In becoming the Week 2 winner of the State Fair of Texas Photo Contest, Dallas resident Scott Meril shows off his prowess behind and in front of the camera.
Photography is Meril's hobby and he loves taking photos of the Dallas skyline.
On the State Fair of Texas grounds one morning before sunrise, he had a unique idea.
Meril, an anesthesiologist whose nickname is Scooterbaby, set the timer on his Nikon D810 and put himself in the shot. The lights are from a car driving toward him."It reminded me of a spaceship from the old Star Trek series and that is what made me think of the title, 'Beam me up, Scooterbaby.' "
A panel of neighborsgo editors selected his photo from entries posted to neighborsgo.com/statefairpics or hashtagged#statefairpics. Meril's shot was also the readers' choice pick, getting 91 votes.
Meril wins a $100 gift card from Arlington Camera and will advance to the grand-prize round.
RUNNERS-UP
Baron | Mark Smith, East Dallas
Smith, a Dallas resident who lives in the White Rock area, said he's always been fascinated with the craftsmanship and creativity in carousel horses.
"Some of my earliest memories of the State Fair was with my parents taking me riding on the carousel," he said.
For the past 11 years, Smith is photographer and graphics designer at UT Southwestern Medical School in the Pathology Department.
To get his shot, Smith used a handheld Nikon D-5000. He set the shutter speed at around 1/30.
Texas Star, skyline, sunset | Ashley Grabowski, Colleyville
Grabowski, who works as a marketing coordinator for a tech company, recently moved to Texas from Minnesota, "to get a little taste of the South."She was a first-timer at the State Fair and posted the photo of the Texas Star against the evening skyline on Instagram her her iPhone 6.
"We went on the Texas Skyway to get a bird's eye view and get our bearings as far as where to go and what to see," she said. "With the sun setting and Dallas in the background, the opportunity to take a stunning picture of the Texas State Ferris wheel presented itself, I just snapped the pic."
I shot an arrow | Daniel Nichols, M Streets
Nichols, who said he looks forward to the State Fair every year, took his photo in the front of the Hall of State on a late Sunday afternoon."I used a Sony A6000 camera, no filters or any post alteration of the photo," he said.
Something for everyone | Alicia Plaski, Bedford
The Plaski family brought its four-generation family to the State Fair again this year. This time, Alicia Plaski caught a moment with World War II veteran Walter Plaski, 91, and his 1-year-old great-grandchild, Grayson."Grayson is surely telling 'Baboo' Walter 'The corny dogs are that way!' " Plaski said. "How appropriate that everyone from the age of 1 to 91 loves the State Fair of Texas!"
Plaski, 66, used her iPhone 6c to capture the scene.
