Winning frames

FOOTHILLS PHOTO CONTEST Picture this

Photo contest winners capture special moments

More than 200 entries were submitted for the 2021 Foothills Photo Contest. Judges met Jan. 21 to pick winners in three categories — Landscape, Candid and Posed. More than half of the entries were for the Landscape category.

Contest rules required that entries be shot in North Central Washington during 2020. A sincere thanks is extended to all photographers who submitted an entry for this year’s contest.

THE JUDGES

Wenatchee World Photo Editor Don Seabrook, World photographer Mike Bonnicksen and Foothills photo contributor Paul T. Erickson reviewed all entries. They did not know the name of the photographer or caption information as they selected the winning images.

FIRST PLACE, LANDSCAPE

Photo by LESLIE BIGOS, East Wenatchee

My two sons visit while walking through Waterfront Park in Leavenworth last fall.

Judges’ comments

So much of good landscape photography is about lighting, composition and balance. We picked this image as the first-place winner because we saw all of these present in this quiet moment. The positions of the trees, the groups of people and the stream of light coming through the image made this photograph work. We were impressed that the photographer found this tranquil scene in a busy park setting.

Photo by CHARLEY COCKBURN, Wenatchee

This is a photo of one of many abandoned buildings on the Waterville Plateau on a moonlit summer night. The long exposure reveals the separation and depth in the clouds and stars that might not otherwise be so obvious.

Judges’ comments

Technological advances in photography has certainly helped photographers create images that once were nearly impossible to capture, but that doesn’t take away from the effort it took to make this photograph. We love the way the clouds obscure part but not all of the starry sky. The details in the old homestead can still be seen but are muted by the evening light. The photographer put the horizon on the lower third of the frame — something many of the entrants can learn from.

Photo by DALE BLAIR, Wenatchee

This photo was taken along the White River Trail (north of Lake Wenatchee). I found an interesting tree backlit along the trail. I decreased my aperture of my lens to f/32 to turn the sun into a starburst. The camera was on a tripod with the shutter at 1/15 sec. The “mesh-like” appearance of the backlit needles of the tree as well as the focal point, the starburst, are very interesting. I converted the image to black and white to capture the contrasting tonal qualities of the dark forest and the bright sun peeking around the tree and illuminating the branches.

Judges’ comments

This photographer knows something about back lighting and how it can make a simple photograph very dramatic. We like the texture of the needles of the trees as the sun illuminates their edges. The sun spot is positioned in a good location in the frame where its rays are near the frame of the photograph but not outside of it.

SECOND PLACE, CANDID

Photo by PETER BAUER, Winthrop

I was astonished to learn that otters ice fish; they keep holes in the ice open with their teeth, then dive through those holes to fish. As the water temperature drops, the fish swim slowly and thus are easy to catch. At least the otters weren’t having any trouble. I was sitting on the ice myself waiting for the otters to appear and they obliged. This photo of the otter just emerging and supporting itself on the edge of the ice amuses me. The scene is immediately understandable and the otter looks so innocent, somehow belying its predatory nature.

Judges’ comments

Not everyone can find this subject and most photographers wouldn’t think to get such a low angle but both work to create a picture worthy of hanging on a living room wall. Using a strong telephoto lens and open aperture, the foreground and background are made blurry. Putting the otter at the left of the frame while it looks left creates the correct composition and balance. Well done.

Photo by ANDREA DAVIS, Wenatchee

This photo is of my family and dog taking a walk on the last day of December. I like the lighting and how my son is looking back at my dog while he’s being pulled in a sled. I used my 70-200 mm lens to capture this image.

Judges’ comments

We are taught to shoot photographs tight, illuminating distractions, but it’s good to break this rule when the mood of the resulting picture is magnified by the surroundings. The judges liked the body language of the man pulling the child as he leans into his task. The dog following is unsure if it should continue or walk back home. The fence posts create wonderful leading lines to the subject and the snowed-over orchard trees provide a simple, yet telling backdrop. Finishing the photograph as a grayscale image makes it simple and direct.

Photo by BRENDAN MORRISON, Wenatchee

This photo was taken on the Wenatchee River near Confluence State Park. My girlfriend and I paddled upriver, timing our outing so we would reach a small island on the Wenatchee River just as the moon was rising. I hopped out onto the island with my camera while my girlfriend paddled into position under the rising moon. I used my zoom lens to try to compress the image and increase the size of the moon in the frame. I love the way the moonlight reflects off the water and the overall blue tones from the light just after sundown.

Judges’ comments

This is the perfect time for this image. Twilight provided just enough ambient life to provide details in the image and at the same time moonlight reflecting in the water. We like the setting sun reflecting off the windows in the houses in the background.

Photo by ANDREA DAVIS, Wenatchee

This is a photo of my son, Jax, playing in the snow. I happened to catch this image of a “photobomb” of my dog, Monster, in his sunglasses. I used a 50mm portrait lens for the close up image. It turned out to be a neat effect!

Judges’ comments

As with any portrait, lighting is a key component. The soft, reflective light off of the snow fits the youthfulness of the subject. The reflection of the dog, what the boy is looking at, elevates this to a first-place image.

Photo by SARAH FRAZIER, Wenatchee

First snow filled day of 2020. Nothing like a child’s excitement.

Judges’ comments

We can sense the connection the photographer was trying to attain with the subject in this image. Instead of just looking at the camera, the child is interacting by blowing snow toward the lens. Difficult to manage, the exposure is right on.

Photo by DAVID HECTOR, East Wenatchee

This is a reflective mirror portrait taken in my studio. I love this shot due to the direction of her eyes and how it seems that two directions come into as one.

Judges’ comments

The photographer had at least one of the judges fooled — “Is that a twin?”— in this photograph of a model next to a mirror. The striking pose and highlights of her hair help give this image an award.

Photo by KEVIN FARREL, Leavenworth

I take photos of insects to reveal nature’s secrets. This bumblebee seems right at home in the rose, but there are many flowers to visit so this brief activity is strictly business for the bee. While it’s in front of my camera, I get to see how the perfect little claws at the end of each leg grab and hold on to the filaments. The bee’s big dark eyes remind me of the mirrored lenses in my sunglasses, reflecting the bright pink and yellow colors. After a quick check for nectar and pollen, the wings activate and it’s off to the next flower.

Judges’ comments

The judges liked the splash of green of the leaf at the bottom of this photograph, something unusual when we see close-up images of flowers — and bees. The stamen bending under the weight of this bee and the detail of the bee’s fur make this a winning image.

HONORABLE MENTION, LANDSCAPE

Photo by PHIL MARINO, Peshastin

Another beautiful day skiing on Mount Stuart. I love how the backlighting lights up the powder cloud and adds an element of speed to the photo as Matt Holland makes his way down the mountain.

Judges’ comments

Backlighting and positioning the spray of snow in front of the shaded parts of the scene makes this image pop. Including sun in the frame can be tricky but this photographer pulled it off.

Photo by PAULA ZANTER-STOUT, Othello

This is a photo of a windmill with gorgeous beams at sunrise in July 2020. I enjoy a good challenge and COVID sure provided that last year. So I turned one challenge into another by showing up at sunrise most mornings to watch the sun come up. This particular morning did not disappoint and features spectacular sunbeams shooting up from the horizon into the sky.

Judges’ comments

The judges have a hesitation about rewarding images of sunsets unless there are other elements in the photograph that help create interest. We like the simple silhouette of the windmill, the highlighting in the clouds and that bunch of sunflowers in the lower left of the frame. They all add to the visual effect of the photograph beyond the color of the sunset.

HONORABLE MENTION, POSED

Photo by BRENDAN MORRISON, Wenatchee

This photo was taken up near Beehive Reservoir over the summer. My girlfriend and I were on a drive up near the reservoir one day when we noticed a field of lovely purple flowers. We hopped out of the car and took some portraits using the shade of the trees to create an even light in the afternoon sun. I really like the different out of focus layers the zoom lens gives to the photo and the splashes of purple from the flowers. The warm tones also remind me a lot of the warmth of summer even as the fall days get cooler.

Judges’ comments

This traditional portrait has the soft lighting to match the field of flowers and the model’s clothing. Just enough depth of field brings what’s important to the image in focus.

Photo by ANDREA DAVIS, Wenatchee

This is a photo of my son and niece wiping out sledding near Mission Ridge. I captured it using my16-35mm lens. It was fun to see their expressions as they crashed!

Judges’ comments

The judges like the synchronized feel as the children fell from their sled in this image. The photographer captured the moment as their faces showed fun but trepidation for what was to come.

HONORABLE MENTION, POSED

Photo by SARAH FRAZIER, Wenatchee

Pigtails & Sunshine. I shot this photo of a girl gazing out the window during spring 2020.

Judges’ comments

Details sometimes are as powerful as traditional portraits. Good backlighting and just a spot of color highlight the little tufts of hair. The separation of light and dark adds mystery to the photograph.