# 2Cool Monthly Photo Contest, The Golden Hour



## Cutter

I asked Mont about this, and I thought if there was enough interest, we could try a monthly photo contest here. Every month we will choose a topic, submit photos, and at the end of the month, we can vote for a favorite.

The winner will receive nothing except *bragging rights*. If someone wants to plug their business here and sponsor a prize for the winner(s), that would be a great addition to the bragging rights  (send me a pm if you want to sponsor a contest)

Here are the rules.
1.) The photo must be your's or your family's
2.) Submit up to 3 photos 
3.) Submit the photos to this thread.
4.) Keep the photo *less than 640 pixels wide* so that we dont have to scroll.

This month's theme is called, *The Golden Hour.*
Submit your 3 best early morning or late afternoon photos. (and they dont actually have to be "golden") Feel free to provide the location, circumstances, or story behind the photos also.

*Photo submissions for this month will end on Tuesday, January 31st, 2006.* After that time, we will take 1 week to vote for a favorite. The winner can help choose the next month's theme.

Here are a few photos to kick things off.

Boat ride out of Bastrop Bayou and into West Bay









Before sunrise at Bastrop Marina









Taken at the Armand Bayou Nature Center


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## seawings

*Photo Contest:*

Excellent idea, I am all for it! I love photography, just not very good, so it will be fun and perhaps educational to participate. Thanks for the idea.


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## pelican

Very cool, Cutter ... I'm sure I can dig up 3.


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## GreatWhite4591

*OK, I'll try it*

First is off Bolivar Ferry in the evening
Second is Boston Fleet in the morning
Third is a morning in the clouds


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## bill

I got one now, not really early or late but I like it.


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## Profish00

Best 250 dollars I have ever spent

Sunset on the lake


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## MarcusT

Sunrises on Galveston Bay and heading out of the jetties.


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## RustyBrown

*Great Idea Cutter...*

From Horseshoe Flats this morning looking toward the lighthouse...


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## RustyBrown

*Two Beacons*

Again from Horseshoe Flats...


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## LIONESS-270

Thanks Cutter!!!!! Its a great idea. I don't expect to win, but it will sure help me get up in the morning and enjoy the sunrises. This is our year to travel far and wide and photos are going to be a major part.
I see some very striking photos already.

Our back yard at sunup........Sunrise Bay. Lake CC.


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## Pod

This a great idea, I don't expect to win either but it is great to see everyone's photo's. There are some talented photographers on this site.

1. My Dad at Lake Livingston. 
2. On the beach in Cozumel with a cruise ship in the background.
3. My daughter and I at the lake.


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## rippin lips

Only one sunset ,but one special one


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## GinMan

Muley Doe close to sundown in Seminole, TX
Sunset near Cotton Gin Seminole, TX
Sunset off my Sister's back porch in Aliso Viejo, California


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## NaClH2O

All three of these were taken on 12-28-05 from my apartment balcony.


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## Mrs Backlasher

Here are a few.

1. Hawaiian Sunset
2. Kayaker's Sunrise on Salt Lake (Brazoria County)
3. Sunset at Cozamel

Mrs. B


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## MT Stringer

*Sunrise and sunset*

Three for me...
1) Full Stringer fishing the birds at sunset near the TC Dike
2) Trinity Bay sunrise
3) Double Bayou sunset
Mike


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## Mrs Backlasher

That photo of Full Stringer at sunset is one of my favorites!

Mrs. B


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## galbayfisher

*Contest is great*

Cutter, 
I like the idea of a contest, maybe could lead to a 2coolfishing calender next year.

One thing tho. January hasn't started yet and look at the number of pics submitted. Scrolling through the pics later could be quite a chore. Suggestion:

1) one pic, MAYBE two per person, per month.
2) can these pics be displayed all at once on the same page at the end of the month to make the picking easier? (Mont, help!)


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## bludaze

Wow ! some great shots ! The contest is a very good idea. Herre's a few mrs bludaze took


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## seawings

*Sunset / Sunrise:*

Here are three taken on trips:

First shot is over Alaska at sunset
Second shot on Hilton Head beach in the morning.
Third shot is sunrise over the Atlantic


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## Aquaholic

*Here is some of my favorites*

1. tHe gulf 20 miles out sunrise
2. the gulf 120 miles out sunrise
3. Daughter SPI sunset


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## pelican

Two of my favorites ... looking for #3

1 - Texas City from the Dike at Sunset
2 - Shark Fishing Sunrise at West Beach


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## MarcusT

Texas Panhandle&#8230;Wide open spaces&#8230;&#8230;..


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## Txfirenfish

*Front Line*

Taken with a camera phone so quality isnt great. Pic is of a Military C5 at Southeast Texas Regional Airport around dusk on Thursday 9/22/05. Cloud line you see above is the front edge of Rita. We had continuous cloud coverage after this with the winds starting to pick up the next morning of 9/23/05.


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## chicapesca

*One sunrise and two sunsets...*

The first picture is a sunrise in the Upper Laguna Madre.
The second picture is a sunset in the Land Cut at Nine Mile Hole.
The third picture is a sunset at Devil's Elbow near Whitaker's Flat.


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## Freshwaterman

*Ok........*

Very cool idea. Nice pics people!!!!!!!! Here's mine.

Later.......Kelly


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## pelican

Man, I love sunsets ... very nice, folks ...


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## drred4

*Texas hill country*

Sunrise in Doss Texas

Damian


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## limey

*Breckenridge, CO*

Outside of the condo.


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## kdubya

1) Sunset in POC from the "middle grounds.

2) Sunrise in the ICW in Matagorda, headed to the old Gulf cut.

Kelly


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## RustyBrown

*First Pic of my Summer Vacation*

OK, it's a repost but in reviewing my shots of last year, I thought this one had the best color. Purple Mountains Majesty - the encore...


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## Little Jimmy Cook

*My pictures.*

These are by no means as good as what I have seen. These were taken from the old style (film). Scanned from a scanner and posted. Still wanting to buy a digital camera for the boat. But I drop everything that is expensive.

1st picture was after Tropical storm Allison at the Chandelier Islands. It was a rough night sleeping on a modified shrimp boat in 10 foot seas. But the next day it looks like this.

:fireworks 
2nd Picture is coming home down the "ditch"

3rd picture is in the bay itself.


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## Charles Helm

1. South Texas sunset (scanned from film).
2. South Texas sunset (digital).
3. Sunset in Namibia (digital).


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## Pod

Charles, I'm jealous of that Namibia shot! I wanna' go there real bad!


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## pelican

RustyBrown said:


> OK, it's a repost but in reviewing my shots of last year, I thought this one had the best color. Purple Mountains Majesty - the encore...


Rusty, the colors you capture are awesome. Very nice work!


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## Charles Helm

Pod said:


> Charles, I'm jealous of that Namibia shot! I wanna' go there real bad!


 Regular flights are available from Atlanta through Johannesburg!

More pictures from Namibia. (Do not click if the sight of recently-deceased animals offends you, as there are a couple here.) I wish I had my camera for longer before the trip as I have learned more in the interim.


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## Hullahopper

After I viewed this thread let me start off by saying I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight when dealing with this crowd! *Wow! we really have some gifted photographers in our group.* Although I can't really compete with most of you fine folks with a camera, as a hunter & a fisherman I truly have your passion for sunrises and sunsets. Here are three that stir some memories for me.

*Goose hunt:* The first is a sunrise near Eagle Lake with a few thousand geese in the background. This was taken last Sunday morning.

*West Galveston Bay:* Sunset taken from the deck of our canal house about a week after we purchased it. Since then a new house has been built across from us that would have blocked out the view of the sailboat in the picture!

*Alaska:* Sunrise picture of the Cook Inlet in route to the halibut fishing grounds. I was the only customer on board that day that didn't catch a fish! Rats! Fun trip anyway. Words & pictures simply can't describe Alaska, you just have to make it there at least once in your lifetime.


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## Kenner21

I've got my pics cut down to a smaller size only like 50kb's but they're not the right resolution I'm guessing ....it says they are too large? anyone want to help me out here how do I change the resolution?

nate


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## Charles Helm

Kenner21 said:


> I've got my pics cut down to a smaller size only like 50kb's but they're not the right resolution I'm guessing ....it says they are too large? anyone want to help me out here how do I change the resolution?
> 
> nate


It is the width in pixels that is the issue -- they need to be less than 650 pixels wide.

From the FAQ:

The maximum width on pictures is 650 pixels and the maximum size is 400KB.


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## capt henry

*poc 12-25-04*

my front yard in POC


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## bludaze

one more


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## Mrs Backlasher

Oooh! These just keep getting better and better!


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## limey

Seward, Alaska


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## Bigcat Dave

Lake Lavon (near Garland,TX)










It's hard to fish when God witnesses like this.

Dave


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## galvetraz

Sun up north Jetty last July....


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## CAPSIZED

I took these in Kona


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## tbaker

*Images*

Don't have any really good ones.....but thought I'd share a few....

1. Sunrise on Pier at San Pedro Belize.....caught bonefish, snook, snapper, and barracuda on this pier every day before the rest of the world even thought about waking up.

2. Sunset over West Matagorda Bay from Oyster Lake, Texas, USA.

3. Sunset and storm clouds over Golfo Dulce, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica.

4. Sunset over East Matagorda Bay, Texas, USA.


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## drred4

tbaker said:


> Don't have any really good ones.....but thought I'd share a few....
> 
> Don't have any real good ones. Shoot, they look pretty dern good to me. I really like the last two.


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## Pod

I like the last two also...great shots!


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## MarcusT

San Souci Resort Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Taken on our Honeymoon.


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## Mexico Hunter

*Sunset at the deer lease*

Taken 8ft off the ground in the deer stand....

70 miles SW of Laredo in Mexico.

The first 2 were taken in the same evening.

Enjoy!


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## Rip-N-Lips

*Pictures*

1st - Sunrise on King Ranch Shoreline
2nd - Sunset off the porch of Bayflats Lodge in POC
3rd - Sunrise from the duck blind in the marsh off Trinity Bay
4th - Sunrise from the duck blind in Winnie

Sorry I coudln't decide on just 3.


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## bd2dabone

*Forest fire? Big Explosion?*

Nope just clouds with a early morning sunrise around 7am Jan 26, 2006 taken from my yard.


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## Bay Gal

1. Sunset over Jones Marsh

2. Predawn Tiki Reef

3. Early Morning Pelicans


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## pelican

*Number 3*

One last cast before nightfall ... Greens Lake


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## Pod

Too many great pictures!!!.... How are we gonna' pick a winner!?


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## pelican

*Photo Contest Album and Cross Reference*



galbayfisher said:


> can these pics be displayed all at once on the same page at the end of the month to make the picking easier?


Cutter, you've got mail ...

I stored up to the first 3 photos submitted by everyone on Webshots. Below is the link and a cross-reference for each photo and its pic id in the online album. I'll update the album as new photos are added and send the spreadsheet to Cutter for tabulating votes. Photos can be substituted if necessary ... Cutter is the rule man for that. Pic ids in green were uploaded ... those in pink were not. Oversized photos were set to a max 640 pixels wide.

http://community.webshots.com/album/546836181pynVuE

Whew!


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## NaClH2O

Excellent work Pelican. I love it. It makes it much easier to tell just how hard it will be to choose a winner. Many, many excellent photos.


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## Pod

Wow, Pelican I'm impressed, great job.....Thanks for the time and effort you and Cutter have put into this.


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## Rip-N-Lips

Darn, work blocked the link you put up. Just curious what the small red triangle in the corner of the pic id means??


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## Cutter

> Darn, work blocked the link you put up.


If your company uses websense, or a similar proxy or filtering software, it will block webshots and other online photo and storage sites. You will have to view it at home.. (and hopefully you dont have dial-up!)

I talked to Mont, and he made the poll so that we can have up to 100 entries, rather than 10 (thanks boss!). So I think it might be easier just to list every contributor in a voting thread, and let the masses plug in their vote here on the forums. I know pelican spent a lot of time on getting the webshots set up and the spreadsheet so we could view and vote for them easily, and a *big time thank you* goes out to him (and I am sure BayGal too!) for doing that.


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## pelican

Rip-N-Lips said:


> Darn, work blocked the link you put up. Just curious what the small red triangle in the corner of the pic id means??


It's a comment, Rip-N ... those were the pics resized to 640 pixels wide.

Thanks for all the "thanks", folks ... sure made it easier for me to review ... sounds like Cutter has a voting plan worked out with the big guy.

Bob


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## Dorado-Mahi

Sorry for the late entry. I'm staying with an offshore theme. 

1. Way offshore.

2. A shot going offshore with the late Aquapos. Sure miss him.

3. Early morning with Nansen in the background.


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## pelican

Very nice, Capt Ray ... your photos have been added to the album.
http://community.webshots.com/album/546836181pynVuE
Bob


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## Hop

Here's one i took at moody gardens.
http://www.uberstorage.com/tex/clownfish.jpg
--Hop


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## mmgee

*Sunrise*

Although this photo can't compare with some of the ones I have seen posted here, it has special meaning to me. This sunrise occured the morning after I married Chad (fishologist). We got married at the Wagon Trail Resort on the shore of Lake Michigan in Rowley's Bay, Wisconsin on 9/24/2005. In other words, the day Hurricane Rita hit.


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## pelican

It must have been a glorious morning, mmgee. Nice pic ... and welcome to 2Cool! And congrats on your wedding!!! 

Bob


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## Cutter

the photo submission period has ended.. stand by for the voting thread


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