Pet, rose, travel locales win second week of Foto Fest

Halfway through the annual Foto Fest contest, the competition is getting tough.

After much deliberation, the panel of judges named Josh Buchheit and Owen Vanderpool of Cape Girardeau, Shannon Goldsmith of Malden, Mo., and Tim Nicolai of Jackson as the semifinalists for the competition's second week.

Judges looked through photos of local events, touching family moments and exotic travel locales while trying to make their final decisions.

Buchheit's photo of a family cat was chosen because the panel was intrigued by the animal's eyes and feline expression. Buchheit decided to enter the photo after seeing how clearly it had turned out.

Goldsmith's black and white photo of a dock made judges think of serenity and they thought the converging lines gave the photo character. Goldsmith took the photo during a spring break trip Florida.

"I brought the photos to work," Goldsmith said, "and that was the one that everyone loved."

The panel liked Vanderpool's photo of a pink rose because of the quality of the photo and the good use of light and dark.

"That was my first attempt with a digital camera," Vanderpool said, "it came out so well I've started taking more."

Nicolai's photo of a table and chairs outside a stone building reminded judges of a cozy little villa in Italy and European flair. The photo was taken in England. Nicolai couldn't be reached for comment, but his father, Al, said his son has a photographic eye.

It's not too late to drop off entries for the third week of the contest. Until 5 p.m. Friday, photos and entry forms can be left at the customer service center in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, at the Southeast Missourian offices in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Chaffee or Marble Hill, or in the drop box at Schnucks.

All of the semifinalist photos and those that have won honorable mention can be viewed on the Southeast Missourian Web site. The photos are also posted, along with all of the contest's entries so far, in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park's Pasta House court.