Want a New Computer?

For the fifth straight year, our friends at RAPCO and RAPCO Fleet Support are giving away a new Dell computer to a lucky AMT reader. This year, it could be you! But you have to do a little work to win the computer. You see, RAPCO wants AMT readers to submit photos of aircraft that RAPCO can use in its 2008 calendar. A panel of judges from AMT and RAPCO will review submitted photos and pick a photo to be featured each month. Of those 12 photos, one will be chosen as the winner and will appear on the cover of the calendar, and the shutterbug who submitted it will receive a new computer. It's that easy. The entry form for the contest will be in the next issue of AMT and will be available soon on AMTonline.com. Keep an eye out for them. Here are a few personal tips for taking photos that could win: Photos taken in the morning and evening tend to be more dramatic, with more colors. If possible, avoid taking photos in the middle of the day. You don't always need to center the object you are shooting. In fact, photography coaches say to think in thirds. Divide your viewfinder by thirds vertically. Instead of having your subject in the middle, have it in one of the side thirds (the same can also go for horizontal thirds). This creates a more dramatic effect. Shoot different angles. You are not limited to just one submission. So why not take multiple photos? Give the judges more options to choose from. Shoot with a normal view if possible (not with the camera tilted). The calendar uses landscape layouts, and any vertical photos submitted would need to be cropped. If you are shooting with a digital camera, use the highest resolution possible. There is no need to print the photo from a digital file -- you will be able to send the file directly to us. We use 300 dpi resolution when producing the calendar, so we need to have high-res photos. If you are using film, you can mail your entry and we can scan the photo. But my biggest tip would be to get out there and shoot some photos. After all, you can't win if you don't have photos to submit. Thanks for reading! Joe Escobar