I can’t see the photo in this thread or the contest thread. I just get a link to the postimage site.
I’m sorry about that. I have re-uploaded from a different host and requested via post report that the image link in the prior post be broken.
The internet as we knew it a few years ago is quickly rotting away. To whatever extent casually free services may still exist, they will be inherently dodgy for one or another reason (geoblocking, limited bandwidth, general enshittification). This will all get worse before it gets better.
Here is a re-upload of the promotional flyer I mentioned above.
Once the voting is concluded in a monthly contest thread, any and all discussion is fine.
mmm
Posted in the Photo of the Year thread:
Join me in congratulating @zimaane for winning the 2025 SDMB Photo of the Year award!
Their May entry, under the theme of “Nature macros/close-ups”, is a sharp, beautifully composed image of a plant stem bejeweled with reflective water droplets.
Huzzah!
mmm
2025 Themes and winners:
January—Blue—beowulff
February—Motion—minor7flat5
March—Gritty—Turek
April—Smooth—MacDoc
May—Nature macros/close-ups—zimaane
June—Colors—Bullitt
July—Patriotism—MacDoc
August—Eye or eyes—Mean_Mr.Mustard
September—Doors or gates—ShadowFacts
October—Spooky—Dung_Beetle
November—A Whole Lot of _____—Turek
December—On the Road—romansperson
Congrats to @zimaane! A beautiful macro with double reflection. 
I am chuffed to have tied for second - truly hard to believe, though I assume the cat did most of the heavy lifting. And I find it really hard to believe that @Mean_Mr.Mustard 's tractor (#8) didn’t get more votes. Not only are the colors and the jaunty composition perfect, it also has such character. I can totally imagine that dude as a Pixar character. That was my vote for #1.
A bit tough when I’m shooting Tri-X 120 format film 
I shot my entry last winter with a Mamiya 6 Automat, one of the last of the “folding camera” era. Unfortunately, I had inserted the pressure plate backwards and scratched the whole roll, but that didn’t make the photo any less cool. I did 8 x 8 inch print of it which is hanging on my wall.
The ice wasn’t very thick, so the mysterious traveler was risking life and limb.
The cat definitely helped, but the colors in the wall and flowers also really popped. Yours was one of my votes.
I appreciate that, Shadow. Just getting your vote is all that my heart really wanted. 
mmm
Oops, I almost forgot to submit my entry!
➜ Monthly Photo Competition #38– January, 2026 – “Fire or Ice" - #34 by Bullitt ■
I recently returned from a month+ vacation in the Philippines. While there I rented a motorcycle and rode all over the islands. Quite the experience, because traffic is crazy, not just in the big city, Manila, but also in the small towns. On the main island of Luzon as I explored the northern islands group, Mount Pinatubo is about 2 hours northwest of Manila, Capital of the Philippines. I got this shot on the afternoon of Friday 09 January as I rode past it.
I wanted to tour Mount Pinatubo while I was there. I’ve toured Mount St. Helens up in Washington, and that is very interesting to see and learn about the May 1980 eruption and first hearing of the term, pyroclastic blast. Alas, Mount Pinatubo sits on military lands and it would take 2 weeks to submit an application for clearance. Time I did not have. So I had to settle for this picture taken from near Mabalacat City, Pampanga.
I wish I was closer to the volcano and could’ve gotten you guys a better picture, but this’ll just have to do.
Some minor trivia of Mount Pinatubo follows…
Mount Pinatubo erupted on 15 June 1991 (which was my 30th birthday). It was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, behind only the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska which released 30x the volume of magma of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. By comparison, Pinatubo’s eruption was 10x that of Mount St. Helens 1980.
On the VEI scale of eruptions (Volcanic Explosivity Index, a scale of, generally, from 0 to 8), Mount St. Helens (1980, Oregon) was a VEI-5, Novarupta (1912, Alaska) was a VEI-6, and Pinatubo (1991, Philippines) was also a VEI-6. 847 people died but Typhoon Yunya, which arrived the exact same day as Pinatubo’s 15 June eruption, contributed to this tally.
Edit to add: Geographic error aside, I agree that the Mt St Helens area is fascinating. Back when I lived in the US, it was one of my favorite places to visit, especially after it first reopened following the eruption. It was like walking on the surface of the moon.
DOH! Ignorance fought!
Thanks for that correction.
Added: corrected!
I’m glad everybody who has voted so far is in perfect agreement with me.
A little unfair, maybe, but I found myself drawn much more to the fire images. I’ve had quite enough of ice, lately.
But if I had gone with ice, I liked @WildaBeast 's iceberg pic.
[votes]
[looks at vote tally so far]
Whoa! I believe this is not how it will end, as there are some truly fabulous photos in this month’s contest, but I deeply appreciate the recognition at this point.
I disagree, I think you may have a winner, there! I voted for it, anyway.
Aw, gee, thanks, but I had a helluva time picking out my own three choices to vote for. This month’s contest, like all the ones I’ve participated in so far, has showcased an amazing collection of brilliant photos.
@EddyTeddyFreddy that is a beautiful shot!
Another friendly reminder:
mmm