1/1 Hot Pic: "Gathering Pollen," by Loren Lewis, Vernon, Connecticut
Loren writes: "I took this photo with an Olympus C5050. I set the camera to macro mode and attached a home-built close-up lens. I took it late in the day, when it was cool and the bees were not very aggressive."
1/8 Hot Pic: "Balloon Photographer," by Jeff Pontsler, Rockford, Ohio
Jeff took this silhouette of a hot air balloon and a photographer at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta using a Sony DCS-H5.
1/15 Hot Pic: This week's Hot Pic: "A Shenandoah Fall," by Lucas Smith, Herndon, Virginia
Lucas writes: "The colors in the Shenandoahs reach their peak during the beautiful fall months. I was lucky enough to go there on a misty foggy weekend." He took this photo with a Canon SD410.
1/22 Hot Pic: "Fantasy Autumn Leaves," by Terri Peatt, Sidney, British Columbia
Terri writes: "I took the photo during the peak autumn color season at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. Then I used the liquefy filter in Photoshop Elements to change the shape of the leaves and applied a filter called "Flood" to add the water and reflections."
1/29 Hot Pic: "North Light," by Mark Davis, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Mark writes: "I took this photo with my Canon Digital Rebel XT on a recent trip to Block Island, which is a small island 14 miles off of the Rhode Island coast. ... This is North Light, one of two lighthouses on the island."
1/1 Runner-Up: "Wet Rock," by Christine Oravec, Saint George, Utah
Christine writes: "I took this photo during a light, steady rain in the Utah desert. The usually spectacular scenery had faded to gray, but the rocks beneath my feet created their own landscapes."
1/8 Runner-Up: "I've Got My Eye on You," by Leon Reyna, Houston, Texas
Leon writes: "This gecko lives on my front porch. I used a Minolta Maxxum 7d camera with a 50 mm lens and a macro extension tube to get a really high magnification. I also added a polarizer filter to reduce the reflection in the gecko's eye from my flash."
1/15 Runner-Up: "Paris Collection," by Peter Shmiro, Roslindale, Massachusetts
Peter writes: "I took this photo at a store window on Newbury Street in Boston. It was part of the Boston Museum of Fine Art exhibition on French designers." He used a Sony DSC828.
1/22 Runner-Up: "Jewel in the Night," by Charley Andrisano, Brooklyn, New York
Charley writes: "I used my Canon 20-D on a tripod to take this photo on a cold November evening. It is a picture of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which spans Brooklyn and Staten Island. It's a time exposure of 10 seconds at f/11, with my zoom lens set at its widest to 19mm."
1/29 Runner-Up: "Desert Sunset," by Scott Cassio, Stationed in Kuwait
Scott writes: "We were in a flight of Blackhawk helicopters after a long day of transporting soldiers to Iraq. We were heading back to Kuwait for the night... I took this picture from the front seat of the chase aircraft." He used a Canon SD750.