By Paul Marotta
Perfect Bokeh Photography

For me, there are, perhaps, two ways to shoot sculpture: straight documentary style, cleanly capturing the work by the artist in a technically proficient manner; and a more interpretive manner, adding some additional emotional dimension to the work already created by the artist without losing its meaning.

In both of these, all the technical issues discussed in the terrific links Teresa posted in the initial contest outline come into play to some degree or another: background clutter, separation between subject and surroundings, interplay of light and shadow, composition, color, does the structure of the photograph enhance the form of the work, use of positive and negative space, rule of thirds, depth of field, and more.

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Photographer Paul Marotta has sent me the results of his judging of the "Outdoor Sculptures" entries, and John Blanding, assistant chief photographer for the Globe, sat with me last night and judged "The Color Yellow" contest.

I'll post the Sculpture results today and the Yellow results tomorrow.

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First, August contest news:

Some of you wrote to me asking if the deadline for the August "Rule of Thirds" contest could be extended because so many people in New England were without power for several days after Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene struck. And you can lose even more days just getting back to normal after a situation like that.

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Professional weather photographer Jim Reed, our judge for the September theme of "Stormy Weather", really enjoyed choosing the winners this month ... although he admits he had a bit of a hard time (as most of them do!).

He found the Top 10 winners to be emotionally stirring, or powerful and dramatic, or unique in some way. But all were outstanding.

Gallery of the September "Stormy Weather" contest Top 10 winners

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By Jim Reed

I think a masterful storm image should always trigger an emotional response; it should make a viewer almost instantly say aloud, "Wow," and then want to lean in for a closer look.

I expect a winning storm image to possess a skillfully composed, isolated subject. Next up are the skilled choice of lighting and contrast, followed by the use of color. Then I look for an intriguing shape or hypnotic landscape, followed by depth and texture.

Since this contest asked photographers to make good use of movement and action, I favored strong, stormy images that also possessed motion in the frame, such as a person, an object, or water or the hint of something moving, like blowing snow or rain.

It was tough selecting only 25. There were so many very good submissions so close to that. You all did a very impressive job of composing your photos. I was also delighted by the fine-art qualities of some of the frames. I was happy to see submissions in black and white as well as color, and I really enjoyed the use of post-production effects.

The images suggest to me that you are very observant, imaginative and assertive - and certainly not afraid to get wet (the earmarks of a skilled weather photographer). I was surprised when I realized that a few of the Final 25 images were captured with camera phones. In several instances, you also did a very effective job of captioning your photos.

My advice to you? Watch those pesky distracting elements, such as tree branches and power lines in the foreground. Be sure to zoom in or compose your shot to include only objects that truly matter. If you have a tree in your image and it's being hit by lightning, then the tree is a vital part of your composition. If it's a tree in the foreground, and the lightning is way off near the horizon, then the tree is likely a distraction and unnecessary.

If you return home, only to later discover a distracting element, crop it out using an image-editing software. Your computer is your digital darkroom; don't be afraid to experiment with your image by adjusting contrast, hues, and tones.

Finally, my advice is to shoot, shoot, shoot - and keep shooting! With digital cameras, there's no excuse NOT to bracket.

Gallery of the September "Stormy Weather" contest Final 25

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Just as professional weather photographer Jim Reed chases storms all over the country, I've been chasing him to be our judge for the September contest. He finally stopped to catch his breath in Montana, and right now is looking over your entries in the September contest with an eye to narrowing the 147 entries to a Final 25.

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A reminder, folks, that you have until midnight tonight to submit a stormy weather photo for the September contest.

The new upload tool we are testing is a little funky since it's still in beta, and we've had a handful of cases where photographers had to upload their photo a second time because it never arrived the first time.

So if you upload a photo and entry tonight, send an email at the same time to raw@boston.com and we'll be sure to look for your photo.

If it doesn't arrive, don't worry; we'll give you extra time to re-send it.

Here's the entry link.

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There was a nice variety among the "Jobs" contest entries this month -- a variety that made judge Glen Cooper's job challenging. Nonetheless, he reviewed his 25 choices and your votes and came up with the best 10 pictures.

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OK, Dawgs, the voting is finished for the September "Jobs" contest; I'll compile the results and send them to Glen Cooper, this month's judge. He'll then choose his Top 10, taking your votes into consideration. Stay tuned.

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September contest judge Glen Cooper, a photojournalist and photography teacher, finished his review of your entries last night and has culled the field to the Top 25 finalists. But first, he had some interesting comments about the field of photos:

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Final gallery added: Five full-screen galleries containing all of your eligible entries for the September "Jobs" contest have been posted. Our judge, Glen Cooper, will narrow the field to 50, and we'll open the Voting Machine next week.

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We have a judge for the September "Jobs" contest: Glen Cooper, an award-winning Boston photojournalist who also has a wedding photography business and teaches at the New England School of Photography.

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Let's concentrate on shooting pictures of people rather than nature or inanimate objects this month by calling for photos of human beings at work: People with outside jobs like landscapers, utility workers, police officers, professional fishermen, firefighters, construction workers, bike messengers, window washers, doormen, taxi drivers, pet walkers; and people with inside jobs like, well, just about anything.

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Hundreds of entries and thousands of votes later, you all have made the tough choice of picking the best photo that both fit the theme "My Neighborhood" and was an interesting, well-composed shot. Your choice was "Paesan and his Picciones", a simple black-and-white photo -- and a classic city neighborhood image -- of a man feeding pigeons ("picciones") in the North End.

This first-place honor earns the photographer, mecr22, a $100 American Express gift card. Second Place (and a $50 gift card) goes to mfitzy24 for the haunting "The Friendship After Dark" photo of a ship at anchor in Salem Harbor, and the $25 gift card for Third Place is awarded to kseiffer for her quiet, reflective shot of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester.

The gallery also contains seven Honorable Mentions to round out the Top Ten. Don't forget that October's contest, with the theme "Get Close", is in full swing; here's how to enter one of your closeups.

The full slate of winners (try out "Full-screen"):

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There is one photo entry that is not showing up in the Voting Machine; I've written to the photographer asking her to check her permissions and safety levels on her Flickr account to see if any of those settings are preventing her photo from being accessed. As soon as we hear from her, we'll see if her photo shows up; if it doesn't, we'll substitute a photo that was on the bubble when John Blanding made his choices, and we'll open up voting.

BTW, to avoid future headaches, please check the Privacy & Permissions tab on your Account page. For example, make sure that under Defaults for New Uploads, your Safety Level is Safe and the Content Type includes Photos. Also, under Content filters > Search settings, make sure SafeSearch is On and the Content Type includes Photos. Thanks a lot...

Meanwhile, here's a little insight into how Globe assistant chief photographer John Blanding narrowed the 109 entries down to a manageable 50. How did he do it?

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"The shape of the bridge and the curve of this man's back drew me in," writes this photographer, who got this shot in Central Park, NYC. "I watched him play for a little while, and then decided to photograph this private moment in one of the most populated cities in the world."

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The photographer writes: "A Chinese gardener at Berkeley Community Garden, South End. They extend the height of their gardens to support the growing vines of long, very heavy fuzzy melons (3 feet long, 10 - 25 lbs. each). Security is often an issue as well, so they re-enforce their fences with 'found' items, which leads to very unique garden styles."

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Here's the latest batch of last-minute photos entered in the September contest, "My neighborhood".

This photographer writes: "One of my favorite things to do around the city is wander around listening to street musicians, outdoors performing. Captured above are two street musicians seen playing in the Back Bay."

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OK, gang, the entry period for the September contest, with the theme "My Neighborhood", ended at midnight last night, and we have 106 photos (I'll finish posting the stragglers later today). A few more that were added at the last minute to brand-new Flickr accounts may take a day or two to show up.

Because so many people complained that it is too difficult to fairly assess each photo when you have dozens and dozens to review, this evening, Globe assistant photo editor John Blanding will help me cull the entries down to the 50 best photos for voting.

We'll then take a day or two to make sure all of those 50 make it into the Voting Machine, oil the gears, and open voting Friday or Monday.

Meanwhile, voting for the October theme has ended as well, and the winner is ... Up Close, with 30% of the vote. Motion was second with 26%, followed by Silhouettes, 21%; Curves, 12%, and The Color Purple, 11%.

We'll open entries for the October contest soon and set up another poll for November. Thanks to all who submitted neighborhood photos -- and thanks as well for all of your suggestions. I can't tell you how much I appreciate how much you're helping improve this site every week.

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"For 8 years I lived within cheering distance of Fenway," the photographer says. "On the way home one evening, I detoured through Yawkey Way to snap this keepsake."

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"This is a view from my work neighborhood in Charlestown," the photographer explains."I exposed for 10 seconds at f/11. The wind was very light so there was minimal movement of the tree and the boats."

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The photographer notes: "Gas lamp near my house in East Boston. I believe the gas lamp and the cobblestone street date back to the mid to late 1800s."

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"As I was walking home along the Southwest Corridor Park in Jamaica Plain one night last winter, I was awed by the quality of the ambient light," the photographer writes. "Though it was 1 a.m. and about 20 degrees, I ran home and got my camera and tripod."

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"These patriotic silos used to be around the corner from my home," says the photographer. "For whatever reason the flag is no longer there."

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The photographer writes: "That's my neighborhood behind my daughter's very cute and photogenic puppy."

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RAW has recently posted some Boston skyline shots, and those photos spurred this photographer to try it. "I had never taken any, so it inspired me to go out and take some," the photog wrote. "Night shots -- thank goodness for tripods."

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"Small warehouse building behind my condo complex in North Attleboro on a sunny afternoon," the photographer says.

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"Taken just outside our home on the Spurwink river marsh -- our neighborhood," writes this photographer.

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"This fence is in Marlborough and was erected after 9/11 in support of all the loved ones who were lost," the photographer notes.

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"From the old Libby Farm next door to my house," writes the photographer. "Sadly, the old farmhouse has been sold and two new houses built on the property. It's cleaned up now and not as quaint as it was in this photo. The farm equipment is still there, but it now sits on mown grass or hard-top of the driveway."

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"This is the view from my deck in Rangeley, Maine," this photographer writes.

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"Taken in the North End of Boston on a beautiful summer day," the photographer writes.

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"Some clammers leave old canoes by the shore so that they can row out and meet the bigger boats," the photographer writes.

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"A back alley that I shot on my walk through Boston back in August," says the photographer. "I really enjoyed how such a tight space can just go on forever."

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"G.D. Cox, a developer, built the Cox Building in 1870," the photographer writes. "It originally housed stores on the first floor and hotel rooms on the other floors. It was rehabilitated in 1984. Today it serves as an office building."

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The photographer recounts: "Motorcyclist ran into a Range Rover SUV making an illegal U-turn right in front of the railway tracks. The SUV is seen at left, behind the police car. Motorcyclist is already in the ambulance; condition unknown."

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Taken from the roof of the photographer's building.

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The photographer writes: "Chaz doing what he does best ... waiting to chase a car down the street."

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"The imaginary power of a sunflower beats man-made power any time," says the photographer. Taken at the Reading commuter train station.

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"A beautiful time of the evening," the photographer writes. "The light makes the tall buildings glow, and casts long shadows."

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"Every day I drive by this stone building and can't resist looking at the waterwheel and the reflection it casts on the water." this photographer writes. "The morning sun hits it just right, so I finally went down with the camera one morning in the spring to take this shot. I was curious as to what the building was, so I drove by the front of the building to find out that it's the Griffin Museum of Photography."

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Former President George Bush participates in annual Memorial Day festivities in Kennebunkport.

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"My friend, an Indonesian policeman, comes back to home after working in Jemaja island, Natuna," the photographer writes.

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Waterfire at Waterplace Bridge in Providence, Rhode Island. "The sky was clear (you can almost see a few stars), the light was warm (from the sparkling bonfires), there was a light breeze, and the flags were fluttering just right for this landscape," the photographer writes. "The flags were what originally caught my eyes, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility, and 'bridging' the differences between different countries. There was love and romance in the air. The green and red line (and the reflection on the water) is the light of a passing gondola (I used long exposure to remove the gondola and keep only the lights). I am lucky that I can call this my neighborhood."

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This photographer notes that this was the scene outside Berklee College of Music's 150 Massachusetts Avenue building after the Red Sox defeated the Colorado Rockies to win the 2007 World Series.

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"How little Lannah looks up to her older cousins," the photographer writes.

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"Pausing to chew, Richard Kiley of Boston competes in the 17-and-older division of the watermelon eating contest," this photographer writes. "The contest, held at the Oak Street Fair in Chinatown, had different divisions in order to involve children as young as 5."

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"The Friendship in Salem Harbor on a picture-perfect night," this shooter says. "Caught the time just right with the moon sitting atop the ship."

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"Stitched in Photoshop CS3 from 8 exposures, all hand held," this photographer proudly notes.

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"Doing a little back lighting homework and liked the way this one came out," the photographer writes.

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The photographer says this boy's father died; he lives with his mother and three sisters, and wants to be a policeman.

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"My sons and their friends took to hunting snakes around the yard and in the woods this spring and summer," this photographer writes. "I am not a snake fan, but I have no choice but to hide my dislike so that they don't torture me. I like this shot because just the snake's head is in focus."

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"This field is at the farm around the corner from my house," the photographer writes. "I had to wait for the sun to come up to illuminate the cornstalks."

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"A cemetery in my town," the photographer writes.

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Supporters of a new Hanover High School get creative.

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"In May, my husband and I moved to Martha's Vineyard -- "washing ashore" in the native vernacular," the photographer says. "Getting to know my new neighborhood has been a splendid visual treat. The green door of the shed and green hull of the fishing boat came alive in an early morning fog."

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"I took this photo in a wonderful park in my neighborhood," the photographer writes. "It used to be an abandoned lot until neighbors organized to raise funds and get the space transformed into a community asset. Ramler Park provides a special place in the middle of a busy part of the city, just blocks from Fenway Park. People of all demographics enjoy spending time in Ramler Park, even in the winter!"

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"Well, if you're new to Revere, like I am, it has to be the beach!" the photographer writes. "It's so full of life and interest. I've taken dozens (hundreds?) of photos already -- people, birds, shells, flowers, rocks, planes, sunrise, moonrise, daytime, nighttime - and this sunset that I caught earlier this month."

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"Think Sam is having a good time?" this photographer writes.

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The photographer writes: "I walk from Allston to Cambridge to work every morning, and took my camera along for the commute after a huge January 2008 snowstorm changed my daily landscape."

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"Only 5 minutes away from my house," writes the photographer. "I never knew it was so beautiful. I knew it was there, but never went. Caught a moment just a few days ago. Gorgeous sunset."

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"These are some tough, competitive girls, ready for the race," the photographer writes.

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Tobacco barns in Somers, Connecticut.

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"I took this in the spring and didn't see this photo sleeping inside until tonight in my archives for the contest," the photographer writes. "This is my city "Boston" from this spot in Quincy to the harbahhhh. I saw this many times growing up this view watching the endless stream of souls parade to work. My advice is never stop searching out the truth in your work. This year with all the rain I have remarkable colors from just about every corner of the city. By the way I'm not professional; I do this because it's my passion. I used Corel X, a Canon G9 wide angle attachment and whatever Mother Nature graciously gives me."

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Community Chinese Dinner on the Common before the fireworks.

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"This is my street," the photographer writes. "Dodging trash and crowds is part of the price you pay to live in the North End, but I still wouldn't trade it for the world. This photo was taken at 3 a.m. Monday morning during the weekend of Saint Anthony's Feast this year."

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This photographer says: "Our beach town has many fisherman who make a living working in this neighborhood."

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"Newton Center looking rather colorful on a night when it had just rained but the air was very clear," according to this photographer. "I always liked the effect that the 6-sided aperture in my Olympus C-50 produced with bright lights at high F-stops. Unfortunately, this camera has started having some issues so I can't use it anymore."

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"I went driving around Gardner with my camera - it was surprising what I caught!" this photographer wrote.

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"Very first photo I took with my new camera!" this photographer says. "This is the view out of my front window in the South End. Not bad for my first shot ... right?"

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"Taken after a rain shower in my neighborhood," writes this photographer. "When the sun came out, it left this nice reflection on the puddle."

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"Same corner, Allston Street on Summit Avenue, in Brighton," the photographer writes. "The shot on the left was taken in November '07, the one on the right in April '08. Time passes by, but some things never change..."

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Beauty "in between the streets, the cars, and pollution," the photographer writes. Shot on Shrewsbury Street in Shrewsbury.

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Regina Pizza in the North End.

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"This is on Mill Pond in Littleton ... which happily is right across the street from my house," says this photographer.

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"Flag-bearing vets, baseball players, a small town parade, a pickup truck, and a dog. How much more America can you get?" writes this photographer. "This is my town, my neighborhood."

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A fire tore through First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain in January, 2005, severely damaging the pre-Civil War landmark.

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Buildings on Newbury Street in Back Bay.

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A very soggy start to the marathon in Hopkinton, April, 2007.

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"Mr. Butch," whose name was Harold Madison Jr., died in July of 2007 of injuries from an early morning crash when the motor scooter he was driving hit a pole. Dreadlocked, homeless, and usually cheerful, Mr. Butch was an iconic presence in Kenmore Square for years before moving his base of operations to Harvard Avenue in Allston a decade ago.

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"I walked all over Boston today. North End, Quincy Market, Copley Place, Back Bay, Boston Common, Public Garden, Newbury Street ... only places I missed were South Boston and the Financial District," this photographer writes. "This was taken in the North End, right up the street from where I grew up. I spent 6 years of my life in Boston, and I don't really remember all of it, but being back on that street brought back a lot of memories."

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Photographer says: "Taken from my back porch."

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I vowed I wouldn't post every single entry again after my fingers nearly fell off last month with more than 250 entries. But I am a servant of the people, and will make a valiant effort to post the September entries so you all can partake in the glory that is RAW.

However, if we get a substantial number of entries in future contests, and you try to force me to do it again, I won't hesitate to run away and join the Foreign Legion.

Reminder: The deadline is midnight tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 30). If you haven't entered a photo that fits the theme "My Neighborhood" yet (just one, remember), you can do so here. And check out the competition here.

We'll open the voting Friday or Monday.

Meanwhile, I'll be practicing La Marseillaise in the shower:
Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !

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Taken from a new Dorchester park, accessed from Granite Ave., that provides canoe and kayak access to the water.

RAW reader Mary Schiess recently told us about a project she's involved with: Taking photos in Boston neighborhoods under the auspices of the Boston Photography Center. She put us in touch with Katherine Kominis, assistant organizer at the center. Since our contest theme this month is "My Neighborhood", Kat (yeah, we're e-mail buddies now) readily agreed to share some of the photos with us.

She describes the project:

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It's official ... 543 of you have spoken, and "My neighborhood" is the theme for September, receiving 27% of the votes cast. "Get close" uh, got close, coming in second at 26%, followed by Wildlife with 21% of the vote, Silhouettes 15%, and Motion, 13%.

We'll save the other themes for future months, and set up another poll for October soon.

So what does "My neighborhood" mean? Well, you chose it -- you tell us. Leave a comment outlining what you think the possibilities are for good neighborhoods photos.

And if you already have one in your portfolio, enter it in the contest now. Here's how.

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