2026 Leavenworth Regional: Photos

Send Me Some!

Years ago, when I did the paper Bulletins overnight, I would arrive near the end of the evening session, with a USB stick for files and a digital camera for photos of winners. Getting the files from the camera to the computer to the software was a longer process than it is today, where everyone has an excellent digital camera in their phones and a few clicks sends these large files through the Internet to me.

I’m not sure what’s happened, but fewer photos are being taken now of winners. In Penticton last year they were taken, but not sent to me at all. The suggestions below are from my paper bulletin days, and maybe they seem too restrictive. Please see this from my point of view; I don’t want to publish something that turns out to be wrong if I can help it. This is why I ask you to identify the players and the event. A note like this: “Bracket 2 winners; left-to-right: Dave, Bob, Janet and Kelly,” is all I need: the full names will come to me from the tournament data and the caption will write itself. A note that says only “here’s a photo of us!” means I have to figure out who you are and what you won before I can even consider putting it in.

Whatever you can do helps!

Let’s remember: Regionals have many different events, and occasionally we get a photo of a pair or a team who thinks they have won an event when a late scoring change knocks them down to second overall, or even lower. Or someone thinks that their 55.7% section top in the afternoon session of Section L of a six-section open pairs, while not making the overalls, is an event win. I do try to include all of the photos I am sent, but I also check the final results to ensure that what you thought when you took the photo is actually what happened. And on busy days, this can take some time and be held over to tomorrow.

But if you have won and you cannot find a tournament volunteer to take your photo, another option is to take a photo of event winners yourself (or, if you’re the winner, convince a friend to do so!) and send it directly to me. Here’s some advice on that:

How To Send Great Photos:

• Above the Strike Zone: Try not to include in the frame any part of the body below where the letters would be on a baseball uniform. People want to see faces, not waistlines. If you have people of different heights, you might have to include the tall one’s strike zone(s), but make faces your focus.
• Fill the Frame: Don’t stand so far back that only 10%-20% of the frame is faces. Move up close and look at your screen as a guide. I will always crop out legs and shoes, and if this leaves an image that is small, the quality will suffer.
• Multiclick and choose the best one: Digital cameras don’t have film costs. Take a bunch of pictures by clicking many times in a second or two, and look closely at them and send me the best one. Eyes closed? Check the next one; it’ll be better. (If your gadget’s space is limited, delete the bad ones when you have a chance.)
• Send the biggest version you can: It’s important. ooga@shaw.ca is the address to send photo files to, and I can handle big files. Don’t send the size that takes up the least bandwidth, it will look blurred on a screen if the resolution is lowered beyond a reasonable level.
• Identify!: I need to know who the people are and what they did. If they won an event, tell me which one and first names from left to right in the photo will suffice (I can get the rest from the data I am sent). I’d also like to credit the photo taker, so tell me who you are as well.
• Watch the lighting and background: At night, photos taken in the dark may not look too well and require touchup. The playing area is usually best for light. I have taken a lot of photos that seem to have trees coming out of the tops of people’s heads, so avoid that if you can, although now that all photos will appear online in colour (as opposed to monochrome on paper), this is not as big an issue as it used to be. Whistler has some great outdoor scenes that would make great photos: if your team goes out for dinner, take a photo of the team somewhere and send it along if you win! Simple is usually best, against a wall inside the playing area, or even in a space in the middle with people milling around a distance away can sometimes work.
• Patience: There’s a lot to do at scary hours during a Daily Bulletin week, especially when I have daytime Director duties that require a reasonable amount of rest, and it may take a day or two before I can get around to posting photos. Or responding to those who have sent them.

Leavenworth 2025 Photos!

We'll start with Leavenworth photos I have grabbed from the Internet and add winners and other photos sent to me, above this line, as they appear in my inbox.... ooga@shaw.ca (see above for tips)
The Festhalle, tournament site. All play will be on the main level (unless the entire district shows up!).
	Welcome to Leavenworth, says this sign (in German).
Don’t worry, that’s not Highway 2 they've shut down for pedestrian access only...
	A holiday night-time view
Tannenbaum!
	A colorful summer view!