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Photo Competition-Shoot The Hills Home Page

Attention all Ohio photographer enthusiasts ! This coming weekend - April 18-20 - is the time to be in Hocking Hills for the 8th Annual Shoot the Hills Photography Competition. With all the rain and recent mild weather I can almost guarantee perfect shooting conditions - from flowing waterfalls to new spring green on the hemlocks and beech trees to blooming patches of Virginia Bluebells to all kinds of Ohio wildlife - April is what I consider to be the second best month for nature photography in Ohio’s Hocking Hills (October being #1).

I will be serving on the panel of judges for this year’s event. Photographers compete in several nature subject categories in both adult and youth divisions as well as film and digital. New for this year is a print competition. Participants have a 24-hour period of time to photograph in Hocking Hills, followed by a submission deadline on Saturday and an awards ceremony on Sunday. When I served as a judge in 2006 there were close to 150 participants. This year the number of photographers will probably be double that, many of whom now come from other areas outside of Ohio. Recently NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) sent out an email alert to all members announcing the 2008 Shoot the Hills Competition. The secret is out regarding my favorite location in Ohio for nature and landscape photography.

Best of all the proceeds collected through the modest entry fee goes directly back to supporting, preserving and protecting Hocking Hills State Park.

It is a true thrill for me to see the visual treasures that all of the participants come back with after being set loose in the gorges, hollows and valleys of Ohio’s “Little Smokies.”

Even if you are not a photographer this is a great event to visit and view the amazing photographic talent that is on display, as well as support other local artists and craftsman, many of whom will have tables displaying their works at the Hocking Hills State Park Lodge building - the center of activity for Shoot the Hills.

I hope to see you there !

James Patrick Crotty

I’m thrilled to announce that I have now been officially accepted and listed in the Adobe Photographers Directory. I was able be screened and apply for a listing through my membership in NANPA - North American Nature Photography Association. As of yesterday there were only ten other NANPA members who had been accepted for listing in the Adobe directory.

This is quite an honor considering the fact that Adobe IS the premier software company for professional photographers, graphic designers, web designers, etc. Heard of a little program called Photoshop? That’s Adobe.

I am also happy to announce my new membership and portfolio listing in the Professional Photographers of America.

One of my photographs from Hocking Hills, which was also published in the 2006 NANPA book “Impressions,” is today’s lead-in image on the NANPA website:

North American Nature Photography Association - NANPA

Also, in celebration of autumn in Hocking Hills I’ve posted some new images to the the Calm Photos page on this blog.