Thank you to all the photographers that participated in the Friendship Photo Contest,sharing their best photos of their best friends and family. Congratulations to the winners and finalists, and a special round of applause for the Grand Jury Winner who wins a Canon EOS 60D Camera.

"There were some very nice images of Friendship in this category, and because the theme included the word Valentines, I selected images that showed a bit of love in them as well. I’m looking for the ‘story-telling’ moment first and then checking to make sure the image is technically well done. Composition, Exposure, focus, nice tones throughout. Congratulations to all the Finalists!" - Laurie Rubin

A special thanks to our friend and professional photographer Laurie Rubin for his collaboration as a guest judge. Laurie is an international award-winning photographer specializing in wildlife and nature photography. Her passion for photography as well as a career working for software companies, has combined her talents for teaching and sharing photography, from capture to post-processing. She currently has one of her prints displayed at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

Grand Jury Winner

"I selected this image because it I kept going back to it. It is a lovely moment between a young girl and a baby that speaks of friendship and love. There is a slight smile on the babies face and the nice gesture of the pudgy hand on the little girl’s shoulder is very sweet. The image is really well done with beautiful lighting and tones throughout along with the soft vignetting along the bottom. Congratulations on a lovely image!" - Laurie Rubin

Runner Up

"What I really liked about this, was the very natural feel about this image. They were not posed but just walking hand-in-hand on a snowy day. There is a feeling of trust, friendship and love between each other. Very well captured!" - Laurie Rubin

Runner Up

"Just an adorable moment with this two little ones, huddled under an umbrella with the one girl leaning into the little boy. The post-processing was handled in a way that made a very soft and dramatic background that doesn’t conflict with the main subjects. The viewer is drawn into the two children and the soft background is there to support the mood." - Laurie Rubin

Runner Up

"I selected this one as one of the runner-ups because those eyes of this little girl were so beautifully captured in this black and white image. By framing the image between the wood railings and being down on their level, gives us the feeling as though we are right there, sharing this moment. If the right hand wasn’t cut off and the hands in focus, this would have been at the top of my picks. But I kept coming back to this one for the moment that was captured." - Laurie Rubin

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