Thank you to all the photographers that shared their best photos showing peaceful moments in the Zen Moment Photo Contest with chances to win a Fujifilm X-T1 camera and more!
"When I came up with the theme "The Zen Moment" I imagined the qualities that define a "zen" moment: quiet, stillness, awareness. Something that happens and that we are a witness to, not something forced or posed in any way. A question of being in the right place at the right time to witness the unfolding of a transitory event.
To be honest, I wondered if there would be a flood of first-level literal interpretations of the theme, aka photoshopped Buddhas on a cosmic background kind of images. I wondered how many people would focus on the "moment" instead of the "zen" keyword.Â
When I saw the finalists list, I was very happy to discover the aesthetic quality of the images. Great photography all around, congratulations to everyone who made the finalists list. Well deserved!  "The Hand Of God" by Elena Paraskeva was obviously the winner from my first pass through the list. It embodies all the qualities I had in mind, and is just a gorgeous image. I made me think: This is what I had in mind!
The runners up were all very close to the same spirit. The deciding elements in between the top six were often the amount of contrast/detail which I visually equated to quietness. Stillness, or the anticipation of movement, was also key. Compositions that had dramatic or numerous contrasts (in texture; proportions in between elements; etc - not only tone) also seemed less visually soothing and as such lost ranking." - Eric GirouardÂ
A special thanks to our friend and professional photographer Eric Girouard for his collaboration as a guest judge in this photo contest. Eric Girouard is a landscape photographer born in British Columbia on the beautiful west coast of Canada. Playing by the sea and mountains sparked his love of the landscape, which only grew deeper with time. Originally trained as a painter with a degree in Fine Art from Concordia University in Montreal, Eric traded in his paintbrushes for pixels when he first used Photoshop 2.0. He has since then worked in photography, as well as the areas where print and web design meet digital photography. He started teaching in 1997 and joined the faculty of John Abbott Collegeâs Graphic & Web Design department in 2001.
Congratulations Grand Jury Winner "The Hand Of God" by ElenaParaskeva
Congratulations Runner Up "Sole Purpose" by jeanmarieshelton
Congratulations Runner Up "Jetty in early sunset" by Threin
Congratulations Runner Up "As smooth as a millpond" by Riekkinen
Congratulations Amateur Winner "Misty morning" by carolyns
Congratulations People's Choice "Sunset Meditation" by kelliklymenko
"Alone. (EXPLORED)" by Mack_Photography
"Morning Comes to Boulder Bay" by AnnSagel
"Solace" by jennycameron
"Magic light" by varemo
"abandoned dock" by davidgrachek
"seljalandsfoss" by Eventyr
"Giraffes - Sunset Giraffe Silhouettes" by CathyWithers-Clarke
"Sacred Forest" by andreacelli
"Warmth" by MarvinEvasco17
"winterwalk" by stargasm420
"Dull Moraine Lake, AB" by Yannick
"Holy Perimeter " by DrewHopper
"Hammock with a view" by mike0759
"cave dweller" by Gareth_Carr
"Andøya" by strOOp
"Someone's Wish" by Leon213
"Lake hut" by bruno001
"Fiery Sunrise" by Mauro_Mendula
"The Power of SkĂłgafoss" by Vanexusphotography
"Fishing, fireflies, crickets and frogs" by Lynzybrooke
"Path to Sea" by MargaretN
"A taste of Norway" by RobinHM
"Dawn at Maligne Lake" by PierreLeclercPhotography
"glenduan sunrise " by Simonsun
"Portencross." by pauldmessenger
"Perched" by kathykuhn100
"power of gold" by UrbanSamuraiCreative
"B" by eduardbg
"Rock on Black Beach" by stuarthowarth
"Adrift" by dthurau
"Serenity - I15s, Northern Resident Orcas" by PNWnative
"The Mist" by racheljordan
"smoky" by RJHPhoto
"Let Go" by RenardRouge
"Emerald lake" by DanielKordan
"Milkyway" by lakevermilionphotos
"San Bernardino (Switzerland)" by NickSW
"The Land of Beauty" by peterfoldiak
"Hope Valley California" by Bessieyoungphotography
"Home sweet Home" by craigboehm
"Monument Valley Rainbow" by frednewman
"Stokksnes - Vestrahorn, South East Iceland" by davenelson
"Shipwrecked" by ladyincammies
"Noak hill rd Deer" by bazzaboy09
"The snake under the Ra Gusela" by outdoorphotodream
"Castle hill" by shaun_denholm
"Sunrise in Algarve" by Rio-Majer-Photography
"winter silence" by Anneliese-Photography
"Last light on Laguna" by rcscharf
"Night Lights" by Aflorer
"Kimmerdige ledge at first light " by shaunjacobs
"A sea of cloud " by LisaMClarke
"Blue Hour on the Pont Neuf" by FredericMONIN
"Count of San Gimignano" by Steve-Pond
"Mt Rainier Milkyway" by HIPHeidiIhnen
"The Conqueror" by pauloprinter
"Lost town" by saintek
"Rainbow over Kirkjufell" by peterh
"Kloentalersee" by pixelwerke
"Leland Smokey Cabin" by b2bjacks
"bridge" by tadejturk
"Bromo volcano - 2016 Eruption" by kutsey
"Moonrise under the Stars" by antongorlin
"Lake Wanaka Misty Sunrise" by michellemckoy
"Double Down Dog" by TroyWheatley
"The boat at dawn" by danieledessi
"Reflection" by oliviersy
"Unwavering" by jasongerard
"moody morning" by maperick
"Power in the Mist" by GayleLucci
"The prayer" by siph
"Fire & Water" by coreyhardcastle
"Kirkjufellsfoss, Iceland" by marcsharp
"Alone" by ianchen0
"Gullfoss - Iceland" by ChristopherLH
"Pulpit Rock" by boberic
"Il vecchio pontile sul lungolago di Montefiascone" by Gilmour82
"Winter Sunrise at Castle Mountain" by chadmcmahon
"M O T H" by CarriAngel
