Droplet

Droplet, originally uploaded by planetpater, All Rights Reserved.

The winner of our December Brackets is planetpater, with this incredible water droplet image!

She faced tough competition this time around, and the rounds were very close. But this phenomenal image won out above the rest!

We interviewed Patricia, and here are her responses:

Where are you from?

I've been living in the Philippines since birth and am now 14 although we might move to California in the next years to come.

What type of equipment do you use?

I use a Canon EOS 400D, Kit lens, 50mm f1.8 II, 430EX Speedlite and some Point and Shoots :)

What's the story behind your Bracket's entry?

Well I attempted it once before, but I wasn't satisfied with the lighting, composition, etc. :P So I tried again with a different tap. I saw that the direct flash was not working for me still so I diffused it with my body splash from Bath and Body and then poof! - instant burst of color. Little did I know that my droplet would get this far :) I tried it in some of the challenges here on PFO and it won. That kept me inspired. Thanks so much to all those who voted! The other winners had stunning entries and I'm very surprised (and ecstatic) that I won! It's a great Christmas gift!

What types of photos do you like to shoot?

I like doing portraits, nature photography and events photography although I have much to learn in the events area, but mostly I photograph anything I feel like capturing. Whatever feels right. :)

Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Patricia

From all the PFO moderation team and players, we, too, wish you and yours a joyous holiday season, and a terrific start to the New Year.

Hidden Gems

At Photo Face-Off, we've started a new feature every week called Hidden Gems. One group administrator and one group moderator choose two photos from our pool of winners. These are then featured on the main page of our group. This way we can re-visit some of the outstanding contributions from our winners.

Here is a slideshow of the most recently featured photos. Click through it to see any of the images on Flickr itself, and perhaps leave a comment if you're a Flickr user!


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. The copyright of all photos displayed is held by the image owner.

Eagle Owl

Eagle Owl, originally uploaded by sweetgoddess71, All Rights Reserved.

The winner of the November Brackets is our very own moderator, Barb, sweetgoddess71 with this incredibly detailed portrait of an owl.

We interviewed Barb to get a little background:

Where are you from?
Philadelphia, PA; currently live just outside the city

What type of equipment do you use?
Canon A610

What's the story behind your Bracket's entry?
This Eagle Owl was part of a birds of prey exhibition at a birding festival at a wildlife refuge near my home. I must've taken at least 20 photos of this beautiful bird but this one is my favorite. I love the eyes and the color variation in the feathers.


What types of photos do you like to shoot?
Almost anything that looks interesting to me. I'm especially fond of flowers, animals, trees, architecture and sculpture. I'm also trying to get better at candid portraits and non-flower macros.

escapando

Our winner this month is Patricia from Argentina with this exquisitely moody yet perky beach scene! The competition was fierce, but it was not a close call in the final round. She won the Brackets handily, and we are proud to call her one of our own. Please enjoy this treat, and comment upon it if you will.


"escapando" by Patounica, All Rights Reserved.

Summer Winter Wonderland

Summer Winter Wonderland, originally uploaded by swilton , All Rights Reserved.

Winning the September Brackets, surely one of our finest challenges ever run at PFO, is swilton with this stunning Infrared photo, Summer Winter Wonderland.

Eligibility for the Brackets

Our Hall of Fame Champions are winners of a tough competition: The Brackets. This challenge pits Platinum winning photos against one another.

Want to see some of the eligible photos? Take a look at this slideshow:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

New Brighton lighthouse 2

New Brighton lighthouse 2, originally uploaded by Bottesini, All Rights Reserved.

Just winning the August Brackets is our newest moderator, Bottesini.

We'll interview him as soon as he returns from vacation!

Way to go, and congratulations!

Table Mountain 1

Table Mountain 1, originally uploaded by edensgate, All Rights Reserved.

The July winner of the Brackets with this stunning landscape taken in Whatcom County, WA, USA, was edensgate.

We will backfill an interview with her here as time allows.

Autumn #011

Autumn #011, originally uploaded by panos_r, All Rights Reserved.

This stunning excursion into digital imagery was mastered by panos_r, and was the first Champion of our Brackets. The technique used was Smooth HDR plus Orton. Panos, however, has the eye for scenic shots, and all of his photos are a delight to view.

Panos lives between Greece and Italy, and shoots strictly with Nikon equipment. When he returns from his travels, we will backfill in an interview here.

About This Blog

This blog shows off the best photographs we have in our Flickr group, Photo Face-Off Challenges.

These photographs are the winners of our Championship challenge, The Brackets. The Brackets pits Platinum medal winning photographs against one another. Winners have to survive four rounds to become the Champ.

At PFO, our mission statement is a simple one:

Photo Face-Off Challenges encourages photographers to perfect their skills in a fun, entertaining, and exciting environment by competing against other photographers in themed match-ups. The emphasis in our group is on images made in the camera, barely relying on digital enhancement in post-production. At Photo Face-Off, most competitions consider excellence in photography, rather than in digital art.

We hope you enjoy our photos, and encourage you to leave comments. If you have a Flickr account, why not click through to leave comments on the photos and make a new contact?

Your PFO Administration and Moderation Team thanks you.