Thank you to everyone who already sent me their favorite photographs!  I am getting excited :) Here are a couple of my favorites so far:

This one is a Palo Verde tree in its spring flowering, whose message is to create beauty even in the midst of harshness.

In this photo, I love the contrast of the older (grandparent?) hand and the face of the newborn. I only wish there was a bit more of the hand.

A couple of reminders:

• try to avoid photos taken with flash. Unless they were taken by a professional who knows how to properly use it :) Faces without shadows are not very interesting to paint, as a rule.
• same goes for wide grins. Great for photos, not so much for paintings. Think of a photo that could tell a story...

If you are reading about this photo contest for the first time, please go to the earlier post to read all about it.

And here is something I meant to post a while ago but kept forgetting. My portrait-a-day with his portrait:

I was thrilled when Allen's grandmother (who commissioned the portrait) sent this to me. It is interesting how the people you paint accept you into their lives. Priceless.