Burnet County calling for photographs

BURNET COUNTY — Only 13 days remain in the first annual Visit Burnet County Photo Contest.

“There’s still time for people to enter,” said Teri Freitag, Burnet County tourism director. “The deadline isn’t until Sept. 30.”

The concept is simple — take a photograph in Burnet County, enter it and possibly win $250 (first place), $100 (second place) or $50 (third place). Freitag said the photos should illustrate why Burnet County makes a great tourism destination.

“It doesn’t have to be somebody kayaking or a field of bluebonnets,” she said. “It can be a nature photo or somebody playing golf. We’re looking for photos that would make you want to come to Burnet County.”

And those reasons vary as much as individuals, she said.

“So it could be a photo of people enjoying an event or festival,” Freitag said.  

The photo contest has three divisions — junior (18 and under), adult and county employees/families. 

“You can enter as many times as you wish,” Freitag said.

Entries must be in digital (CD, e-mail or flash drive) format at 300 dpi or greater and accompanied by an 8-inch-by- 10-inch or larger photo-quality print.

“The judges will be judging the print,” Freitag said. “So they must include a print.”

Entries can be set to Burnet County Tourism Director, Visit Burnet County Photo Contest, 220 S. Pierce, Suite 202, Burnet, TX 78611 or they can be dropped off at that location.

Freitag said the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce will also accept the entries at the chamber office, 916 Second St. or the visitors’ center, 801 U.S. 281. Both offices are in Marble Falls.

An entry form must be filled out with each entry, Freitag said.

“The entry form and complete set of rules can be found on the Web site, www.visitburnetcounty.org,” she said. “Don’t let all the rules throw you. They’re just typical ones associated with a photo contest.”

The county may use some of the entries on promotional materials or the County Web site, Freitag said.

For more information, call (512) 715-5278 or e-mail tourism@burnetcountytexas.org.

Sidebar:

Five tips for better photos

By Daniel Clifton

1. Settle on a subject. Often people will take a picture that has several things going on at once. This can be very confusing for the viewer. Cut out the extraneous material and settle on a main subject. If you’re taking a photo of your child in a pumpkin patch — get up close to the child and a few pumpkins. 

When somebody looks at your photo, you want them to know right away what the subject is.

2. Watch the background. The human eye and brain often act as a filter. When you see a blooming flower, that’s all your brain registers. A camera, however, records everything. Those two dead leaves dangling off the side all of a sudden dominate the photograph.

So, before snapping the picture, look around the viewfinder and check for those items that detract from the image.

Sometimes cleaning up the photo means moving around and getting a different perspective. One of the best photo tools you have are your feet. Move around a bit and find the best photo of your subject. 

3. Avoid mid-day sun as much as possible. The old rule used to be something like “Sunny and f16.” But the full sun found from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or even 5 p.m. is extremely harsh. It leads to what are called flat photos. The bright sun can also wash out many of the colors. For better photos, take pictures earlier in the day or in the evening. The sun is throwing shadows, which add depth and texture.

The morning and evening sun also doesn’t wash photos out. But sometimes you can’t avoid mid-day shots. In those cases find shaded spots and use a little fill flash.

4. Take extra batteries. 

5. Take the shot. Many people have probably let photos go because they thought, “Oh, I’ll come back later and take the photo.” If you see a photographic opportunity, take the picture. The thing about photography is you never really get a second chance at the same photograph.