And the Winner is...

Alright, the moment is here...

It's time to announce the winner of the Purple Orbs contest! 

I know I'm a couple days late, but better late than never! It just builds the suspense, right?  =) So, without further ado, the winner is...

... #5, Miah!

I used the random number generator, and she's the lucky winner!

But... well, here's the thing... I appreciate the feedback you all gave me, and I really like when everyone gets something, so this is what I'm going to do. For everyone who participated, you can choose one of your favorite images from this blog. Then, leave a comment on this post, email me, send a message on facebook or twitter, and let me know which you'd like. I'll then send you a high-resolution copy of the image.

And Miah, since you are the rightful winner (and it is fun to be the "big winner" -- c'mon, I know that!), instead of one image, you can pick out three images to get hihg-resolution copies of, should you wish. =)

Now, here's a quick explanation as to why I needed your help with those photos...

One of the ministries that's come out of our church is Ayuda Community Center. It's about 3 blocks from where we live, and they have all sorts of fantastic programs and services available to the community (check out their website - it's pretty awesome). One thing they do every year is an art auction as a fundraiser.

So, this year they asked me to submit something! I was honored but also a bit intimidated! It's really the first time anyone's asked me for anything... and I didn't know what to send! I tend to like photographing people best (even though it's been a challenge to "find" people lately - but more on that some other time), and plus, if it's not "fine art" or from another place (say, India), who wants to buy a photo of another person, right?

I started looking through some of my stuff, and found the "purple orb" photos to be some of the most interesting/creative, in my opinion. I know other people like different things... but I personally found them kinda cool. I just wasn't sure which one to choose, so I needed some help!

Above are the three photos, in order from #1-#3. (You can also see them larger here - this is just a quick reference).

I was leaning towards #1 from the beginning. I will probably end up submitting that one, as it seemed to be the most popular with those of you left comments, as well. Actually, I plan on submitting #1 and #2, and letting Ayuda decide if they want to use just #1 or do them as a series.

But here's the secret (and Miah, you pretty much caught on to this) -- #1 and #3 are actually the same photo. I just rotated #1 ninety degrees counter-clockwise to "create" image #3. Josh also noticed and asked me about it. I just wanted your feedback because I liked it at both angles and was having a hard time choosing. It's always great to get feedback, and it's so helpful hearing what other people think and why. It helps make me better!

So, thanks for all of you who participated and helped me out - I appreciate it! Perhaps I'll have to try another contest sometime... with more prizes, of course. =)