H2Osmosis Photo Contest: Enter to win a $100.00 store credit at www.h2oproshop.com

[Horton]

The rules are simple.
 

• Email your best ski photos of 2010 to Contest@BallOfSpray.com before 1/1/2011
• The best photos every week will be displayed here on BallOfSpray.
• The winner will be chosen by The_Krista

Special thanks to  Tadd and Seth from www.h2oproshop.com 

 http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4-6ay9R-bLE/TF9TAk9d-rI/AAAAAAAADTU/Pf-RJqSG2Jo/s400/DSC_4989a.jpg

This is my favorite photo of the year. Too bad I can not enter my own contest.

[Horton]

H2Osmosis Photo Contest: the first entries are posted http://ow.ly/3k0AJ

[kfennell]

For some reason you have it so that I can't link to the individual images, but the one where the balls were in focus and the skier not would have been the best if it was taken with a real lens not a $200 P&S since the depth of field is so bad.

[Horton]

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4-6ay9R-bLE/TPqU5n6bDbI/AAAAAAAAEeI/YzFkKUCZKu4/s640/IMG_1536.JPG

this one?

[skifreak]

Yeah

[Horton]

[Horton]

[skifreak]

lol they're lovingly referred to as "the damn hippity hops". :p

[lpskier]

Cool picture, but who is the vice president in charge of sucking down the turn balls? He needs to be sacked.

[kfennell]

Those crazy loons LIKE them like that, I think it's because some of them are old and going blind. Also its a PVC course in 20 feet of water so they are actually going to work on some kind of weight system this spring.

[skier2788]

Well, the president of our club doesn't really slalom so he for whatever reason always inflates the balls to like ten inches. The old guys like it cause none of them ski short line and it helps them see it but more importantly they feel the ball slap their thigh which they like. I ski 28 off and once in a blue moon 32 off so they are a bit of a pain for me but I look at it like a practice technique it makes you ski wide. http://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif  Nobody has gotten injured by them so thats a plus. FYI i am the guy in the picture. 

[RichardDoane]

when we used to use a floating course, we'd slide bricks down the buoy ropes to help keep the balls down. The bricks had holes in them and 2 would make the ball height about right. Just don't leave the bricks on too long, or they'd wear through poly lines. I guess we could have used some kind of plastic tube to protect the ropes.

[Roger]

kfennell
CommentTime1 day ago
 
"For some reason you have it so that I can't link to the individual images, but the one where the balls were in focus and the skier not would have been the best if it was taken with a real lens not a $200 P&S since the depth of field is so bad."
kfennell, no offense, but the blurry skier has nothing to do with depth of field. Both buoys and the trees in the background are in focus. The blurry skier is due entirely to motion blur, not DOF.
I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I am a professional photographer...

[skier2788]

Richarddoane,

Yeah, I was thinking that this year I would tie a brick on to the end with a seperate rope. You said two bricks.... I was worried about the additional weight possibly breaking or bending the pvc if the bouy came off. We tend to have some on our lake who like to run through the course with tubes and so we are always putting bouys back on. I will have to give it a try and see what happens. I definitely want them a little lower in the water. 

[Horton]

Hey Roger I tweaked your post. The HTML was WACKY. \

Don't you have one of the new lens that has depth of field close and far but not in the middle?

[lpskier]

Try hanging a gallon jug half filled with sand as your counterweight. You can then adjust the buoy height by adding water (to the jug, not to the lake). Or even better, half fill the buoys with water. If you fill the buoys, you'll want to put the counterweight on the outside gate ball of the same arm so that both gates float at the same height.  Also add a weight to the arm between your gate balls and a gallon jug about half filled with water to each arm about midway between the inside gate ball and the turn ball to keep the arm level.

[Horton]

lot new photos today - good stuff

[kfennell]

Just to be clear, even though I apparently was wrong as to the cause, I wasn't attacking anyones camera or picture taking skills, it was my camera even.

[Horton]

We are all friends..... otherwise I'll ban u :-)

[Horton]

I have posted all the images I have so far. If you think you sent an image that I do not have, let me know.

http://ow.ly/3mgcz

[Horton]

There are over 200 entrys so far and less then a week left to enter.

[skifreak]

And the winner is????

[Horton]

Hmmm I will post it tonight

[Horton]

I just finally saw the image that Krista chose. I asked her judge so it would be unbiased. Good thing for the winner because I would never have let this person win! I will post tonight if I can …

[Horton]

Every time I try to be unbiased and fair, something bad happens. I let Krista judge the Photo Contest and Darwin wins. Maybe I should just close down the site and go back to drinking. Clearly the best photo was one Dave Smart took. See below. I do not see how Krista did not pick it.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4-6ay9R-bLE/TQb3ky_cqmI/AAAAAAAAEwc/1RNxQ8hCD3U/s400/DSC_8354.JPG

[Dirt]

I would ban the krista immediately. It was a ski photo contest, not sunset/scenery contest. We are not yet in our 80s sitting on the porch with grandma admiring sunsets and saying tomorrows another day. Poor loser...maybe.

[Horton]

Don't think I can ban Krista. I really need somebody smart helping me around here.

[skibug]

Funny, I was thinking the same thing.....plus the photo looks like it has been run through a "photo shop" type enhancement.  Cheaters./vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif

[ForrestGump]

Obviously, there is some collusion going on between JD and the Krista.  Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, I tell you!

[jdarwin]

Very cool!!  Thanks, Krista.  Obviously, she has a good eye for art!  That shot was taken on a cheap Olympus digital camera after a day of skiing at Cottonwood in October 2003.  I happened to look up and see the sunset as I was getting ready to put the boat on its trailer, ran into the house and grabbed the first camera I could find.  And, it has not been retouched or enhanced in any way - just dumb luck on my part.  If you knew me, you would understand that last statement!!

Thanks again, Krista.  

BTW Smart, I hear second prize is a set of steak kniveshttp://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-cool.gif.  

[Kelvin]

I thought the photo had to be taken in 2010?

[jdarwin]

It was used in a Nautique group's 2010 calendar.  Does that help?

[Horton]

second place would go to some crazy Canadian. See the front page. Smart did not make the top 5.

[Kelvin]

Joe, close enough for me . . .

[Roger]

Glad I didn't enter. The contest clearly said skiing photos from 2010; the winning photo was neither...

 

[The_Krista]

It was a completely anonymous thing guys...I didn't know what year the photos were taken, or who they were submitted by. And honestly had a difficult time picking. There were a TON of awesome skier/action photos but these top 3 stood out to me because they really made me want to go mess up that water. The action ones were awesome but I've seen a lot of photos like that. It was my discretion, it was a fun contest and those photos are the ones I liked. Don't get grumpy! Maybe next round we will be more specific. Congrats Joe. :)

[Matt]

hahahah how worked up is everyone from a free photo contest?

 

ban the_krista???? hahahahah you are all in girls 1! and that sucks for the real girls 1 skiers!

 

you guys lose nothing by not winning. send it better pictures next time duh!

[ForrestGump]

Come on Matt! We just like to bitch! You know the slalom skier mentality..........My fin must be off, my bindings are too loose, that boat has a terrible wake, the driver was weaving, I hit a turtle with my ski, Krista distracted me in her bikini, it can't be me!!!

[Horton]

I could have set up all sort of rules but this is all designed to be fun. I assume you guys would like to see more not less contests.

I have the next contest designed but the sponsor I wanted for it is goofing off this time of year.

 

[6balls]

The contest was great blend of action shots, stills, and humorous pics...many of which easily could have been the winner.  I entered photos I didn't expect to win perse, as they were as good as the better photo's posted, but it was fun to be part of a fun compilation of ski photos.  I had a great time looking at all of your shots and checking back for new pics frequently.

Maybe to take the heat off of anyone in particular choosing a winner, create a voting system where each Baller may vote for three max pics per Baller and let the votes determine the winner.   

[Dirt]

Matt, we are just joking around. We don't want anyone banned and there are no hard feelings. I would want Darwin to win just for putting on the best tournament I have ever been to. As for the girls 1 comment, if the shoe fits...Thanks to H2Osmosis and congrats Joe!

[Dirt]

For the record, my favorite was #168 of Marcus Brown.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

Horton said    "Maybe I should just close down the site and go back to drinking."

When did you stop?

Nevermind,  no one would believe you did anyway.

[Horton]

Smart,

I would ban you just for fun but I think most of the Ballers just come here to see how mad I am at you

[walleye]

I voted for Luke photo 45...of course my son. To me it was a photo that caught the roots of water skiing for most older skiers. How big is my spray while being pulled behind a out board motor. The best skier was who made the biggest spray and could touch there shoulder on the water. The little fellow was five years old no gloves a walmart jacket and riding a ski a foot to long. Deffinate need of the 100 for new gear but it was not a contest for who needed it most. Maybe some day Luke will be a world champ and by then The_Krista will be a couger and his photos will catch here eye.

[Old MS Accout]

Walleye,

Erie fish?

[walleye]

Kansas