© Bruce Cotton

Judge

This month’s contest guest judge is photographer and instructor April Milani.

Winner

About the winning shot April said, “This photo has all the right elements to draw you in and keep your eye scanning over the bright and vivid colors. I especially like how the peacock is framed by its feathers. The focus ranges from a tack-sharp to creamy bokeh. And what makes it fantastic is that the peacock seems to have stopped and posed for the photo.”

We connected with this month’s winner, Bruce. Learn a little more about him, below.

How did you get into Photography?

I went to school for graphic design and learned photography in that context. Then never put it to use until I opened an ad agency back in the 80s. My first art director was straight from a 20-year career on Madison Avenue (Madmen era) – so he was instrumental in mentoring me. I was on the acquiring/directing photography side of things as Creative Director for the next 25 years… We picked up some regional and national accolades along the way; so I feel like my “design eye” is okay. I seek out more technical training now…

I’ve always traveled with a camera, even for work – but a friend got me back into serious hands-on camera work several ago. I still have a lot to learn technically.

What’s your favorite lens shoot with?

I use Nikon’s 105mm f2.8 a lot. I love using primes, but they are cumbersome for travel obviously. I am salivating over the Sony A9, but since I’m deeply invested in Nikon, that’s probably something on the back burner…

How do you keep current with industry trends?

I read a LOT of trade publications, but really enjoy PDN. It keeps me up with not only creative, but current business trends. It resonates with my background, I guess.

How has Alien Skin’s software changed how you process your photos?

I typically start in Lightroom, and then take the image over to Exposure. Sometimes I’m familiar with the film look I want; other times I will do a little research on film for look/mood, and find that one in Exposure. Other times, I’m simply using the tools to fine tune the image, like Color Focus.

Participating in the beta program was fun. I’m also enjoying the tutorials! They’re a great resource for learning.

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Learn more about Bruce Cotton on his website, or follow him socially on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Runner Ups

There were loads of eye-catching images shared last month, some of them are listed below in this article. Thank you and congratulations to everyone who submitted. These are brilliant!

© Rohit Gautam

Prizes

Photo of the Month award winners receive a few choice items from Alien Skin Software. They get one of our super soft tri-blend t-shirts and all our photography software.

Monthly Theme

The monthly photo-sharing theme for May is Street Photography. Enter the contest this month by sharing your best work for this topic before the first of June.

Stay connected with all of the submissions to the contest in the Exposure and Snap Art users groups on Facebook. The announcement posts are pinned at the top of the groups near first day of each month. And, there are friendly reminders of the group’s posting rules–which I encourage everyone to take a look at.