Photo Competition update: The 1st stage of the 2004 Japan Times Photo Competition has ended, and guess what? This year, one of my photos made it into the final running. It's one of 100 photos selected from 2,200 entries. So, if you get a chance, click on the appropriate link on this Blog and check out the photos. I wish I knew which photo is was. On the Japan Times website, it's been described only as: "Okazaki." Unfortunately, I have a number of photos that represent this city. My sneaky suspicion tells me it's the dancer... http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~dk8a-jns/blog/photocomp04_images/okazaki01.jpg but that's hard to say because as you can see from the contact sheet, I submitted several other shots -- mainly of the Tokugawa Ieyasu family shrine. You never know what captures someone's fancy -- sometimes I'm surprised. People will view my photos and say, "Hey, this one from Tokyo is really good." I'll say, "Thanks. I like that one too." But then when they actually point out the photo they were referring to, there's a good chance that it's a different one than what I thought they were talking about.

Anyway, the dancer is my favorite one and others have also pointed out that they like the detail and expression. Maybe if I can win some of these contests (and find some extra time) I can put together an exhibition at one of the local art galleries or cafes. It seems that's a trendy thing to do around here, and who knows: maybe I could actually get lucky and sell a couple framed prints for some extra pocket money.