You’re looking good out 
there, Sanford. Take a look at our June Sanford Selfie Competition winners! As you know, we pick two different selfies for two different prizes each month. First up, winning our new Hometown Favorite Award is city hall dynamo and true Sanford gal,
Sheena Reena Fort!
Sanford365 chose Sheena’s selfie because we felt like it truly captured a unique Sanford summer moment: having fun with family and friends while enjoying a River Rats baseball game at the Sanford Memorial Stadium. (And check out those Sanford shirts, to boot! You can purchase your own at the Sanford Welcome Center.) Congratulations, Sheena, on your truly superior #SanfordSelfie skills!
For her awesome selfie, Sheena wins two complimentary tickets to the Mermaid Party at String Theory Creations, where she and a friend will make jewelry, snack, and drink bubbly drinks to their hearts’ content. Thank you Linda and Christina Hollerbach for your sponsorship, and for hosting such a fun event!
And now for the Best Selfie, with a prize of $100 Selfie Dollars!
But before the big reveal, let’s meet our judges. This month’s competition was graciously judged by the men behind Spectacle Photo, a new creative agency located in probably the hippest place in Sanford possible: the Current Galleries.
I am so happy to have Caleb Morgan and Rich Johnson as our judges, because as newcomers to town, they retain their unbiased perspective, but have an appreciation for all of the things that make Sanford awesome. Since they are located right next to String Theory, I’ve gotten to know them both over the past month (Rich’s daughter has great taste in jewelry, and don’t even mention tapas to Caleb), but to learn more about their operation, I sent over some questions, and Caleb answered them beautifully:
Rich is the photographer and post-production wizard, while I take care of project management, video, and marketing. We really complement each other since we each specialize in different areas of content creation.How long have you been working together?
Rich and I have worked together in the photography/film industry for nine years now. Wow. Nine years…I just stared off into space as I realized that I’m old now.
Why did you move to Sanford?
We moved to Sanford because Orlando, and most of its surrounding areas, all look the same when it comes to backdrops for photography. It’s also overshot by photographers. When you have to stand in a line just to take a photo in an alley, it’s time to move on. Sanford has multi-colored brick buildings that are great for photos, it has a large body of water just a few blocks from downtown, and many of the shops sell antiques, which is awesome when we need a unique prop on the fly. 
How do you fill your days?
Half of a typical week is spent doing photoshoots of all kinds, and the other half is spent meeting with clients and working on making Spectacle a bigger and better company. Of course, there’s always the days that turn weird because of whatever project we’re working on, like the day we spent making a working mini-gun out of PVC pipe and old motor parts.
What are your goals for the company now that you’re here?
We just want the word to get out in Sanford that we’re here, and to be the only photography company that anyone in the city hires. We set very realistic goals for ourselves.
What’s your favorite shoot you’ve ever been on?
My favorite shoot was actually a zombie short we filmed years ago called “Sultans of the Midnight Disco”. It was terrible, and the project completely crashed and burned in post-production, but it was a blast to make. Any day where you go through nineteen gallons of red corn syrup blood is a good day.
Photo by Spectacle Photo
What do you think makes a good Sanford Selfie?
I think a Sanford Selfie should show off the scope of Sanford. Sanford is a really beautiful place with many things to offer, and my favorite pics this month really captured some of that.
What advice can you offer for taking a great picture on a smartphone?
Make sure there’s plenty of light. The more light, the better. Making sure the lighting is right is what will make your photos go from grainy and muddy to picture perfect.
How would you describe your personal selfie style?
Whenever I take a selfie I leave it alone. No Instagram filters, no skin smoothing app, no brightening tools. Selfies can give insight to who you are in a certain moment in your life, and it shouldn’t be dumbed down with the photo-fixing tool of the week.
Woot! As you can see, these guys are just the right ones to trust with choosing the Best Selfie of the month. This month, they chose a selfie by life-long Sanford native, Love Your Shorts Film Festival co-founder and marvelous maker of martinis, a man who needs no introductions (but really deserves them!),
Nelson Beverly!
Nelson took his selfie with his lovely wife, Christina, on the night of the Summer Solstice while walking on the lakefront. Another beautiful example of the great backdrop Sanford makes for capturing moments worth remembering, and a great motivation to take more Sanford Selfies!
Nelson will get to choose where to spend his $100 Selfie Dollars from our list of participating businesses, sponsored by the fabulous Roots Raw Juice Bar on Sanford Avenue. Thank you, Jenn, for sponsoring our homegrown competition, and thank you for serving up a little goodness everyday to Roots Juice lovers.
Thank you to everyone for your participation, and don’t forget that we have two prizes every month and limitless opportunities to enter! Our sponsor for July’s Best Selfie is the excellent Amber Clore of A. Clore Interiors. We’ll be hearing more from Amber about her chic boutique studio on Palmetto Ave later this month, so stay tuned.
Our Hometown Favorite sponsor is our one and only hometown international film event, the Love Your Shorts Film Festival. We’re teaming up to bring you a swinging Summer Rewind after party, complete with all of your favorite 60s tunes, so come dance the night away with us after the film block!
In the meantime, submit your selfies! Click here to learn how, and happy selfie-ing!
