Contest Theme: Black and White
Prize: Three 8x10 prints made free
Winner: @polofilmphoto
From the Artist: "I was down in Harrisonburg, VA with my wife celebrating a friends birthday on July 4th weekend last year. we had an elaborate plan scheduled to help celebrate him. While in route to check the 1st thing off that list I had seen a small sign on the side of the road saying July 4th parade but was too slow to catch the time and place. When we finally reached our main stop, we were welcomed by two large signs reading, “No Trespassing” and “Private Property”. This closed off our access to the near by lazy river. As we sat in the car trying to come up with creative solutions, someone else had also seen the July 4th sign and said we should go check it out. So we quickly hopped back in the car and kept our eyes out for the sign. We came up on it, turned right following the arrow, and within in a minute we arrived at this small town’s parade. It felt as if we went back in time because we saw old cars, a band, and the towns pageant queen on top of a tractor. It was something we could not have imagined. as we continued to let our senses enjoy every second of this, immediately I saw a row of Mennonite men sitting on the grass next to the side of the road taking some time off work to admire the parade. Instinctively I knew this was something I needed to capture. Their clothing, the line made out by their formation in the foreground and the setting in the background really caught my eye. So I shot away a few frames hoping to capture the best composition and I really think I did. A part of me wanted for an American flag to have appeared in the parade line to really make it whole, but I’m still very pleased. Aside from this picture, it was a really beautiful memory."
What We Liked: When looking at this photo, the first thing that you notice is the straw-hatted men in the foreground. Following their gaze, you are taken to the pedestrians and classic cars in the mid-ground, who form a snaking line around the field to a cluttered corner of the tree line in the background. The density of this space contrasts nicely with the open field and trees on the right. Throughout the image, the mixture of old and new also adds an interesting flair to this contemporary scene.