Spring Photo Contest

The Spring Photo Contest has begun! This contest gives you a chance to capture your family fun at Patterson Farm and possibly win a gift certificate for our market. In the future, we will choose entries to showcase on our advertisements, website and social media networks.

Patterson Farm encourages all families to enter up to three photos for a chance to win gift certificates to the market. We will be accepting entries on our website until midnight on Saturday, June 22, 2013. We will post all of the entries on our Facebook page on Monday, June 24, 2013, so tell friends and family to "like" your photo. Voting must be completed by Sunday, June 30, 2013 at midnight. Winners will be notified by e-mail by Monday, July 1, 2013.

There are a few things you need to remember when snapping photos for this contest:

1) Find interesting angles.

The angle of this photo is interesting because it was taken by almost laying down in the strawberry patch. 

After you have chosen a subject for your photo, get to their level. If you are photographing a child, crouch to their eye level in order to show their face and how the surroundings appear to them. If you are taking a picture of a ripe strawberry, don't be afraid to bend down and get close. Sunny days on the farm exhibit beautiful, blue skies, so strive for those low-angle shots and show off those fluffy clouds. Straight-on or downward-facing angles can be boring or displeasing, so look for something more creative.


2) Don't over edit your photos.

While the red in this photo is beautiful and vibrant,  the colors are too saturated to be true. 

Photos need to be edited when they are underexposed (too dark) or overexposed (too light), when the white balance discolors the subject, and for other technical reasons. Editing becomes too much when the photo begins to look fake. Saturating colors a tad will enhance a picture tremendously, but too much enhancing can diminish the picture's value. Brilliant colors are pleasing, but not when they appear fake.

3) Capture a special moment.

               

                     This photo shows the subjects faces,
                    but does not express any emotion.

                         

This candid photo shows the personality
of the subjects in a moment of excitement.  

Portrait photos are perfect in many situations, but candid photos are more exciting and appealing to an audience. After snapping that portrait of your family in the strawberry field, tell them to pretend you're not there. They will relax, have fun and set you up for an award-winning photo.

Need photo ideas?

1) Follow your children around on the playground. They're bound to produce an adorable giggle or climb to the top of the tower.

2) Look for interesting interactions with animals or farm hands. While feeding or petting the animals, find a cute smile to photograph. Our employees are very friendly and love to spend time with visitors, so capture this animated conversation.

3) Buy a cone of chocolate from the ice cream shop. While ice cream messes can be annoying, take a second to snap a picture of a chocolate mustache. It may be a pain to wash out of clothes, but it sure does capture a smile during a special moment!

Good luck snapping photos and we look forward to seeing them all!