Scott Hotaling of N.C. State University will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the Sandhills Photography Club at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at Christ Fellowship Church at the corner of Midland and Pee Dee Roads in Southern Pines.

Hotaling, who grew up in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, is "a self-taught nature photographer, specializing in wide-angle, dramatic photography of the natural landscape." During his presentation of selected landscapes, he will share practical information and technical details on the making of each photograph.

Hotaling says that "a photograph is a way for me to connect someone to the beauty I find." Examples of his prize-winning work can be seen at www.lightofthewild.com.

Susan Bailey of Raleigh, a member of the Board of Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association and a graphic designer and photographer whose specialty is macro shots of flowers, was the judge of the "Flowers and Insects" competition at the August meeting. Her professional critique of each entry was informative, and she commented on the excellent quality, creativity, color saturation, and impact of the submitted photographs.

Len Barnard, of Seven Lakes, took first place out of 18 entries in Class A with "Mr. Hopper," a sharply detailed vertical portrait of a large green grasshopper; Gisela Danielson, also of Seven Lakes, placed second with "Brighten My Day," a gorgeous orange Gerber daisy in beautiful light and focus; and Jim McGill, of Pinehurst, took third place with "Stargazer Lily," an artistically placed spectacular bloom on a dark green background. The honorable mention went to June White with "Glowing in the Dark," a side view of a radiant red flower on a black background.

Out of 38 entries in Class B, Glenn Gilchrist of Southern Pines took first place with "Color Study," a vibrant yellow blossom on a muted red background; Brenda Hiscott of Pinehurst placed second with "I've Got My Eye on You," a grasshopper in terrific focus and detail with a background of curved green leaves; and Bill Newton, of Southern Pines, took third with "Iris in the Morning," a graceful lavender bloom with sharply focused petals decorated with raindrops. Because of the large number of entries, there were five honorable mentions: "The Other Side of the Sunflower," by Dave Powers, of Southern Pines; "Pick This Butterfly," by Dave Verchick, of Pinehurst; "Budding Azalea," by Marilyn Owen, of Pinehurst; "Spread Your Wings," by Jim Davis, of Seven Lakes, and "A Symphony of Colors," by Bill Ball, of Pinehurst. All winning photographs in both classes can be seen on the club Web site at www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.

The next competition will be at the October meeting. The topic will be "Nature," and members should submit photographs of "natural things" that "show no hand of man."

Two SPC members submitted winning entries in the photography category at the Arts Council of Moore County Fine Arts Festival. Lori Fischler, of Seven Lakes, took second place with "Bird Woman," and Mike Stratil of Whispering Pines placed third with "A Spider's Universe." The judge was Tom Grubb, executive director of the Fayetteville Museum of Art. There were 212 entries in nine categories, and the work of all artists was on display at the Campbell House during the month of August.

Final preparations are being made for the club's 2008 Fall Field Trip to the Boone-Blowing Rock area of North Carolina on Oct. 21-23. The Grandfather Mountain Sunrise-to-Noon Photo Shoot with professional photographer Vinny Colucci is sold out.

Visitors are welcome at all SPC meetings, which are held on the second Monday of the month and are informative and fun. Additional information about the club can be found on the club Web site, www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.