He’s sitting on the table on our back porch, where we like to adjourn each evening for a glass of wine. Friendly little guys, they are!
Given the contest entry, maybe @snowthx’s user name should be changed to snowpls!
@WildaBeast - I think you need an old guy drinking whiskey for that to be the most irish scene ever.
Hi everyone, great pics so far! I already think I like more than three of them the best, so choosing will be hard.
Does anyone know if they’ve fixed the polls yet? Asking for a friend…
@WildaBeast I love that your Summer pic has a sky laden with heavy grey clouds. As someone from the North of England, I can definitely relate!
That’s part of what makes it the most Irish scene ever! I was told that was pretty typical summer weather in the British Isles.
@Twoflower, I know exactly where that photo was taken from. 
We used to go scuba diving off the jetty in front of the Casino. It was a great spot back in the day and I hope it still is.
One early morning as we were suiting up, the fog was curling over the ocean. We heard bagpipes, someone playing Amazing Grace. As we watched, a sailboat glided from the mist with a fellow standing on the bow, piping away. We were dumbstruck. Finally we broke out in quiet applause as the boat and its piper sailed past to who-knows-where. One of those, “you had to be there,” moments.
Thanks for bringing this memory back to me!
We just happened to have a trip to Catalina scheduled last week, so it was a perfect chance to shoot to the topic. There were indeed plenty of divers behind the casino. Glad you enjoyed it!
Gee, I wasn’t expecting to start a trend with the Ireland thing.
Actually, while I was there I kind of started a trend of wearing flat caps among the men in the tour. Apparently I’m a trendsetter now.
Just posted this month’s entry, the annual Victorian Fair on the village green at Brockham, Surrey (south of London). Didn’t manage to do the fair justice, but it’s the best I’ve got - the photo was taken just over a week ago. I like to think that @Spiderman and I are providing a pair of weird bookends.
Brockham village green, BTW, is widely regarded as one of the iconic English village greens. I recently watched a documentary on Ray Davies which included film of him playing cricket on Brockham village green (Village Green Preservation Society and all that). Can I find the clip on YouTube? Of course not. (For the record - it was I’m Not Like Everybody Else - The World Of Ray Davies And The Kinks).
j
I considered posting this one: the combination of the ice cream and the stormy sky sums up British summers so well. In the end I decided it wasn’t actually that good a photo beyond the joke.
I almost used this one. Also taken in Ireland, well Northern Ireland technically. It does feel a bit more “summery”, since it about the only warm, sunny day of that trip, but I just liked the other photo better.
You know, while out walking my dog I have seen a guy walking around my neighborhood in the early mornings (while it’s cool out) wearing one of those. Looks like you brought the trend home!
I have a lot of summery photos, but the brutal 110F (my back yard thermometer) is the one I went with. I like this one as well, but decided against it for this month…
Summer sunset, Liberty Lake, WA:
@WildaBeast, I appreciate the Ireland trend-setting. I probably wouldn’t have submitted anything this month otherwise!
My gf brought me home a beautiful flat cap from Ireland when she went. I wear it spring/fall and get compliments.
A quick reminder that this month’s competition closes at 9pm UK time tonight (about 5 hours from now).
Lots of great photos to choose from, as usual. 
Hi everyone. Sorry for the lack of a poll. I’ve been both busy with work and a touch poorly. I’ll get it done tomorrow. Keep those votes in mind!
Whenever you get the chance. It’s so good of you to run these – they’re lots of fun!
My best to you and I hope you feel better soon.
I’m curious how people judge the photos. I would like to take a poll. Let’s divide the judging criteria into three categories:
- Subject: the prettiest flower, the most interesting subject, how well the subject fits the theme, etc.
- Photographic merit: composition, lighting, depth-of-focus, etc.
- Other: ineffable qualities, coin flip, etc.
Please estimate how much these three categories contribute to your decision. The total for your three answers should add up to 100%.
Subject
- 100-90%
- 90-80%
- 80-70%
- 70-60%
- 60-50%
- 50-40%
- 40-30%
- 30-20%
- 20-10%
- 10-0%
0
voters
Photographic Merit
- 100-90%
- 90-80%
- 80-70%
- 70-60%
- 60-50%
- 50-40%
- 40-30%
- 30-20%
- 20-10%
- 10-0%
0
voters
Other
- 100-90%
- 90-80%
- 80-70%
- 70-60%
- 60-50%
- 50-40%
- 40-30%
- 30-20%
- 20-10%
- 10-0%
0
voters
And Finally:
- My category weights change based on the contest theme
- My category weights are the same regardless of theme
0
voters
Thanks, all good now.
The poll is up, in the competition thread as usual. Happy voting!