Winners

Cicada Invader

The winner for this week's Reader Sunshots series "Seeing Red" goes to Ruth Schaefer for her picture titled "Cicada Invader." The photographer took the picture with a Canon Rebel XSi. The photo was taken during the cicada invasion in 2004. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun director of photography Robert K. Hamilton: "This is a very literal interpretation of the series 'Seeing Red,' but I liked the photographer's use of selective focus to make the red eyes pop against the green background. Even though there is very little red in the image, it's still what draws the viewer's eye."

Blue Anomaly

The winner for this week's Reader Sunshots series "Singing the Blues" goes to Ruth Schaefer for her picture titled "Blue Anomaly." The photographer shot the picture with a waterproof Pentax Optio camera while visiting Port Clyde, Maine. The rare blue lobster was in a tank outside a restaurant. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun director of photography Robert K. Hamilton: I loved the contrast of tones in this picture the wonderful shades of blue played against the yellow and reds of the other lobsters. This picture fits the category perfectly, not only due to the colorful shading of the lobster, but due to his impending fate."

Horsing Around

Ruth Schaefer is the winner of for this week's Reader Sunshots series "Horsing Around" with her photo of a horse waiting at the door of the Olson farmhouse in Cushing, Maine, that had inspired many of Andrew Wyeth's paintings. She used a Canon Rebel XSi at 1/250, f9, ISO-800 with a Tamron 28-300mm lens. Here is a critique from Baltimore Sun photo editor Jerry Jackson: "I love the subtle and not-so-subtle humor in this week's winning photos. Ruth found something different to show us from a famous farmhouse in Maine. Like a big dog, the horse looks like it is expecting to be let inside. The soft light really brings out the texture in the weathered house as well as the horse."

Friends

The winner for this week's Reader Sunshots series "On the Fence" goes to Ruth Schaefer for her picture titled "Friends." The photographer was shot at the popular Sheep and Wool festival at the Howard County fairgrounds in West Friendship. The children were watching a sheep herding event. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun director of photography, Robert Hamilton. "Sometimes the less obvious angle can make for the best image. This picture is a very good example. Even though it is shot from behind the preschoolers, the photograph tells a story. In addition the people out of focus on the other side of the pen adds depth to the picture. a good job of composition and selective focus."

Pastel Colors

The winner for this week's Reader Sunshots series "Pastel Colors" goes to Ruth Schaefer for her picture of colorful porches locate in Charles Village. Ruth was fortunate to be shooting pictures when one of the rowhouse owners spotted her and invited her to get a different perspective on the often photographed homes. She took this picture with a Canon Rebel XSi. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun director of photography Robert K. Hamilton: "With this composition the photographer was able to capture a sense of infinity with the repeating pattern of the porches. The pictues is not only intriguing to look at but is colorful as well."

Yellow

The winner of this weeks Reader SunShot series "yellow" is Ruth Schaefer which was shot at laundromat in Eldersburg, MD. The picture was taken with a Canon Rebel XSi. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun director of photography Robert K. Hamilton: "When I judged this category, I was looking for something that was different from all the yellow flower photographs that dominated the series. This image really stuck out. I like how the photographer played the colors off each other with the red steps contrasting against the yellow wall and door. What brought it all together was the strong light which added pop to the colors and added interesting shadows."

For the Birds

The winner of this week's Reader SunShot series "For the Birds" is Ruth Schaefer for her picture of an egret that she took in Chincoteague, VA, while attending a NatureScape workshop. She took the picture with a Canon Rebel XSi camera. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun director of photography Robert Hamilton. "There were a lot of entries in this category and great pictures of birds. I chose this one as the winner because of the way the photographer composed the image. She framed the egret through the pine branches, which draws the viewers eye to the bird, which is the main focus of the image, But, the photograph still give you a sense of the environment."

Tasty

Ruth Schaefer is the winner of this week's Sunshots theme "Tasty" with a detail of pastries at a store in Hampden. The image was taken with a Canon EOS Rebel XSi. Baltimore Sun senior photo editor Jerry Jackson comments, "Food photography can be tough. The trick is to capture a dish in such a way that the viewer can almost taste it. Schaefer accomplishes just that with these sticky buns."

Signs of Spring

Ruth Schaefer is the winner for this week's SunShots theme, "Signs of Spring," for her photo of goslings at Loch Raven Reservoir. The creatures were captured with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi at 77m, f7.1 at 1/200 sec. Baltimore Sun photographer Algerina Perna comments, "This picture has more going for it than just cute little goslings gathered near their much larger mom. Shooting low to the ground from the goslings' point of view is a refreshing perspective. Their forms are very prominent and one could even guess at their dispositions. The photo would be even stronger if it's cropped from the top down to the top of the heads of the two smaller birds at left."

Bubbles in the Park

This week's SunShots winner is Ruth Schaefer for the "In the park" category with her photo "Bubbles in the park" taken at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton. Visuals Content Editor Christopher T. Assaf writes, "Schaefer captured a nice moment as the young girl blows a soap bubble at the child next to her. The sem-elliptical arching pool in the background with the reflected crowd adds a nice element to the composition. The light is nice and contrasty, with the cozy warmth created by the late-afternoon sun. The elements come together, hard curves diametrically opposed to the smaller, soft ones. The hands mirror each other. Of underlying interest are the ways several elements imitate one another in some form. The pool to the bubble, the girl's hand and the tot's, the two central figures sitting in the grass. All of it builds to create greater visual interest beyond spare documentation."

Runnle Raider

Ruth Schaefer is the winner of this week's Sunshots theme "Rubble" with her photo of a deer that surprised her while photographing the quarry in Cockeysville. The shot was captured with a Canon Rebel XSi. Baltimore Sun photographer Lloyd Fox comments, "There were several photos that made the final cut, but Ruth's photo of a deer running through the massive piles of rocks was an eye-catcher right away. Along with the nice composition, I love the hind legs still off the ground. It adds just the right amount of energy to make this a winner."

Fun in Sunflowers

Ruth Schaefer is the winner of this week's Sunshots theme "Fun in the sun" for a photo of two women taking a selfie in a sunflower field. The moment was captured with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi with the lens at 183mm at 1/200 sec., f8 and ISO 100. Baltimore Sun photographer Algerina Perna comments, "The only drawback to this photo is the blocking of the person's face at left by the sunflowers. Otherwise, the image works well graphically, even with the subjects planted dead center in the frame. Some photos in this category captured happy people but were shot too loose so the impact was lost. Other photos were well composed but the people didn't look like they were having fun. Still others had no focal point."

Undaunted

The winner of this week's SunShots theme, "Gone Fishing," is Ruth Schaefer for her image of two fishermen shot with a Canon EOS Rebel T5i. Baltimore Sun photographer Algerina Perna critiques, "This image demonstrates how white space can act as a counter-balance to other objects in a photograph -in this case, the boat and the mist-shrouded tree. Also, the gaze of the fisherman at right draws the eye to the right. Without the horizon line, the fishermen seem suspended in time. The water reflections add a painterly quality to the image."

Covered Bridge

Ruth Schaefer is this week's Reader SunShot winner for her picture of a covered bridge on Roddy Road near Thurmont, MD. The picture was taken with a Minolta X750 film camera. Robert Hamilton comments, "Fall is great time for day trips for photographers. This image captures the beautiful scenery and is well composed."

Fractured Towson

Ruth Schaefer is this week's winner for the SunShots category, "Abstract," for her "fractured" view of Towson. In her "predigital photo days," Schaefer says she took the photo from the roof of the Towson Library or its garage using a Minolta X-570 camera (and Kodak Ektar 125 film) mounted with a Hoya 55-58 kaleidoscope lens and two adapter rings "to make it fit." Baltimore Sun photographer, Algerina Perna comments, "The honeycomb-shaped vignettes gives dynamism to the photo - and to the city of Towson. To borrow an expression from former Baltimore Sun photographer Jed Kirschbaum, Schaefer 'made art' with her camera."

Musical Moments

The winner of this week's Reader SunShots series "Musical Moments" is Ruth Schaefer for her picture of harpist Mary Margaret Jones at a "high tea" fundraiser. The picture was shot with a Canon Rebel XSi with a zoom lens. Here is a critique by Baltimore Sun director of photography Robert Hamilton. "What I like about this picture is the photographer used the harp to frame the face of the subject while keeping the focal point on her hands. However, I think the picture could have been even stronger if it had been cropped from the right to minimized the window in the background."

Raring to Roll

Ruth Schaefer is this week's Reader SunShots winner for her picture of a boy giving two thumbs up as he rides the roller coaster at the Maryland State Fair. The picture was taken with a Canon EOS Rebel XSi camera. Robert Hamilton comments, "The photographer did a great job of capturing a fun moment that shows the youngster's enthusasium."

Runner-ups