New Hampshire Magazine’s first reader-submitted photography contest shows off the unique character of the Granite State
WE WERE EXCITED to announce our first reader photo contest a couple months ago, and now that we’ve seen the winners, our excitement rivals that of Best of NH season (maybe).
Our talented photographers — Jenn Bakos, John Hession and Joe Klementovich — took on the difficult task of judging submissions, which included more than 700 photos ranging from baby raccoons in trees to Seacoast sunsets to snowy North Conway landscapes.
One thing’s for sure: If you didn’t love living in New Hampshire before, you certainly will now. All of our winning photos and honorable mentions perfectly capture the charm, beauty, sophistication and prestigious character of the state, welcoming us into the picturesque moments that make New Hampshire home.
Along with being featured in print, our winners received a cash prize (1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300; 3rd place: $200). All winners and honorable mentions will also receive a 1-year subscription to New Hampshire magazine.
1ST PLACE WINNER Kelly Norcross from Templeton, MA | Shot with: Nikon D7100 | Taken in Pittsburg, NH"I go out in my kayak a lot to photograph wildlife. This particluar morning, some friends wanted to go out with me to see if we could watch some moose. It was July 5. We were out on the water just before sunrise when this beautiful bull moose came into the water to eat. He started to swim at a deep part then stepped up on land at a shallow part, right when I caught the picture. I had a zoom lens, and we stayed a safe distance from him and very still."
2nd PLACE WINNER Harry Lichtman from Newmarket, NH | Shot with: Nikon D850 | Taken at Lakes of Clouds, White Mountains"I took this as I was completing a hut-to-hut traverse of the Presidential Range with my brother and two nephews along the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire's White Mountains. During our last morning along the trek, I awoke well before sunrise to capture some alpine images, some of which included Lakes of the Clouds Hut at just over 5,000 feet elevation. Since no one was awake at that time, I included myself in the image using a self-timer and tripod — running back and forth between the camera and trail to capture different angles, changes in lighting and my position on the trail. I felt a hiker was needed with the hut and stunning scenery in the background to complete the story.”
3RD PLACE WINNER (TIE) Arthur Coy from Webster, NH | Shot with: Sony ILCE-7M3 | Taken in Webster, NH“The dogs were interested in something under our grill, so I went and looked and there were three baby raccoons that wandered down from their tree where their mom was. For the next hour or so, I just took pictures of them while they explored and eventually climbed back up the tree and back to their mom!”
3RD PLACE WINNER (TIE) Laurie LaPorte from Henniker, NH | Shot with: Olympus E-M1Mark III | Taken in Henniker, NH“Our family lives next to a farm in Henniker, and my son loves everything about the farm, especially the machinery. For his 6th birthday in September, the farmer gifted him his own tractor toy. When he saw the tractor out working, he ran to get his own tractor to push around as the farmer drove by.”
HONORABLE MENTIONAnnMarie Forcier from Shelton, CT | Shot with: Canon EOS Rebel T3 | Taken at Hampton Beach, NH“I was amazed by the appearance and colors in the clouds in contrast to the brightness of the rising sun. I had to capture the raw beauty of it all.”
HONORABLE MENTIONPeter Bolton from Plymouth, NH | Shot with: Nikon d600 | Taken in Plymouth, NH“My wife fed the chipmunks peanuts daily and they regularly ate on Pan’s head. When I spotted the chipmunk apparently mimicking Pan’s hands, I couldn’t resist taking a photo or two.”
HONORABLE MENTION Eric Goodwin from San Diego, Calif.| Shot with: Sony ILCE-6400 | Taken in downtown Portsmouth"I spent a day walking around Portsmouth in early January with my mom and my camera, and right before we left, I saw and captured this last shot! The dramatic contrast of light and dark and of blue and orange light, along with the silhouetted figure (my mom), made this snowy shot really stand out to me."
HONORABLE MENTIONChristopher A. Murphy from Concord, NH |Shot with: Nikon D850 | Taken at: Sugar Hill, NH“This shot was taken during a snowstorm after coming back from Stark, NH. I stopped at Sugar Hill to check on conditions, and the church looked amazing with the wind blowing off the roof on both sides. I chose to edit in black and white because the lighting looked so much better that way.”
HONORABLE MENTIONABobbi Clarke from Center Harbor, NH | Shot with: iPhone 14 Pro | Taken on Squam Lake, NH“The photo from our dock across from Dog Cove on Squam Lake was taken near dusk toward the end of last summer. It was barely sprinkling outside, more like misting, creating the display of little white spots caught by the camera as the droplets fell. We could see from the house that it was going to be a beautiful sunset so we rushed down to the dock to find the just-barely-turning-color leaves highlighted by the remaining sunlight that was being reflected on the water.”
HONORABLE MENTIONMichael Hubley from Londonderry, NH | Shot with: Nikon Z6ii 24-120 F-4 lens | Photo taken at: Diana's Baths in the White Mountains, NH“It was a beautiful day with lots of people around. I wanted a different image of a popular scene, so I lowered my angle to eliminate the people above the falls. When I did that, the juxtaposition of the pine tree reflection and the slow shutter speed gave me that different look.”
ABOUT OUR JUDGES
Jenn Bakos is a Portsmouth-based photographer whose work often appears in the pages of New Hampshire Magazine. She loves to document and capture the special moments in life, and she specializes in food, product, lifestyle, editorial and brand photography. Check out more of her work at jennbakosphoto.com and instagram.
Joe Klementovich specializes in outdoor sports and environmental photography and has shot everything from Mount Washington to the Everglades. Check out more of his work at klementovichphoto.com and instagram.com/klementovich.
John W. Hession is an accomplished photographer and filmmaker specializing in architecture, design, food and advertising. John has long been New Hampshire Home magazine’s photo editor, and his work can be found at advanceddigitalphotography.com.
