September was yet another great month of Photo of the Day winners, and we made our choices with the usual tardiness due to the incredible lot of cameras and lenses we have to review! Thanks again to all of you who submit photos, we truly enjoy them, even if we review and award them late. We had a whole lot of great daily photos again by the way, so be sure to visit the POTD Winners Gallery to see all of the daily winners.
And now, on to the top three monthly winners for September.
First Place
Self Portrait, by Meryl Darsey
(Meryl won a Canon EOS 30D kit digital SLR a Canon i9900 printer, and a Kingston 1GB CF card!) One has to appreciate the time it took to set this shot up. It must have required several takes and a lot of thought. It's tough to argue with the story told by a man standing in a beam of light reading the paper. A moment of inspiration, perhaps, or an illustration for a news story. Very nicely done no matter what, especially given that the photographer is in the picture.
Second Place
Young Ruby, by Ellen
(Ellen won a Canon S3 IS digital camera, a Canon iP6600D Printer, and a Kingston 512MB SD memory card!) Funny, the easier shot to make of a hummingbird is when they're at rest, but I don't often recall seeing one at rest, nor are many of the pictures submitted to the contest of hummingbirds at rest. But this shot is more than just a hummingbird at rest. It's a portrait of a hummingbird. The bird is in sharp focus, the background has beautiful bokeh, and there's the unique story of nature imitating a man-made object, however unintentional. I'm speaking of course of the arch of the bird's body and beak hooking similarly to the hook upon which he stands. A rare moment in time when a rapidly-flying bird paused to make a charming portrait.
Third Place
Oxygene_14, by Pero Velinovski
(Pero won a Canon MP800 multi-function printer!)
Bathed in a surreal light, the welder is intent about his work. Given his age, it's clear he's done this before. Getting the exposure right with such a bright light source and braving the sparks, Pero has produced a fine illustration for a welding magazine, or else a portrait of a man at his work. It's a great shot.
Those are our picks for September. Congratulations to all the Daily Winners, thanks for lighting up our home page with your fine photos!
And remember: one of these could be your photo next month! Grab the nearest digital camera, pick your best and join the fun!
September Photo of the Month Winners 
