I’m sure many of the city leaders will blog the same opinion, but to say choosing a city photo walk winner was difficult is an understatement.

I hope to NEVER choose a winning photo ALL BY MYSELF ever again. There were a number of excellent photos, and it was not an easy decision to pick just one. Truly, it was not. Picking winner = Not fun. There were over 450 total photos that I went through, and I could have easily made a tie between several (if that were a choice).

At exactly 11:55PM after spending most of my day, and all evening wrestling with a decision, the winning photo came from Bradley Atchison.

© Bradley Atchison

If you’re looking for a great way to view a lot of photos on Flickr or any photo site, I highly recommend Cool Iris, a web browser plugin for Firefox. http://www.cooliris.com/ Not only does it render images beautifully (the upsizing of small photos is amazing), it has an image search function. I was able to pull in all 450 photos, without needing to navigate 20+ web pages.

UPDATE Aug 31, 2008 – Scott Kelby posted his choice for the Grand Prize Winner. You can also view all the city winners on the Photo Walk site.

It’s been a few days since Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk, and photos are appearing in the Dallas Flickr group. Tomorrow I will have to pick one photo, a singular selection amongst a collection of fine photography, as an entry for the grand prize contest. Lord help me.

There are 300+ images to go through, some of which I’ll look at today, and then I’ll make my final decision tomorrow. Won’t be easy, but perhaps that winning photo will be so obvious the choice will be a clear one. I didn’t want to be put to the task alone, so the Dallas Flickr photo that receives the most votes within the group will also get a prize donated by yours truly.

There are some amazing photos taken from all over the world. Be sure to checkout the other Photo Walk city pages. If you have pictures of the photo walk itself (group shots, other photographers) please post them to the Flickr group created by NAPP.

Greetings all!

I hope you’re as excited as I am to meet up for the Photo Walk this Saturday. The weather has been pretty wet all week, but I’m hoping we will catch a break. On the upside, the rain should make for a cooler evening.

Here is a daytime picture of Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse where we will meet. The Dallas Photo Walk page has been updated with the latest Google map, which you can get directions. The address is 302 N Market St
Dallas, TX 75202.

I went to several restaurants, and all wanted some sort of banquet reservation for a group of our size. Not a real problem except for deposits, and the insistence of a single party catering ticket. I hope that Sonny’s will accommodate us a bit better, but will know more Saturday night.

As a last reminder here are things to keep in mind for our walk:

1. Safety. Safety. Safety. Be aware of your surroundings, e.g, people, traffic, non-moving objects, and keep an eye on your gear.

2. Pair off. It will be a challenge to keep the entire group moving together, and it’s NOT a requirement for all of you to move when I move. I will be breaking folks down into smaller teams so YOU will always be paired with someone.

3. Comfort. I know my Twitter avatar looks pretty lean, but my Mii character is quite the portly fellow. Be sure to wear good shoes, and bring water if you’re inclined.

4. Camera Gear. If this is your first Photo Walk then you may be inclined to “bring the kitchen sink” just so you don’t miss the one shot of the evening. My suggestion is to keep your pack light; I wouldn’t bring more than two lenses. A tripod would be useful, but a monopod easier to handle.

5. Flickr Group. If you haven’t done so, NOW is the time to register for the Flickr group. I have received a number of requests already. The only suggestion I have is PLEASE include your real name in the request. Crazy_Photographer2789 is a fine handle, but I have nothing to match up against my registration list.

NOTE – Your photos will need to be posted by midnight Tuesday, August 26th.

Alright, that’s my last minute pep talk. See everyone at the walk!