody LeBlanc

Runner-up: Paper Trains Last Stop by kevyn2992

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning photograph:

“Hmmm… Let’s see, seven songs versus 7000 in your pocket. We know who won this battle.”

“The description was short and to the point. The photo on the other hand was framed well and with good lighting.”

“A vinyl record compared to an iPod is a visually interesting contrast, and from a manufacturing standpoint–the leap is huge.”

Congratulations, CodyLeBlanc, you’ve won $250 and perhaps a publication.

Lenzr’s Bad Weather Hair photo contest asked for submissions that illustrated what the elements can, at any given moment, do to a carefully constructed hairstyle. This contest was sponsored by Aveda Institute Canada’s Vancouver hair school who is giving away $500 worth of their 99 % naturally derived hair and skincare products to the winner. Aveda Institute Canada is also running a hair school scholarship video contest which will reward five talented stylists-to-be a fully covered tuition to either Aveda Institutes Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria or Winnipeg.

The winner of Bad Weather Hair is:

Beach Hair by nabzisalamb

Runner-up: Walk in the Snow by chieflong

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“You just know she will be brushing more than a hundred strokes to get that mess sorted out.”

“Just wild and crazy and fun. I wonder how many takes it took to capture this one. I appreciate the effort involved in capturing this photo.”

Congratulations, nabzisalamb, you’ve won $500 in Aveda product!

Happy New Year Lenzr members! 2011 was a year of experiment and growth for Lenzr.com, and your patience and support have helped propel the site to new heights. As always, thank you for your participation. Watching that spirit of community–whether supportive or, at times, critical–come together on the site has been a pleasure. But without getting too emotional in our first post of 2012, here are the winners in the two contests that ran November – December 2011.

The Electronic Engineering photo contest asked participants to “Smash open [their] electronics and show us the guts!” And, in the hopes of winning one of the most covetable electronics of them all (an Apple iPad) 86 contestants took us on a tour through the inner workings of their gadgets. The other contest running during this timeframe asked participants to submit photos of broken-down houses. Broken down or not, a house is a familiar sight to behold. Give it a few years and the components an electrical engineer might use will look more familiar too, as electronics are only increasing in popularity.

This contest was sponsored by Standex reed switches and the winner is…

Co-Dependence by LadyDutch

Runner-up: Electro-Galaxy by kevyn2992

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“LadyDutch has interplayed a city with the electronics so beautifully that even the shadow is correct. Very nice job.”

“…should be called Photoshop Engineering because on my first glance I really thought they were electronic components. Very clever!”

Rob Campbell here – There was some controversy surrounding the use of Photoshop and this photo was at the center of it – more accurately it was a criticism re: a lack of clear understanding resulting from no explanations from admin stating whether this is okay or morally acceptable in a ‘photo contest’. I understand. and  in the future I will be sure to be more articulate about the tolerance and preferences of each particular theme. It strikes me however that this particular sponsor, which is thrilled with the results of the contest btw, would encourage all manner of experimentation and innovation in the submissions as that is their own business practice. But I do concede that by not stating that such manipulations are allowed I crippled many artists who would have otherwise submitted more elaborate compositions , and for that I do apologize.  

Congratulations, LadyDutch, you’ve won an Apple iPad! Not a bad start to a year.

The 113 entries in Lenzr’s House for Renovation photo contest are so aesthetically interesting, they’d make a great coffee table book. Running this contest was like watching a house on fire – it burnt up with more and more pictures everyday. Together we all got a unique look at some of the abandoned homesteads of Canada and abroad – some of them made us want to put on our Ghostbusters suits. Unlike the other contest that ran alongside this one, this challenge tugged a little at the heartstrings. Instead of wires and circuit boards we were looking at houses that had once been homes. What happened to the people who lived there? What happened within those walls? Each and every picture submitted in this challenge is infused with these unanswered questions. This contest was sponsored by Toronto mortgage broker Calum Ross and the winner is…

Ground Zero by keiran-mac with a tag line description that reads, ‘Old House in the praries, gorgeous location, wonderful exploration.’  The Judges loved the dirty red building contrasting the light blue sky and the feed bags nailed on the exterior of the building over what’s left of the windows. Well done.

Runner-up: Abandoned by collsmct

Here’s what some more of the Lenzr Judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Feels more like a country schoolhouse than a home. It is windswept and it is unloved and yet it can recover. The fencing places it in a small village or on the outskirts of town. A picture that says ‘tell me more’ is a very good picture indeed.”

“It struck me as a house that was not so far gone that it could not be repaired, like it just needed some love and then life would return. I also like the composition of the picture: simple, straightforward, almost ‘head-on’ , centred, blue sky with clouds, dried grass, perfect.”

Congratulations keiran-mac, you’ve won an Apple iPad! Not a bad start to a year!

The Toronto Christmas Market Photo Contest

The Toronto Christmas Market photo contest on Lenzr was an unprecedented success, with well over 300 beautiful entries! The backdrop was the second annual Christmas Market in Toronto’s Distillery District and the challenge was to snap a photograph that captured the essence of the entire event in one frame. Judged solely by the Distillery District, the winning photograph will receive $250.00 cash and publication in Distill magazine.

The grand prize winner of the Toronto Christmas Market photo contest is (taken from the top ten user-ranked images): Under the Stars by DekkoC

The first runner-up (for the $250.oo restaurant gift certificate) is: The Event by happy_guy934

The second runner-up (for the $100.00 restaurant gift certificate) is: Distillery Christmas by kennethyim

Bonus! Mathew Rosenblatt of the Distillery District has decided to throw in a brunch for two at the award-winning Pure Spirits restaurant in the Distillery. The winner of this bonus prize is Gooderham by Caroleal

Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding contributions. Happy New Year to all from Lenzr.com!

Congratulations to the new Lenzr photo contest winners! See who won first prize and runner-up in the videos below:

Our Daily Bread Photo Contest

The Our Daily Bread photo contest gave unique insight into the kitchens of Lenzr members. The top ten photos alone displayed an array of ten various breads: dinner rolls, sliced white bread, cheesy bagels, sesame bread pockets, sourdough, multigrain, croutons, banana bread, pumpkin whoopee pies, and pita.

Sponsored by ShaSha Organic’s new organic ingredients e-store, this contest received 25 submissions, all of which brought the warming, comforting and grounding qualities of bread to the attention of the viewer. Some of them made us hungry! A big thanks to everyone who participated.

Winner: One of Life’s Blessings by LindaJ

Runner-up: Pumpkin Whoopee Pies by miss_t

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Visually appealing to the palette as well as the eye. Nice contours and balance.”

“This picture really shows the texture of the bread. Some time has been spent arranging the bread and the photographer has used great lighting.”

“I liked the way the products were staged. Well done with good lighting and exposure.”

Congratulations to LindaJ! You’ve won a breadmaker!

Homemade Halloween Costume Photo Contest

Unlike Our Daily Bread or Warehouse Stockpiles, every submission in Lenzr’s Homemade Halloween Costume photo contest had a human character–albeit evil, undead or mutant, in some cases–as the focal point of the photograph. This made for a fun contest with fantastic costume ideas and a lot of personality, but some submissions left much to be desired in terms of photographic quality. The criteria in this case was 50/50 between a great costume and a great photo.

Winner: Black Swan Costume by KelseyMarillis

Runner-up: head by cameleon

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“We must remember that this is a photo contest and not a costume contest. For that reason I have chosen this shot for the very professional-looking make-up and styling. I also like the two images side by side.”

“WOW! Did a great job knocking off the movie costume. At first glance I thought it was a movie poster.”

Congratulations to Lenzr member KelseyMarillis, you’ve won $250 in your choice of cash or candy, courtesy of Jib.ca’s social media contests.

Warehouse Stockpiles Photo Contest

Lenzr’s Warehouse Stockpiles photo contest was looking for a photograph illustrating the task of inventory management. An open-minded photographer can make any subject look interesting, and the photos submitted in this challenge were arguably some of the most creative of this round of contests. From large-scale outdoor shots showing freight in shipping yards and tankers, to indoor displays of fabric and even junk food, this contest reminds us about the intense amount of organization that goes into the distributing of the goods we use and consume.

Winner: Barrels and Barrels by pete

Runner-up: Ready to go by mich

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“The perspective of this shot caught my eye. It really captures the vast stock of barrels in the cavernous cellar.”

“It’s a little scary. I mean, what is that stuff and are the good guys stockpiling it? Great lighting.”

“I like this photo because of the cold war bunker style setting and the ambient lighting in the photo. Clearly, this is a cellar that houses an endless supply of something that is very dear to my heart, but it reminds me of a weapons stash from a scene out of a James Bond thriller. The evil Dr. No has planted nuclear warheads in each of these barrels destined for the wine cellars of the world’s most powerful leaders and only Sean Connery can save the day. Clearly, I have an over-active imagination.”

Congratulations, pete! You’ve won $250 plus a photo licensing agreement with the contest’s sponsor, a production planning and inventory management software company.

When photo contest participants become photo contest winners, they write kind letters.

Hi Rob!

Wow and reWow! Fantastic news this morning! I’m so happy! This is sooooo cool!!!

What a great honor when we’re considering the always getting better quality of the submissions in contests. I’m starting my telescopic mast photo business right now and this prize will be more than welcome. The site is getting better day after day Rob. The one only photo by member in the Top Ten policy is a great improvement. You have so much nice contests right now. I really like to see prizes involving licensing. This is a great way to have visibility and expand the finality of the site.

You know that I’ve always been interested by your site concept and will continue to be an active member. I’d like to see it becoming more social and less competitive. But with nice prices like that it’s gonna be difficult I’ve met very nice people and good photographers in the LENZR environment. I think it‘s a great way to learn from each other and become better. I want to thank you personally to have always been so encouraging. I know your a man of word and I respect that.

I eventually like to invest myself in your project and maybe help to find a way to promote your idea in Quebec. I’m sure they’re a lot of sponsors who will be interested and photography is a big market here.

I’ve never forget your judge offer too. Let me know if I can do something for you, it will be my pleasure. I’m very very happy about what’s happening and want to thank everybody at Lenzr, I know you’ve always been behind me!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Martin

Lenzr’s September-October contest season was a great success, with over 75 photographs submitted in all three contests: Metal World, Landscaping and Lawn Care and Canadian Harvest.

Yesterday, the Gladiator of Lenzr, Rob, and Lenzr’s resident dead girl, Christine, took a moment out of their Halloween morning to read the judges picks for the camera. Important: Please watch to see the winner of Nora Camps’ Canadian Harvest photo contest and a very special message from Rob:

Metal World Photo Contest

Martin Savaria is a veteran Lenzr member who, despite submitting photographs of consistently high quality in many different contests, has not had a victory until now. Congratulations, Martin, from everyone at Lenzr (many of whom are admirers of your work)!  You have finally won a prize from Lenzr, a Sony laptop! And, without further ado, here is what some of the judges had to say about the winning photograph:

“Looks very Space Odyssey. Beautiful white on white.”

“This photo reminds me of a scene from Logan’s Run. Nicely composed.”

“I like the metallic futuristic feel to this photo, I could is it in a travel ad or a stock library.”

“I love the minimalism of this. It definitely evokes something from a sci-fi film in my books. I love the curves of this tunnel that gives it a sense of elegance in an all metallic environment. At first glance, it doesn’t even look too metallic, but as the description says, the aluminum cover makes it the perfect winner for this category.”

Landscaping and Lawn Care

Contrary to the last contest, this one featured flora and foliage. The winning shot was taken by talented Lenzr member tluvr and is titled ‘Lush Lombard Landscape’. Here’s what some of the Lenzr judges had to say about it:

One month after winning the Haircuts and Hair Styles photo contest on Lenzr, the celebrated user Danielle-elise, who is Danielle Thompson in real life showed up at Donna Dolphy Yorkville hair salon to collect her prize(s) and agreed to a free haircut in exchange for letting me blog about it here.

Danielle Thompson is an attractive twenty three year old criminology graduate from the University of Western Ontario currently living and working in Burlington, paying back her student loans by working in a real estate property development firm as an administrative assistant.

She has three younger brothers and used to take pictures of them, and for them, chronicling their achievements in sports and outdoor adventures. At one point she had free use of the family camera, a professional grade Canon Rebel with assorted lenses, but an unfortunate incident with one of the younger brothers has eliminated this resource, permanently.

Now she meddles around with small digital cameras, I didn’t catch the name of her most recent tool, but I did get the sense that’s she’s looking for a high quality digital camera to continue her photography art and hobby. She dabbles with fashion and beauty images and puts them on her blogs, in support of her ideas and product research.

Danielle’s blogs include, My Heart on My Sleeve, and one even more fashion and beauty focused On Sugar blog, called Liner and Glitter and Glass oh my, and I’ll admit that name sounds a bit off center but thats actually the trend for blog names On Sugar, and when she told me the handle I smiled, because I know many other similar such destinations. However I cautioned her, just as I will remind all readers here, that blogs are best when you own the domain outright and use open source software such as WordPress which is downloaded free at wordpress dot org

On Oct 1st 2011 Danielle Thompson and her mom spent some quality time at Donna Dolphy hair salon in Yorkville, have a Lenzr prize winning experience.

Danielle Thompson at Donna Dolphy, Toronto hair salon

Here’s a photo montage showing the event with minor commentary where necessary,
Here’s where the day started.

I was reading my book and taking pictures of Donna’s shop which was super busy when Danielle and her mother, Marie Jo arrived in the salon. Donna greeted them both from her chair at the front window with a wide smile and big hello over the din of the already busy salon.

We waited upstairs until Donna could meet us. We talked and I took pictures

Then Donna came up, and she took us outside to her little rooftop oasis in the heart of the city.

We took some lovely pictures in the sunshine.

The sun was really shining and it was a beautiful afternoon.

After a few minutes outside we all went downstairs to the shampoo section where Donna Dolphy gave Danielle Thompson the full head washing experience, cold and hot water alongside some L’Oreal hair care products, I’m sure.


Marie Jo got a picture of Danielle getting her hair washed for her Facebook page.
Marie Jo got a coffee
Then came the actual hair cutting.

Donna took Danielle to her chair at the front of the salon.

At this point I asked Donna what she would do if she had hair like Danielle,

And she answered without hesitation, “I’d flaunt it. I’d do just what she’s doing, work it into long curls and show it off. It’s an eye catcher.”

Donna made Danielle look like the modern day Farrah Fawcett…

Danielle probably doesn’t know who Farrah Fawcett is. Everything that’s old is new again.

This just in: we have new winners for the August-September contest session. But first…

Special thanks to Darren from Spectacle in the Distillery, who graciously lent his aesthetic sense to Lenzr in the judging of our two August-September contests, A Manufacturing Process and Classy Summer Drinks. Spectacle is a funky shop that specializes in designer glasses and sunglasses so stylish they’d tempt someone with 20/20 vision to fake farsightedness.

The A Manufacturing Process photo contest was groundbreaking but not spectacular in terms of participation. It’s the prize structure that rewards three photographs in addition to the grand prize winner that breaks all previous boundaries. Though there were only 16 photos uploaded (due to the extremely specific and highly challenging theme) there was a lively conversation in the comments section. And at the end of the day, it opened some eyes on what it means to boost lean initiatives in manufacturing processes.

Winner: Plasma Torch by crazyhbx

Runner-Up: Parts by miguelesquirol

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Nice catch! Capturing this image is not an easy feat. The blue-purple hue adds to the image.”

“This picture is captivating, not only for the colours and the clarity but also for the action.”

“I love the purple colours, lens flare and the comet tail–it really shows the machinery in action.”

Congratulations, crazyhbx, you’ve won the $250 prize and photo licensing agreement with the contest’s lean manufacturing sponsor!

Three other photos, selected by the sponsor, win $75 and photo licensing agreements, and they will be announced as soon as possible.

Thanks to all the Lenzr users who participated and especially to those who flagged users who may be foreigners (which is contrary to contest rules). One chap named InTheSpot1 turned out to be a nice guy from Pennsylvania, and he replied to my polite inquiry with the following email:

Mr. Campbell,
First off, I love the website! I love the photos that I get to take for work and was so excited to see two contests that catered to my type of photos that I did not read the terms of use as closely as I should have, only the rules. I am sorry for any trouble this may have caused. I understand you will have to remove the images from the website. I would love to be featured on your blog. We have a long and interesting story, detailing an ongoing journey of small town manufacturing. I will get you some new photos and an approved write up. Once again, even though I won’t be able to enter I look forward to watching the site and voting! Have a great day!

Do you happen to know of any websites like yours in the states?
Jason Sakal

Sadly I had to delete Jason’s pics and I didn’t even save them before I deleted them because I reckoned he was going to send more. He hasn’t yet, but if he does I will post them here.

Bill Watson, the legendary ve3bnw on Lenzr and veteran Judge, who runs a wicked cool aerial photography service emailed me and submitted photos privately, which are excellent, and which I will display here:

One of these will be licensed to Solarsoft as well to pay homage to Bill Watson who has always been such an avid supporter of Lenzr.

Next,

Onyx Containers:

The Classy Summer Drinks challenge was perfect for food and beverage  photographers to shoot a delicious looking alcoholic drink (or a non alcoholic drink) in summertime conditions, and serve up their picture with a dash of story.

Winner: Berry Fizz by seattledredge
Runner-Up: Caesar to Please by kevyn2992
Here’s what some of our judges had to say about the winning photograph:

“Seattledredge’s picture is simple, clear. My eyes were returning to it constantly and as tammyschmidt wrote, ‘I really want to drink it.’ Alluring.”

“Great job with its simplicity. It gives all attention to the drink, which is what is needed in this. The colours pop out at you, and who doesn’t love a great blueberry drink in the summer? It’s nice and bright, colourful, and makes me want to grab one and drink it myself.”

“Cool, fruity and effervescent, this drink is sure to refresh on a hot summer day.”

Congratulations to seattledredge, you’ve won $400 in stainless steel kitchenware and ice cube trays courtesy of our sponsor. And congratulations to everyone else who participated in this contest; in terms of photo quality, this may have been Lenzr’s most successful photo contest ever!

Lenzr Judges Make Final Decision

Four great summer photo contests have come to end this month.  And there have been so many wonderful images to select winners from.  The Lenzr Judges had their work cut out for them.   There were some challenging decisions to make from the top ten photos from each photo contests.   Each of the four contests had 10 amazing photos, but only one prize for each.   Everyone has their personal favourite photos but thanks to the Lenzr Judges there are now four prize winners!   Congratulations to each winner,  and all other entries for their time and effort!

Objects in Motion

The MetroCity photo, taken by kevyn2992, is the prize winner of a Sony laptop. The photographer described with his photo “The quickest way to downtown Vancouver is riding above the streets. Here the people move fast and the weather changes fast too, so you better be ready to act and adapt to keep up.”
The overall Objects in Motion contest received 157 entrees and over 3,500 votes.  Then out of the top ten rated the judges determined MetroCity the winner. One of the judges, R. Carmichael wrote  ‘something eerily retro, yet remarkably modern juxtaposed upon a dark, storm, almost surreal weather-scape that is Vancouver. “  Another judge explained, “the train caught coming into the station contrasts nicely with the stationary platform and tracks.  The ominous clouds adds a good touch, as well.”

Also, an honorable mention goes to mitchelbriones.   His photo was a close tie with his photo titled,  Let’s Move it’s Summer, which is another awesome photo.  However, the judges determined MetroCity the winner with each judge having a second choice option voting in it’s favor.

Toronto Tourist Attraction

The Flatiron photo to the right by silversurfer71 was voted the best Toronto Tourist Attraction image.  The top ten voted Toronto Tourist Attraction photos were a competitive challenge with 49 photo entrees and almost 1000 votes. This picture was described as,  “one of the most pretty buildings in Toronto and that it reminds one me of a piece of pie.”  “This building is a icon of Toronto that represents a time that is long gone but not forgotten.  The composition is lovely.  Surreal.”

This was another hard decision for judges due to the amazing photos to choose from.  The photo to the right titled, Who is there?? by mr_slava came close to winning as well.  A judge wrote “the baby picture made me take a second look at exactly what was happening here.  I questioned myself as to what I was seeing.This in itself makes for a great picture as it keeps the viewer’s attention, making the guess what is happening.  Nicely done.”  Once again so many great photos to choose from.

Fireplaces and Furnaces

So many beautiful photos were entered into this photo challenge.  Even though the  Fire Places and Furnaces photo contests only had 27 entrees, it received over 530 votes.  Out of the top ten photos the judges determined the photo to the left, Summer Bonfire by Lefthook 25 the best photo and the prize winner of another Sony laptop.  The judges admired the capture of colours.  The use of blue hues is incredible.

Another photo mention in the photo contest goes to Hello Summer by Dasha for it was another almost tie with the winner, and This Band is Hot by j3ckl3r.  Both of these near misses images gave off a warm mood.   All the photos, especially the top ten, were incredible.

Haircuts and Hairstyles

Donna Dolphy was very impressed with the quality of Haircuts and Hair Styles that were uploaded into the contest. Her Yorkville salon is always interested in seeing new fashions and testing new hair styles on different shaped human heads. This contest was something akin to research for herself and her stylists.

This contest received 56 photo entrees and almost 800 votes.   The judges had a few favourites once again.   However, a final decision had to be made, and not everyone could win, so the winning photo is Colourful Braid by danielle-elise of Burlington.  “I liked the ponytail partly because of the cropping of the photo. It captures the purpose of the picture, which focuses on the hair.  The composition along with the nicely highlighted hair makes me give this one the thumbs up.”  judge Taku wrote.  Another judge liked the subtly of it.

Once again another mention goes to another close second silversurfer71 and his photo  Hawk and the Scarlet Dove, with comments from judges, “nice head what do you feed it!”   Another judge gave this feedback, “Nice job Silver Surfer.  The hair is great. The gritty dirt is awesome, the reflection in the sunglasses is almost out of this world.”

Lenzr judges were pleased with many of the photos that they had to choose from to pick from.   The competition was high.  Congratulations to all the finalists in each of the four contests.  Each photo deserves a mention of some kind for their creative risk taking and photographic skills.

These were the first four contests on the new website, and they shall always be remembered in screengrabs like this – they are forever preserved in the history of Lenzr, and will be added to the growing legacy of successful social media storytelling case studies.

The winners are:

Construction Sights: Congratulations, silversurfer71, your photo Total Destruction has won you a Sony laptop! Here’s what some of the Lenzr judges had to say:

“Although I’m generally not too partial to unrealistic HDR images, I like the composition of this picture the best. The black and orange arm in the front stands out and gives a sense of power with the torn down building in the background, supporting this feeling.”

“That’s a great image.”

“A fine superposition telling a story in one shot.”

Admin, Rob Campbell adds that the machinery looks like a prehistoric animal and with the machine in the background working on the building, it suggests that they are eating the concrete. This is not actually a construction site yet, its still a destruction site, and hence the name. The machines look like wild animals eating the buildings. Its an awesome picture and worthy of any Construction Company website – these are the types of images that Lenzr would someday like to license and make available to web developers.

Best Office Staff Party: Congratulations mr_slava, you’ve won a Sony laptop for your photo called ‘Get Into the Pool’. Here’s what some of the Lenzr judges had to say:

“Took me awhile to get it, but throwing people in the pool is fun. It’s happened to me before, when I was younger. He has to win!”

“Great picture – great entry. Mr Slava has the only picture worth considering memorable.”

“You can just picture what happens next with this one. The expression of the guy by the pool is a classic and tells us exactly what we all want to see, but are left to see it in our own imagination.”

A Counting Exercise: Congratulations silversurfer71, you’ve won again, this time by a landslide, with your photo ‘Air Time Math.’ Here’s what some of the Lenzr judges had to say:

“Beautiful action shot, and I love the way her outstretched arms are mirrored in the hopscotch drawing on the road.”

“First Pick is “Air Time Math” This photo shows counting starting at an early age. The photo is well composed. Funny how this pic reminds me of Sesame Street.”

“This is a great capture of the child in action. Her frozen in the air as she hops through the numbers is great. It’s such a playful image that captures the essence of counting by the numbers in the squares.”

“There is something innocent and compelling about a child at play. I think we all can relate to a good game of hopscotch. I found myself counting to myself when I observed this photo.”

Shafts of Sunlight:

Congratulations lemming, you’ve won a Sony Cyber Shot with your photo ‘Forestrays’. It was a close contest between this photo and Martin Savaria’s ‘National Highway 2′. Here’s what some of the judges had to say:

“… soft capture of morning sunlight. Nice colour and layout.”

“Breathtaking and captivating.”

“Shafts of light through trees in forests are always a classic. I can really get the feel of the emptiness of the forest with this picture. The sunlight looks almost a little surreal, as if it’s coming from heaven. A wider crop to the photo would have brought about a more expressive picture, but I still get a good warmth out of this one as it is.”

“It’s brilliant.”

CEO Rob’s reflections on the four July 2011 Lenzr Photo Contests:

CONSTRUCTION SIGHTS
The Construction Sights photo contest was a nice exercise in voyeurism. There were a lot of photos taken from the fence. It reminded me of a Dumpdiggers post about buying bottles in parking lots of excavation sites. I like construction sites and will go out of my way to look through the hole in the fence and peer down into the fresh concrete abyss, and see men working beside stacks of rebar, nailing together wooden forms or nowadays its insulated concrete forms and men without shirts laboring away and using their bodies to make things that will endure for three hundred years or maybe more… I’ve often wondered if the first skyscrapers will be deemed historical buildings and have people lobbying to save them? Do you think your children, or your children’s children will ever donate money to Save the Scotia Bank Tower fund? Will the tallest skyscraper today someday be dwarfed by the next generation’s monoliths?

BEST OFFICE STAFF PARTY
I gotta be honest, this was a bit of a disappointment for me, and in that reckoning I learned something. People generally are not comfortable posting pictures of their friends and co-workers going crazy in the office. And good for them – the last thing we want to do is be the lynchpin in some scandalous story emerging about misdeeds eye witnessed and made public in a Lenzr photo contest.
I expected to see more and better pictures here, but I was pleased with the Top Ten grouping overall. There are some fine snapshots visible and they are definitely more storyful, or full of story than average, so we got that part right. And regarding the Top Ten, I’ve read some of the Judge’s selections and, indeed, there’s a contest here.

SHAFTS OF SUNLIGHT
This was the spotlight of the summer so far. You know this match was on the back burner for two or maybe even three months before it ever launched? It was ghost contest. Shafts of Sunlight sat unpublished in the CMS of the previous Lenzr website, and the blog widgets would pick it up and show the same three images … But nobody could enter – the contest didn’t go live until June 1st on the new website.
At first this contest was just a collection of lens flares and foreground lighting affects at best, at worst in some shots including those I deleted and many that came afterwards, there were no noticeable shafts or flares beyond overexposure. However, the sponsor is very happy with the results of this contest and found the whole experience quite illuminating.

A COUNTING EXERCISE
The most successful Lenzr photo contest to date – count up the numbers! This contest has exceeded the previous record holder, Backyard Critters
by about another 25 images. It had 152 pictures total! And it attracted an amazing quality of originality – I was and will always be extremely proud of this contest for being so successful and imaginative, original and cool. That’s right, it was cool. We hit on something in the zeitgeist there – people do like to count things.

In fact, this contest was so well constructed, I want to show off my favourites of the ones that didn’t make the Top Ten images. Lenzr admin will give ‘honourable mentions’ which has never happened thus far in the entire history of the website, but some pics were so good I sat and marveled at them and wondered how to celebrate them and their creators:

Shark!!!

Great job Toylady.

Tam-Tadam-ta-Tadam

Terrific – perfect for the theme – this is something I would count ! Great job mr_slava
(Next time give it a better name that’s easier to write and to remember)

Plenty of Purple by kevyn2992

Awesome picture dude.

The sponsor , or actually it was Mark Goodfield, The Blunt Bean Counter, wrote a summary of A Counting Exercise, and included  his favourite pics (almost none of which made it into the top ten) and a general overview of the attraction.

Message from Rob Campbell
We’re just a small photo contest website that is growing slowly, painfully slowly. There are a couple dozen real obvious things I want to change about the new site and the same amount again of irritating things that I know could be improved. But the fixes are happening every day now and will continue until they are all completed, hopefully by the fall… and then we will probably evolve again.
The Lenzr estore will be called The Lenzaar or maybe The Bazr, I haven’t quite decided yet. In there will be a smattering of our clients’ products that we know will make great prizes in the free Community Contests. These will be for sale as prizes – when you buy the prize, the contest is free.
Custom Widgets? Yes – we are real excited about the idea of being able to offer custom widgets that display either the most recent three pictures, or the top three pictures, or perhaps just your own three pictures on your own website or blog. You will also be able to select the contests you wish to chronicle in your sidebar widget – or banner – or button display.
API – the ultimate customization is to be able to put the Lenzr photo contest software module on your own website and collect votes and comments and make that page of your own website relevant – and it will forever host a database of well optimized images directly related to your company’s products or services.
Post your picture to Facebook? Yes, and Tweet individual photos of course this is going to be available. And a monthly newsletter
We endeavour to become the world’s best and most well known photo contest manufacturer.

Community Contest Updates on Winners

This post is long overdue–eleven days overdue, to be exact. The Community Contests that were put on the new website right after our June 1st launch were test subjects. They were put there to test the functionality of the Start Your Own Contest component, which is, without question, the most significant improvement to the new Lenzr website. We are still testing this improvement and have not yet been able to present the optimal user experience.

We appreciate everyone’s patience while we’re working out the kinks.

The Most Glorious Colours

This was in effect the very first Community Contest ever created and executed on Lenzr.
A synopsis of the Glorious Colours photo contest read, “There is magic in every sunset, colour, mood, and cloud formation.”–this contest was looking for sunset submissions and the prize offered was a solar powered radio. The challenge was won by MrSlava with his Jamaican Red Stripe photo. The contest started on June 1 and ended on July 1st with 51 stunning photo entries.

A Line Has Been Drawn

The sun has produced energy for billions of years. Solar energy is free, and its supplies are unlimited. Every year, the Earth absorbs 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) of solar energy; it is time to harness it. SolarLine Power manufactures and assembles portable solar generators (PSGs) that are affordable, reliable, quiet, and deliver clean renewable power.

SolarLine Power makes Mobile Solar Work Units that can deliver remote power for industry, entertainment, disaster relief, and remote living scenarios.  If you’re currently using dirty, noisy, diesel generators for your remote power needs, or simply want to make your business greener, then you should consider a quiet, clean, environmentally friendly Solarline PSG. Portable solar power is here.

MrSlava with his Jamaican Red Stripe photo wins a portable solar powered radio.

The Eton Scorpion Wind Up / Solar Radio is a truly fantastic addition to any travelogue.  Mr Slava’s many friends will envy his new found ability to bring the music wherever he is, especially if the like the music he brings.

What’s In Your Garden Photo Contest

This photo contest asked for photographers to show the plumpest tomatoes, crispest lettuces, ravishing radishes, beta carotene rich carrots and anything and everything that’s growing in the garden. This contest was not looking for just a quick snap shot, it was looking for images with shapes such as, squares, circles, triangles, octagons and triangles that required the imagination. This contest only ran for a month, yet it attracted 51 photo submissions of profoundly beautiful works of art. Truly amazing. The What’s In Your Garden photo contest was won by Bev Jay, who won the Ames Lawn Buddy. This prize may prove to be perfect for maintaining that vibrant garden.

What’s in Your Garden was sponsored by The Grass Cutters

They’re not just tree huggers… they love lawns, shrubs and gardens, too. The GrassCutters are the first clean-air lawn care service in Canada. Their goal is to provide a clean grass cutting experience, and they’re busy building the nation’s first and best sustainable lawn care service that’s powered by renewable energy. They intend to eliminate and/or reduce our dependence on fossil fuel esp as its used in two cycle engines, (like most gas powered lawnmowers). They use quieter more efficient electric equipment, provide organic weed, fertilizer and pest control options and in some cases use a good old fashioned push mower. All this to protect future generations from the harmful effects of dirty gas mowers and unnatural lawn care practices.

Here is the winning picture, sunkissed, by user tluvr. The contest garnered 49 uploads which accrued 427 votes.

Living the Life Photo Contest

This contest was just for bragging rights – there was no prize involved. Lenzr members were asked to upload photos of moments of extreme relaxation–the perfect summertime contest and a laid-back introduction to Lenzr’s Community Contests.

This Community Contest was started by MuskokaGirl, a Lenzr member who runs her own successful Muskoka blog. The winner of the contest, as picked by MuskokaGirl (anyone from the Muskokas is an R&R connoisseur, right?) is Lenzr member Imoxide for this photo, called Living Free.

By the Light of the Moon Photo Contest

This contest page was home to some controversy when a new Lenzr member, omoxx1, blew the whistle on a couple of submissions that were using Photoshop and may (or may not have) pasted a moon image clip-art style into the photograph. For the record, here at Lenzr we see nothing wrong with using Photoshop on a submitted image; however, cut-and-pasting is just not cool for two reasons: 1) it’s not a photograph anymore, it’s a collage, and 2) clipping all or part of an image from an unidentified source is a violation of copyright laws and plain old plagiarism, the sworn enemy of artistic expression. This contest was offering a big prize, and when there’s a big prize on the line the likelihood of cheating or sabotage is higher–not just in a Lenzr photo contest but in any field of competition!

While we appreciate omoxx1′s passionate cry for fair play, we wonder how it could have been more inquisitive rather than accusatory–we like to give our members the benefit of the doubt. The photographs that were called out did NOT win the contest, and potentially, that may be due to the whistle-blowing. Lenzr doesn’t want to see this happen again so over the next few days we’ll be devising a plan on how we can better inquire into photographs that may look suspicious. Please bear with us as the site has only recently launched–we are working to have the Lenzr Forum reinstated as soon as possible, and think a suspicious picture inquiry section on the Forum would be more appropriate than commenting on the photograph itself. We also wanted to thank Lenzr member Martin Savaria, who for months has been submitting beautiful work to the Lenzr contests but also wrote in to administration to voice a number of kinks he’s noticed in the site. Suggestions from Lenzr members are highly valued and appreciated, especially at this early stage in what will hopefully be a very long lifeline for Lenzr.

By the Light of the Moon was Sponsored by It’s My Potty

It’s My Potty is a forward-thinking portable restroom company committed to improving the portable washroom experience. This company believes “using a portable restroom should be a normal, everyday, clean, comfortable experience; not a mind numbing, nose altering embarrassment,” and their products as well as unmatched customer service are testament to that. They’re green-friendly too–a pioneer in its field, It’s My Potty introduced solar panels in their units long before the green renaissance. Their portable restroom solutions have received compliments from the attendees of many formal, upscale events–now that’s clean!

The winner of the By the Light of the Moon Contest and a 5-day 4-night cruise was, this being a Community Contest, at the sole discretion of It’s My Potty (the Lenzr judges had nothing to do with it). So without further ado, congratulations to Dasha for her photo called Silver Night.