Photography Contest XV

By Matt Young
Argus 75
Argus 75 twin-lens reflex camera, 1958-1964. It is a fixed-focus camera with a single shutter speed of 1/60 s or bulb, and a relative aperture of approximately F/11 or less. It used 620 film and produced a 6×6 cm negative. It looks like it was a considerable improvement over many box cameras in that it gave a substantially larger image in the viewfinder. Additionally, all the optics is glass. Judging by the little red opening in the back, it was designed for orthochromatic film. I infer from the description of the camera on the Film Still Photography website that 620 film is no longer available, and you have to buy 120 film and transfer it to a 620 spool. The camera in the photograph, which belonged to my sister-in-law around 1960, no longer works, so we do not have to worry about the film.

The 15th annual Panda’s Thumb Photography Contest begins now, Monday, June 17, at 12:00 p.m., MDT (MDT = UTC(GMT) – 6 h). Entries will be accepted between now and Friday, July 5, at 12:00 p.m., MDT. The rules are precisely the same as previous years’, except, obviously, that the dates have been updated.

We encourage entries in a single, general category, which includes pictures of just about anything of scientific interest: any object of experimentation or observation, from single-celled organisms, through nematodes, fruit flies, rats, chimpanzees, and college sophomores to volcanoes, stars, and galaxies. In order not to omit theoreticians, we will consider computer-generated pictures and also photographs of equipment. Photomicrographs and electron micrographs are likewise welcomed.

Since rumor has it that the pandemic encouraged macro photography, we may, if we receive enough entries, establish a “macro” category.

The winner will receive a choice between Why Intelligent Design Fails, A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism, edited by Taner Edis and me; and What’s Gotten Into You by Dan Levitt, generously contributed by NCSE. The runner-up will receive the remaining book.

If we get enough entries, consistently with Rules 11 and 12, we may add categories and award additional prizes, presuming, of course, that we can find more prizes.

The rules of the contest are simple:

  1. We will consider any photograph that displays scientific interest – biological, paleontological, geological, or astronomical, for example.
  2. Submit photographs in JPEG format.
  3. Reduce photographs to an information content of 600 pixels horizontally. If creationists require a definition of information, they may apply in writing to the management.
  4. Photographs may be enhanced but may not be montages. High dynamic range photographs and focus-stacked photographs are, however, accepted.
  5. Submit a maximum of 3 photographs (or 5 photographs per family) to thousandwords@pandasthumb.org ProfessorSteveSteve@gmail.com.
  6. Submit the photographs as attachments to an e-mail (not embedded in the body of the e-mail). The subject line to the e-mail must have the form YourLastName_PhotographyContest. The filenames for the photographs must have the form YourLastName_Descriptor as, for example, Young_Oxytropis_sericea or Young_Table_Mountain, as appropriate.
  7. In your e-mail, identify the subject of the photograph: common and biological name, mineral type, or geological formation, for example. Provide a link that will allow a reader to learn more about the subject. You may add descriptive text in the body of the e-mail if you like.
  8. Depending on the number of photographs submitted, we may post the best submissions and ask our readers to vote for the best photograph. Likewise, we may establish several categories with separate entries and separate ballots. In particular, students 16 and under should so identify themselves; if we receive enough entries, we will establish a student category.
  9. By submitting a photograph, you stipulate that you are the owner of the copyright and grant The Panda’s Thumb a nonexclusive license to publish the photograph on its blog. The photograph will be subject to a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivatives license.
  10. Regular contributors to The Panda’s Thumb are not eligible to enter the contest.
  11. The decision of the judges is irrevocable. The judges remain irrepressibly and irreducibly irascible, irreverent, and irredeemable, irregardless and irrespective, but not, we hope, irrational or irritable. So do not be irresolute; we hope for a veritable irruption of entries this year.
  12. Even though we are getting fairly good at running contests, we reserve the right to change any of the rules, or add or subtract rules at any time at our discretion.

We will choose a number of finalists and open voting for the winner at 12:00 p.m. MDT, Monday, July 8. Voting will end Friday, July 19, at 12:00 noon, and the winner will be announced on Monday, July 22, at 12:00 noon.