Cream of the Crop 2007:
Dadja

Dadja does it again. At first glance, his carving photos might not appear as elaborate as some of the colorful displays seen in other submissions. But according to the contest rules, the Cream of the Crop prize goes to the photo submission that embodies all (or many) of the traits used to judge the other categories. So let's review those criteria while we browse Dadja's work.

Accuracy? Dadja has enough carving time under his belt know how to recreate a pattern with his carving tools. He's already carved 50 Zombie Pumpkins designs over the past few years. At the time of this writing, he's only got 105 more of my designs to do. Get crackin' man!

Photography? I consider a good pumpkin photo to be one that displays the carved design in sharp focus, while also showing enough of the pumpkin skin to let you know that it's really on a pumpkin. So... check.

"Personally, I consider this to be my best year yet. All pumpkins turned out amazing, clean cuts, no real slip ups, and I think I owe it all to the combination of Ryan's patterns and the pro carving tool!"

Quantity? I counted an appropriately spooky 13 pumpkins from Dadja this year. That's quite a few for one person to tackle on their own. 13 is usually considered unlucky, but not in this case.

Creativity? This is probably the stand out trait from this particular entry. Dadja has bred his own mutant pumpkins, perfect for his unique plan. What happens to Zombie Pumpkins on an indian burial ground? Read his description below...

"And now for something special. I had preserved my own pumpkin breed (pumpkin/zucchini crossover) for a special purpose. I carved five patterns on long slim pumpkins where I had cut both top and bottom. Stack those on top off each other, light them from down and up and you get my throw at the contest this year. THE ZOMBIE PUMPKINS TOTEM POLE!"