Give Us Your Best Shot!
Thank you for participating in the 28th Annual Photo Contest. The best way to vote is by heading over to our Facebook page to cast your vote by liking the photos you like the most. If you don't have a Facebook page, you can view the photos below and fill out an online ballot. Please vote for vote for ONE entry in each category. Voting ends Friday, May 21. The Best of Show winner will get a free registration to the 48th Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique, which will be held Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nev.
Blasters and Drillers at Work
Category 1B: Blasters and Drillers at Work (multiple photos)
Entry #1: Shot Planning
Photographer: Venkata A Kona
Blaster-in-Charge: George Feild
Project Description: Time to drill the shot - let's paint it.
Construction Blasting
Category 2A: Construction Blasting (single photo)
Entry #2: Baker Rock
Photographer: Issac Gutierrez
Blaster-in-Charge: Ian Howard
Project Description: Photo of Furukawa DCR 20 drilling at Baker Rock in Beaverton, Oregon.
Entry #3: Transportation Facility
Photographer: Quint Miller
Blaster-in-Charge: Joe Dubinski
Project Description: Mass and utility blasting for a new transportation facility.
Entry #4: Various Construction Projects 2
Photographer: Alan Campbell
Category 2B: Construction Blasting (multiple photos)
Entry #5: Various Construction Projects 1
Photographer: Alan Campbell
Entry #6: Various Construction Projects 3
Photographer: Alan Campbell
Quarrying and Mining
Category 3A: Quarrying and Mining (single photo)
Entry #7: Goods Quarry
Photographer: Issac Gutierrez
Blaster-in-Charge: Ian Howard
Project Description: Photo is a production floor shot using emulsion and nonelectric detonators at Goods quarry in Winlock Washington near an abandoned house.
Category 3B: Quarrying and Mining (multiple photos)
Entry #8: Loading and Hauling
Photographer: Venkata A Kona
Project Description: Who doesn't love to watch the rock being loaded.
Entry #9: Very "Tight" Stemming
Photographer: George N. Panagiotou
Project Description: Oversize boulder from the stemming area after a blast in a limestone quarry.
Demolition Blasting
Category 4A: Demolition Blasting (single photo)
Entry #10: Bridge Pier
Photographer: Quint Miller
Blaster-in-Charge: Mike Gillis
Project Description: Blasting old bridge piers.
Entry #11: One James River Plaza
Photographer: Joe Grant
Blaster-in-Charge: Mark Loizeaux
Project Description: Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Maryland, USA (acting as Explosives Subcontractor to Main Demolition Contractor, D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company, Inc. of Greensboro, North
Carolina) performs the preparation for and successful design of, drilling preparation for and explosives felling of the 571,000 sq ft One James River Plaza, a 28-story reinforced concrete office building, standing 340 ft. tall, above the slab on grade, on Saturday, May 30, 2020.
Entry #12: Holiday Inn Rosslyn
Photographer: Joseph Grant
Blaster-in-Charge: Mark Loizeaux
Project Description: Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Maryland, USA (acting as Explosives Subcontractor to Main Demolition Contractor, The Berg Corporation of Baltimore, Maryland) performs the preparation for and explosives felling of one (1), 20-story, posttensioned, reinforced concrete hotel structure in Rosslyn, Virginia on Sunday, December 13, 2020.
Specialty Blasting
Category 5A: Specialty Blasting (single photo)
Entry #13: Cooper Cylinder Test
Photographer: Vilem Petr
Blaster-in-Charge: Dr. Vilem Petr
Project Description: This is Cooper cylinder test using our ultra-high-speed imaging capability to capture the detonation process inside the Cooper cylinder.
Entry #14: Study Shock Wave Physic from Dust Explosion Using Shock Tube with Ultra-High-Speed Camera
Photographer: Dr. Vilem Petr
Blaster-in-Charge: Dr. Vilem Petr
Project Description: We used these studies to understand the shock wave properties on end of the shock tube after initiation. We can measure the shock wave velocity from the shock tube and dust post detonation product as you can see the image. We used Schlieren effect for capturing the images and properties of different densities between the shock wave and post explosion dust products.
Entry #15: Ultra-High-Speed Imaging
Photographer: Dr. Vilem Petr
Blaster-in-Charge: Dr. Vilem Petr
Project Description: Study Schlieren photography using ultra-high-speed imaging.
Entry #16: Aquarium Testing
Photographer: Dr. Vilem Petr
Blaster-in-Charge: Dr. Vilem Petr
Project Description: Aquarium test to study detonation properties of a 6-inch diameter cylinder submerge in water.
Category 5B: Specialty Blasting (multiple photos)
Entry #17: 3GSM UAV Shot Design and Planning
Photographer: Venkata A Kona
Blaster-in-Charge: George Feild and Joe Palmer
Project Description: Staying top notch and planning the shots as accurate as possible with 3GSM UAV software at Luck Stone Quarry.
Entry #18: Gas Detonation
Photographer: Dr. Vilem Petr
Blaster-in-Charge: Dr. Vilem Petr
Project Description: Ethane and oxygen gas detonation inside a 100 liter bag.
Entry #19: Shadowgraph Shock Waves
Photographer: Dr. Vilem Petr
Blaster-in-Charge: Dr. Vilem Petr
Project Description: Using Shadowgraph optical methods and high-speed imaging to capture and measure detonation shockwave propagation and reflection to simulate gas exploders used for avalanche mitigation.