Well, the time is finally here! The overall winners of the Photo of the Year contest are ready to be announced. After tons of photos and thousands of votes, here are your amazing 1st place photos!

1st place in the Engagement, and our overall vote leader in all three categories, is…

James Fry Photography! This photo of David and Cassandra from downtown Grand Rapids, is perfect. The lighting, the colors, the rain and that kiss! Love this one. Could it be any more romantic?

From James: We did their engagement session in March of 2010, so it was still a little cold…you know Michigan :)  We had spent the evening doing photos all around the downtown area with the threat of rain.  We stopped for some coffee and went out to do some night shots and it started to rain as we were shooting.  Instead of bailing, we kept going and ended up with this awesome shot. Who knew the rain would work in our favor? :)

Our next 1st place winner, in the Michigan category, is…

Heather J Photography! I have had the opportunity to get to know Heather over the past few months, and this photo is a really great representation of her art. I am in love with this candid shot of Katie Bonita on her wedding day in Wyandotte, MI, captures so much in just one quick shot.

From Heather: My main goal when I take a photo is for it to convey happiness.  I think this photo does the trick.

I think you are right, Heather. It definitely makes me happy just seeing it! As a special prize for being the top Michigan photo, Heather will be attending the Smarter Business Workshop on May 11th, hosted by one of my absolute favorite people in the world, Anne Ruthmann! If you are a photographer and haven’t signed up yet, you must head to the website now and do it! Anne has helped me in my business more than I could ever explain and you would be crazy not to attend.

The final 1st place winner, in the global category, goes to…

K. Holly Photography!

I have to admit that this photo of Pamela and Mark, taken on their wedding day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, makes me crave warm, sunny, tropical weather and lots of palm trees. Not only is the location fantastic, but Kristen really captured it perfectly!

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All of our three 1st place winners are going to receive a prize package! Here is what they will get:

One of my new favorite things, a frame from The Vintage Crush. These frames are to die for and our winners will get an 8.5×11 in their choice of color and style. How lucky?

They will also receive a rockin’ Lens Bracelet from Adam Elmakias!

One full year of advertising on The Bliss Blog!

… and a brand spankin’ new digital copy of Paint Shop Pro Ultimate X3 from Corel Corporation!

Yes, I said PRIZES! This year, as you may have noticed already, is different than years past. Not only did we add an awesome panel of judges, we also added some fun prizes for our winners! Here is what the winners will receive.

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For the 1st place photographers in each category, one of my most favorite items ever! If you haven’t seen these frames, by The Vintage Crush, you will probably have the same reaction as when I first saw them. How gorgeous are these? I am DYING to add a few of these to my office and the lucky three winners will get their choice of any color/style 8.5×11 frame in the collection. Lucky!

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All 9 of our Top 3 in each category will receive some super awesome lens bracelets courtesy of amazing photographer Adam Elmakias. How PERFECT are these for the contest? When I came across the Lens Bracelet website, I just had to contact Adam. I am so glad I did!

In early 2010, Adam Elmakias created his first set of Lens Bracelets© to be used as a promotional tool for his photography. Starting off with a single design, based on the 50mm, Elmakias began sharing the bracelets with friends, photographers and fans, giving away nearly 250 wristbands as he toured throughout the US and Canada.

After only six months, thousands of Lens Bracelets© have now been sold and shipped to individuals in over 50 different countries. The buzz around the bracelets has led to an expansion in Elmakias’ offerings: a multitude of focal length designs to choose from. Photographers and fans can now show off their favorite lenses, even when they aren’t shooting.

The timeless design was created by a photographer, for photographers and features classic embossed lettering and lens grip ridges that replicate actual lenses. The silicone wristbands are available in two different base styles and focal lengths of 50mm, 35mm, 85mm, 14-24mm, 17-40mm, 24-70mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm. Size choices for Lens Bracelets© include 7″ circ. x 1/2” and 8” circ. x 1/2”.

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For our Michigan Photo of the Year winner, the always fabulous and business savvy Anne Ruthmann, has offered up a free pass to her Smarter Business Workshop in Michigan! How awesome is this? The workshop is going to be a really great resource for local photographers and she has a few scheduled around the US. Even if you aren’t in Michigan, you should definitely check this out. Anne has helped me in more ways than I can count and I just know this workshop will be amazing.

From the website: Photography can be an incredibly rewarding career, if you make smarter business decisions every step of the way. Success comes with great ideas AND great implementation. Too often photography workshops forcus on ideas, but without implementation, sustainable success doesn’t follow. I want to change that. I want to help you create a plan of sustainable success–ideas put into action–to move your business forward- from wherever you are now. Photography has empowered my creative life, and I can help you have the same.

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Each of our three First Place winners in each category will also receive a one year ad placement on The Bliss Blog! Pretty awesome, right?