If you’ve read my blog over the past while, you know I’m a fan of Lenz, run by my friend Rob Cambell. The site offers budding photographers a chance to put their name out there, get people viewing their photos, and possibly even winning a prize – not a bad reward for doing something you already love!

For August and September, the next round of contests fall into four categories, each sponsored by a specific company. And for bonus points, can you guess a common theme to them all?

• Morning Sunshine involves pictures of the world at dawn. As a perennial late-niter, my dawn views often appear at the end of the day, not the start – but the impact is still never lost. Your goal is a photo that captures this unique time of day and transmits that impact to the world. Not coincidentally, the sponsors of this content are Solarline, a company that offers portable solar power in a generator you can take anywhere. And this is no small battery pack: They offer trailer-sized solutions suitable for construction sites and disaster relief, all powered by the shining sun.
• People Building Things is a contest for photos of, obviously, construction. The sponsors are EcoDeckBuilder, who themselves are building constantly (deck building, that is). Your photos don’t have to be about decks of course, but any construction project; after all, the title is ‘people building things’, so watchmaking, sand castles, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are all fair game!
• View From The Roof. In any city (frankly, anywhere), there is a whole new vista just one floor up ready to be seen. The view from the roofs anywhere that we are show us a different side to the world, and capturing that new view is the goal of this contest. It’s sponsored by All Weather Roofing, a company that gets to see that view daily, as they go about their industrial roof business fixing and creating those guards against the elements. A great contest to draw awareness to those protective barriers we’ve really needed across Canada this summer!
• Conflict means pictures that show turmoil. The fact is, without some conflict in our lives little or nothing would get done, and we’d sleep all day. Conflict drives us; whether it’s what’s behind any good story, or giving us a reason to do something, conflict spurs us on. But that’s not all to conflict, and your photos can touch on any aspect of it. And of course, the sponsor, Smojoe, a social media marketing firm, is highlighting this topic for a reason: No good story works without conflict, a ‘twist’, and so too your story online needs a hook, something to make it stand out and grab.

Four companies, four contests, and a great way to get exposure for your pics – so enter now! The prizes for these contests include BlackBerries and iPads, and of course, you should check their site full contest rules and details. But more important than a prize is the exposure (no pun intended): After all, where else can you find thousands of people really reviewing and judging your photos?

If you enjoy using your camera, and want to take it to the next level, getting exposure and possible rewards, then drop onto the Lenzr blog today to read up on how to enter. And even if you don’t plan to take any pictures yourself, drop by and check the entries out – they can be well worth the trip.

…And by the way, the common tie-in to all four of these companies? Environmental awareness:

• Solarline is the obvious one. Their product allows you to replace fossil fuel for clean, pollution free solar energy. With their trailer built for travel, energy can be brought to you, reducing greenhouse gases on even remote sites. And by making power available everywhere, they reduce the need for smaller (fueled) power tools. And for small devices, the savings is high: Two stroke engines, like chain saws and lawnmowers, are big polluters, pound for pound far worse than cars and trucks!
• EcoDeckBuilder builds upon the work of Solarline (OK, that pun was deliberate), by using their trailer when they do their jobs. So if you had a choice between paying for a deck built the green way, or one with polluting (and noisy) equipment, which would you go for? As well, the company focuses on green solutions everywhere in the project – important if you don’t know the more environmentally safe (and family safe) options for your next construction project.
• How are the roofs that All Weather Roofing provide environmentally sound? When they give you a 100% watertight flat roof warranties that are renewable forever – because that kind of confidence means they are doing a first rate job up front, and that means fewer replacements (and fewer trips to the landfill with all that replaced roofing). As well, they offer a membrane system that can cover an existing roof, resulting in no trip needed to the garbage dump – and so a safe roof with little waste.
• And to finish off, here’s a toughy – how does Smojoe qualify as environmentally conscious? People forget that the Internet has helped the environment in ways never before possible. Imagine researching and reading up about these four great companies a decade ago, and then imagine how much gasoline you’d burn up to do the research. Smojoe leverages the Internet to bring people together and enact change – change that can be for social good, or just plain fun (like a photo contest). And while I have no problems with printed media, remember this: Supporting an online ad means you are supporting an environmentally ‘free’ ad, not printed on paper, or clogging up your mailbox. No emissions, no garbage – yet the same impact as a printed ad.

So, what are you waiting for – get out there and snap away!