Announcing the *****WINNERS*****of the July Photo Contest "DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK"

[Mira]

The contest is over and it was fun for us all. Thank you for voting, thank you for your comments and above all for expressing interest and showing it with your participation.

I thank the photographers for submitting their work.
I thank all who helped kick the threads.

Now to the Huge Drumroll for our runaway

FIRST PLACE WINNER
who is
LAKE ARENAL
with her intriguing and mystifying photograph

WALKING INTO THE MOON



In second place is CaliforniaPeggy with her beautiful photo of

THE CLOCK IN SHADOW
taken at the Musee d”Orsay in Paris



The third place is held by both
(ladies first)
mnhtnbb who keeps the song in my head with
MOONSHADOWS


and also by
GoneOffShore
with the “I wish I were there” street scene of

AUTUMN APPROACHES IN AIX - Homage to Harry Callahan


Those two photos were down to the wire within such proximity that it was hard to know who would win the spot, and at the very end it was a true tie.

=====================================
And finally, as Hostess Choice, I want to present again the
MISSING LYNX
by OCELOT II
)
Juat to give you another look at the hard-to-find (but not missing) Bobcat lurking in the darkness and mixture of shadow and light.
Though we are warned not to be, I do feel afraid of what’s lurking in the dark.

I also liked the play on words in the title.

Well done, everyone!!!

[a kennedy]

1. Yup, yup, yup, exactly as placement should be.

Congratulations to all the winners and to all who entered the contest. Just love the talent here and applaud all involved. ?️

[FalloutShelter]

2. K&R

Congrats, everyone, on beautiful and thought-provoking work.

[Srkdqltr]

3. Perfect. Wonderful pictures 📸

[BlueIdaho]

4. Congrats to all who entered!

Some strong work here…

[Grumpy Old Guy]

5. Congratulations to all!

It was a great topic and a great competition.

[Solly Mack]

6. Congrats all!

[sheshe2]

7. Congratulations to all.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. My thanks to Mira for doing such a stellar job of organizing and running the contest!

Thanks to everyone who voted for my photo! I truly appreciate the support.

And kudos to all who entered! It was a great contest.

[crickets]

9. Another wonderful collection of photos this month.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who shared their lovely photos!

[Mousetoescamper]

10. Congratulations to all of the winners!

Thanks for graciously hostessing the contest, Mira!

[XanaDUer2]

11. Congrats nt

[blogslug]

12. Yay!

So many wonderful photos this round! Hats off to all!

[mnhtnbb]

13. The Moon, Paris and Aix en Provence

All endlessly fascinating!

Congratulations to my fellow "winners"


and thanks to Mira for hosting the contest.

[brer cat]

14. These were all winners! There is much talent in this group.

[MLAA]

15. Congrats Lake Arenal, CalPeggy, mnhtnbb, GoneOffShore and Ocelot II!

Wonderful shots and well deserved accolades 💗

[murielm99]

16. Congrats to all.

[niyad]

17. Congratulations to all the winners. It was a most intriguing theme, and so

many truly astounding images.

[denvine]

18. Congratulations to all!

Stunning photographs!

[burrowowl]

19. Congratulations to all!!!

[lostnfound]

20. Why did this photo contest make me want to cry so much?

Gorgeous and haunting, deep and lonely.

Great work.
I overlooked Moonshadows the first time, failing to see the round allure of the bluish clearing surrounding it. How it hints of an eye, where the moon is the pupil and the tree branches are like small blood vessels around it.

The Clock in Shadow haunts us with the march of time, and Walking into the Moon makes me want to weep in its existential loneliness, of the bravery ultimately required to walk through to tomorrow, not knowing where we really are or what comes next.

[mnhtnbb]

22. Thank you

for putting into words what you saw and felt from looking at Moonshadows, The Clock in Shadow, and Walking into the Moon.

For me, the "best" photo is not just about capturing an image, but tells a story and releases one's imagination to wonder what the photographer saw or wanted to say when choosing to shoot the subject, and what emotions the artist was hoping to raise in the audience viewing the work.

Moonshadows is my work and I wondered whether anyone would notice how the shot was framed to suggest an eye...and what it might see in the shadows on Earth at night in the woods.

[Ocelot II]

21. Thank you for the Hostess' Choice award and for managing the contest, and

congratulations to all the winners. Some really fine photos in this bunch!

[electric_blue68]

23. Congratulations, to the winners, and all participants! Goooood stuff!

[EarthboneArt]

24. Congrats all!

Just as much fun as the last contest,lets do it again !