Check this out! On the shortest day of the year, Dec 21, I am running a contest for the best sunset photographs taken on that day.

Contest Rules:
• Your photo must be taken on that day - so make sure the date is set correctly on your camera. Remember: metadata does not lie. That info shows up in Photo Details when you click on a picture on Google+.
• You need to post your picture on my Follow the Sun Google+ Community. On the first line, put My Entry for the Winter Solstice photo contest.
• Post your image up to two days after the Winter Solstice.
• You can only submit your best image - that means one :-)
• Include the location of your shot.
• If a person is in the scene, you must have a model release.

Judging:
I will pick the winning images based on creative composition, subject and exposure.

Prizes:
If you like plug-ins, you'll like the two prizes.

• First: Complete Topaz Collection $379.99 and Perfect Photo Suite 8 ($179.95).
• Second: Photomatix ($99) and Intensify Pro ($59.99).

Yo! That's more than $700 in prizes.

The winners can post their images and share how they captured the scene in a guest blog post.

All the plug-ins I use are listed on my Save & Play with Plug-ins page. You can read about the prizes on that page, too.

Winners will be announced here on my web site - and on my Follow the Sun Google+ Community – two weeks after the Winter Solstice.

To help you find the best light, check out my latest app for the iPhone and iPad, Rick Sammon’s Photo Sundial.

This app shows you the exact position of the sun throughout the day. Phases of the moon and weather are also shown. Plus, there's a gallery featuring my favorite sunset and sunrise images along with my tips.

All my apps are listed on My Apps page.

In 2014, I will run a Summer Solstice Photography Day contest. Stay tuned. Same set of cool prizes.

Good luck and explore the light,
Rick