We have just received from the French organizers a nice, 42 pages, color Exhibition Catalog of the 12e Salon International d’Art Photographique de Pessac, France. My wife Lexi and I submitted our images to this world photography contest, but we did not get any detailed information earlier, just a note: one or more of our images selected for the exhibition. However, we have learned from this Exhibition catalog: the exhibition was from December 13 until December 20, 2014, the contest received 1848 images (717 images to the Color category, 632 images to the Monochrome category and 499 images to the Nature category) from 200 participants, from 34 countries around the world. Based on the judges decision and their scores, one of Lexi’s images, “Canada Goose Attack” and two of my images, “Snow Geese Flock in Flight” and “Egrets Fighting” were selected for the exhibition and the “Egrets Fighting” image was published in the Exhibition Catalog.

Congratulations to the winners and all of those whose images were selected to the 12e Salon International d’Art Photographique de Pessac 2014 world-wide contest.

Comments from e-mails and Facebook:

• Congratulations to both of you! (Marie Messina Curtis, Curtis Studio)
• Bravo! (Nathalie Brouard)
• Congratulations to both of you Laszlo! To be selected from such a large pool of applicants!! Well done! (Juliana Ferrero, Houston Center for Photography)
• Wonderful, Laszlo and Lexi… Delighted to see this. (Milton Finegold)
• Congrats!! (Dion McInnis)
• Totally love this image! Such an unusual point of view. (Nathalie Brouard)
• Congratulations, beautiful images! (Rachel Burychka)
• Congratulations to you both. (David Mann)
• Great images. Congratulations. (Geoffrey Koslov)
• Congrats !! (Eleanor Brown)
• The geographic range of your admirers is expanding exponentially Congratulations. (Lou Vest)
• Congratulations!!! (Eva Kapus Talbot)
• Congratulations to you both!! Your work is so deserving of these awards and also more to come (in our eyes)! We have always enjoyed our times together, shooting or not. I’m sure we’ll be getting together again soon and will enjoy catching up again. (Ron & Georgia Fontenot)
• What wonderful news! Congratulations to you both. (Carol L. Drawe)
• Congratulations. (David Lobato)
• Congratulations to you both! (Sandra Stevens)
• Congratulations to you both my friends! (Jaimie Ladysh)
• So happy for you and personally, proud, to know you, and Lexi. (Dolores Bertrand)
• Congratulations!! Fantastic! (Oliver Rohn)
• Congratulations! Outstanding photos, worthy of international exhibition and viewing. (Al Iverson, Ivy Optics)
• Congratulations to both of you (Dorothy McIsaac)
• Fabulous, congrats, very impressive (Heidi Straube)
• Love it! (Laura Rossi)
• Congrats. (Robert Davis)
• Congrats!! (Mary Anne Weber, Houston Audubon)

Amanda Smith, gallery director of A.Smith Gallery at Johnson City, TX  informed me: one of my photographs, “Snow geese ghosts landing at dawn”, taken at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM, selected for the A Smith Gallery’s “blue” exhibtition juried by Arthur Meyerson. Of the 742 submitted images, 60 were selected for the exhibit.  My photograph will be exhibited from February 20, 2015 until March 29, 2015 and will be published in the A.Smith Gallery’s exhibition catalog “blue”. more info

The Exhibition catalog blurb book is just out on 5/1/2015. (more info)

Comments from e-mails and Facebook:

• That is quite moving. You are an amazing photographer! (Dolores Bertrand)
• Nice work. Congratulations. (David Mann)
• Nice work Laszlo! (Len Kowitz)
• Very ethereal! Congratulations! (Marie Messina Curtis)
• Congratulations, I love it! (Laura Rossi)
• Laszlo, This is a GREAT image! (Frank White)
• That is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Sandra Stevens)
• Haunting! (Oliver Rohn)

The Houston Photographic Society (HPS) held its first Program, the 2014 Year End Contest Awards and Appreciation Pot Luck at the Tracy Gee Community Center, Houston, TX, on January 13, 2015. There was lot of good food, sweets, soft drinks, and friendly atmosphere.

After Michael Sanderson’s Presidential introduction, Laszlo Perlaky (Print Competition Vice President in 2014) said thank you to the Members for their 2014 Monthly Print Competition Participation and to the Monthly judges: Dion McInnis, Hugh Hargrave, Frank White, Jerry Brown, Matt Adams, Kathy Adams Clark, Craig Hartley, Bob Warren, Ted Washington, Jim Caldwell, Michael  Hart. Laszlo talked about the Year End contest and introduced  the invited 2014 Year End Contest judges: Kathy Adams Clark, Jean Caslin, Frank White. The judges talked about their challenges during the judging and selecting the 11 winning images out of 172 qualified images on December 9, 2014.

Laszlo as 2014 Print Competition Vice President, announced the winning images and the winners. The judges and the winning photographers commented their images and received their awards and appreciation. Winners: Color HM1 – Darby Donaho; “Pointing”, Color HM2 – John Chianis: “Path to Solitude”,   Color 3rd – Tom Foster: “Birds on Piling”, Color 2nd – Darby Donaho: “Grand Opening”, Color 1st – Darby Donaho: “Portals of the Loom”, Monochrome HM1 – Myriam Fornage: “Bull Rider at Crow Fair”, Monochrome HM2 – Laszlo Perlaky: “San Simeon Shore”, Monochrome 3rd – David Mann: “Sky Light No.0604”, Monochrome 2nd – Tom Foster: “Three Faces of Christ”, Monochrome 1st – John Chianis: “Turbulence on Plano Grande”, Best In Show – Tom Foster: “School House” More info

Laszlo Perlaky and Michael Sanderson said thank you to the 2014 Year End Contest judges and presented their HPS appreciation, then 2014 Past President and 2015 elected President, Michael Sanderson gave recognition awards to the 2014 Officers for their dedicated work and introduced the 2015 Officers.

The meeting was finished in time and all members were happy and appreciated the well-organized and well-run meeting. More info

Wishing You a very happy, successful, peaceful New Year on one of my photographs, taken at Bosque del Apache NWR, NM, on the last morning of 2014. There was 17 oF freezing cold and the birds were cold too. They blast off was delayed more than half an hour. On January 1, 2015, snowed in Bosque del Apache, but the Light geese (Snow geese and Ross geese) were there and there was a fantastic blast off. Because we were late and drove slowly on the icy road, we just watched it from the corner of the Lake… but least we saw that.

Arctic storm Frona caused unexpected snow covered icy road conditions, we cancelled our trip through White Sand, NM to the 8,600 feet high elevation Cloudcroft, NM and down to Artesia, NM then through Carlsbad and Pecos to Fort Stockton, TX. We photographed all morning at Bosque on the First day of 2015, then drove to the sunny El Paso, TX, then to the icy Van Horn, TX. The Highways, I-20 and I-10 were closed all day and night because the black ice and the multiple accidents on the road. Luckily we were able to find a room in Desert Inn at Van Horn, but many others had to drive back to El Paso. The arctic storm caused more icy rain and ice on the roads, so we will stay at Van Horn  one more day. We are safe and were blessed on the road.