Dakota's Nature Photos

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Photography Challenge - Win a Blog Makeover




I've always thought it would be cool to host my own photo contest and, after much thought, am happy to announce that this dream is now going to become a reality. Starting today, you can enter for your chance to win one of three prizes:

  • The 1st Place winner will receive a small blog makeover. You'll get a customized slideshow header with up to 5 photos of your choice (example), an expandable toggle panel as can be seen on my sidebar, your own "Contact Me" form, and a custom blog button to match your new design.*
  • The 2nd Place winner will receive their choice of any one of the above prizes .
  • The 3rd Place winner gets a full resolution, digital copy of the photo they choose from my collection.


So how do you enter? Simply select a nature photo you took that has something unique about it, resize it to around 500 pixels wide if possible, and send it to me via the form below. As this is a completely anonymous contest, you'll also be asked to enter your favorite Bible verse in order for me to verify your identity should you win a prize. The deadline to enter is April 10, though it could be extended if I'm still getting lots of submissions.

That's it! You don't have to post about me on your blog, send my link to all your friends, or even be a follower! While I do request that you add my button to your sidebar after you enter, there's no need to fear disqualification if you don't. I'm hosting this contest to give you guys a good time and the opportunity to win something free, not to get publicity for my blog. 

So what are you waiting for? You have nothing to lose and an awesome blog makeover to gain. Let the winning begin!




Upload Your Photo



What Is Your Favorite Bible Verse?


This is to Verify Your Idenity in Case You Win







CURRENT ENTRIES
{Click to Enlarge}




NOTE: Due to the nature of this contest and in order to avoid cheating, I will be unable to accept multiple entries from the same I.P. address. In addition, please refrain from any "I've entered" comments which would give away which photo is yours.
*For blogger blogs only. I will provide the prize, but it's your responsibility to make sure it looks good with the rest of your blog. If a slideshow header would stand out like a sore thumb on your site please take that into consideration before entering. From my own experience, they work best when your current header is either plain text or a single image. You can also opt out of certain parts of the prize and choose only the features that appeal to you.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

A Gift for Mother’s Day




With Mother’s Day less than a month and a half away, I wanted to provide my followers with a wonderful gift idea for this special day. You can download the above photo in full resolution without any watermarks for only $0.99, and make both a beautiful and heartwarming gift for your mother by printing/framing it however you’d like. I designed it last year for my own mother as a Christmas gift, and wanted to make it available to you.



NOTE: Both poem and photo are © 2011, Dakota L.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011

Buddy



Friday, March 18, 2011

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Ready or Not




Elven Maiden is hosting a spring photo contest over on her blog, and since I'm somebody who loves both spring and photography I thought I'd go ahead and enter. These are the same crocuses from my last photo, but would you believe this is actually the more recent shot? I was surprised to wake up to 4" of snow yesterday morning and even more surprised to realize that crocuses aren't bothered by it. Spring is determined to get here one way or another!








EDIT: I'm grateful to have been awarded 2nd place in the contest. Thanks Elven!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The First Flowers of Spring




No, this photo didn't come from my archives. I was looking for something worth taking a picture of this afternoon when I spotted these flowers starting to bloom and, at a distance, thought it must have been some kind of yellow yard ornament. But upon closer inspection, I realized that my Grandma's crocuses are indeed blooming. Goodbye winter!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Coming Back to Life



I decided it's been too long since I've done any inspirational photographs, so I paired up this old photo I took a couple months ago with John 10:10. Wintertime definitely provides some unique photo opportunities, doesn't it?

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tuesday, March 1, 2011