February 2, 2026

***Submission Thread for the February Photo Contest: Baby, it's cold outside***

PLEASE RESERVE THIS THREAD FOR SUBMISSIONS ONLY, NO COMMENTS

strongermessage won the theme "Our Pets" and has chosen February's theme:

“Baby, it’s cold outside”

Submissions to remain open until February 15 or until we reach our limit of 30, whichever comes first. Should we fall short of 30 by end of day February 13, I will call for SECOND ENTRIES, but please wait until I do so.

Rules:
MONTHLY CONTEST:
Your photo must be your own original work. Please do not post a photo downloaded from the internet and presented as your own.

Only one entry of your own original work per person, unless/until the Volunteer Host opens Submissions for second entries. You need to post your entry in the submission thread started by the Host. Please be sure to include a "Title" for your photograph in the Subject line of your post. The submission thread is for photo entries only, no comments, no questions. The Host will start a separate thread just for comments and questions.

Here's the link for the Comments Thread: https://www.democraticunderground.com/1036158052

Once a photo is entered in a contest it is ineligible for any future contest unless the Host specifies otherwise.

The winner of the contest is the one to choose the theme of the next contest. The winner may choose a theme or ask for suggestions and run a poll to pick one. Either way the Theme will always be at the discretion of the person who won the contest.

The Volunteer Host has the option of adding other rules to the contest they are hosting. An example would be no Black & White or all Black & White entries.

The Volunteer Host has the option of declaring the submissions being blind (no one knows who entered which photo) or public. Should the Host op for blind submissions it is their responsibility to instruct entrants on how to get their entries to the host.

We no longer have rules about the photo size. But please be reasonable! Ask if you have questions. Keep in mind that photos which are too large can be a disadvantage. For instance, photos that are too tall may require scrolling to see the entire image on a computer screen. Photos that are too wide may not look great when viewed vertically on a phone.

The Volunteer Host is the final authority in their contests. The Volunteer Host may enter a contest as long as the Volunteer Host is not the previous winner and has not selected the theme for the contest which they are hosting.

Submissions will be limited to 30 entries maximum unless the Photography Group votes to change the limits.

The Winner of the contest agrees to pick the next month's theme. The Winner of the monthly contest may not enter the contest for which they selected a theme.

The Submission & Comment threads will be posted in the Photography Group. The Preliminary polls and Final Contest poll will be posted in GD per EarlG’s permission.

CONTEST LICENSE:
An entrant to this contest, by submitting a photograph, is giving permission for that photograph to be copied to Demopedia or to a linked Gallery and included in a DU Calendar that will display the photographs entered for this contest for the purpose of publicizing future contests and/or commemorating current and past contests. The entrant retains all other rights to the photograph being submitted. Neither Demopedia and/or a linked Gallery may use any photograph submitted for any purpose other than to display the photograph being submitted by the entrant, and neither gains any real or implied ownership rights to the photograph.

February 2, 2026

***Comments Thread for the February Photo Contest: Baby, it's cold outside***

NO COMMENTS IN THE SUBMISSION THREAD, PLEASE!
IT THROWS OFF THE COUNT WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW MANY ENTRIES WE ACTUALLY HAVE.

This is the place for your comments on the entries and for any questions about the contest.

January 25, 2026

***Announcing our February Theme & Timeline ***

strongermessage won the theme "Our Pets" and has chosen February's theme:

“Baby, it’s cold outside”

Since we are in an Arctic Freeze nationwide, I felt it timely to announce the theme earlier than normal to give everyone a chance to capture your best interpretation of “Baby, it’s cold outside” while it really is.

February is a slightly shorter month, so let’s get at it:

Timeline:
Submissions: February 2 to February 15 or until 30 submissions are reached, in which case I may move up the preliminaries.
Preliminary polls in GD: February 16 through February 18
Final poll in GD: As soon as possible after the prelims are complete

Initially, there will be one entry per member, however if our 30 target has not been reached by end of day February 13, I will call for second entries, so keep one in reserve! At that time I may choose to submit an entry of my own to fill out submissions, even though it is 84 here today. All entries must be your original work, and not have been entered before in any of our photo contests.

Good luck to everyone!

January 23, 2026

Now you have a face to attach to the madness

https://www.democraticunderground.com/117912302

Referencing this post from December, my 5 entries (page 11) were part of 500 submitted for the digital gallery, and one, Bob Hope USO Christmas show of 1970, was chosen to be printed and framed for the physical gallery display. They chose one other to represent USO tours, the one above mine of Marilyn Monroe visiting Korea in 1954, good company to be in!

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is in Ybor City, home of the Tampa Cigar industry from the beginning of the last century. It is now an artsy/bar/restaurant enclave just outside of downtown Tampa. After visiting the physical photo gallery, I snapped a few street scenes, including a couple of flashy roosters that are allowed to roam freely throughout the town. Enjoy!

January 7, 2026

email sent to Hilton Hotels PR

To: hiltonpr@hilton.com
Now that you have blood on your hands in Minneapolis, do you stand by your position of providing lodging for ICE agents?

Not sure who sent it, no response as yet. Feel free to ask them your questions.

December 30, 2025

Holiday House finch at Habanero House

December 30, 2025

Holiday Cardinals at Habanero House

Yeah, I'm lookin' good

December 25, 2025

Happy Holidays to the DU photo community

No snow, but a nice Cardinal
I have set my "Birds of the Garden" gallery for downloads, up to 4K, if you find something special you really like.

https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/THE-GARDEN-AND-ABOVE/BIRDS-OF-THE-GARDEN

December 20, 2025

Moving birdbath 3' makes quite a difference

I moved my birdbath 3' to have an angle to catch the full reflection in the water, and it paid off immediately with a Painted bunting. I'll now experiment with different color stones in the bottom that make a shallow support for them. This is dark slate, but I have some white marble somewhere to try.





BONUS BUNTING eating Firespike

December 16, 2025

Trigger warning (beautiful Florida Black Racer (snake))

I am building a grape arbor (Southern Home and Delicious Purple Muscadine) and met one of my tenants that provide pest control. They live in burrows dug by other animals like armadillos and gopher tortoises, of which I have many in the area of the arbor. Their first instinct is to remain motionless, but sudden movements will cause them to disappear in a flash, befitting their name Racer. This one allowed me to get within 10’, and I even got down to ground level for this one-on-one. I estimate this fella at 4’ and diameter of a quarter, the longest ever recorded was ~6’. They eat just about anything they can catch, and few small animals can outrun them. They on the other hand are preyed upon by my hawks and opossums, probably racoons too. We coexist with an uneasy acceptance of each other. I love how I can see the low winter sun in the eye.