Southern Composition

Save the Redwoods League is having their annual contest again!! I entered a few photos last year but didn't expect to win anything- So this year I'm goin big! I have almost met my limit for entries (8 outta 10 ain't bad!)- I did some pre-planning & research on which groves to shoot- & It seems they are having participation issues (out of the 200+ images submitted so far I can count less than 25 that I think even have a chance).
See the Group Pool of the entries on Flickr

I even got some surprises along the way: 1. We found an awesome new river spot; 2. Most of the grove was pretty empty; 3. I have some new fair entries from the trip (Yay! for killin two birds with one stone!)...

Rules: 
The image has to be taken within the last 2 years (no problemo!); limited editing only- ie burning, dodging, and HDR only (this was more of a challenge as I don't use those tools too often).

Judging: 
Entries are being judged in a two round system: Round 1 each judge picks 12 images (50% emotional quality & 50% Technical) Round 2 the judges picks are voted on by the public with the winner announced Aug. 25!!

MY ENTRIES
So without further ado, Below are my entries (starting with my favorites to least favorite) for the contest (keeping fingers & toes crossed for at least an honorable mention):

Location: Grieg French Bell Grove outside Pepperwood, CA
Date/Time: Sunday 6/19/11 @ 11-3pm
Subject(s): Redwoods, Redwood plants, forest floor, forest canopy, paths & trails

I needed to create a simple poster for the store to hang up & put online so people would know we are having a sale to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. So the first place I looked for tutorials was Smashing Magazine (if you don't read this you should- its got great articles & tips for graphic designers)- & BAM there it was
60 AMAZING POSTER AND ADVERTISEMENT TUTORIALS

I just picked one I liked the look of & set off on another tutorial adventure~!

Here's the link to the tutorial I choose: CLICK HERE!
It took some messing around with fonts & font sizes for a minute since I didn't use the font in the tutorial but i never follow the tutorial 100% anyways- how boring would that be!!

And here is my final product!