Photo contest winners announced
By JoAn Bjarko
Publisher
North Forty News and Fossil Creek Current readers provided judges with
a challenge when it was time to choose 12 winners from the 183 entries
in the newspapers' 10th annual photo contest.
Points were so close, in fact, the news staff was compelled to recognize
honorable mention winners as well.
Faces
In the faces category, Gene Dodd of Bellvue took top honors with a close-up
of his granddaughter (photo on page 1). Judges praised the composition
and strong eye contact, along with the contrast of the baby's soft skin
with the fuzzy towel.
Second place goes to Ken Waszkiewicz of Fort Collins for capturing the
pensive look of children playing at Elk Meadows in northern Larimer County.
Judges liked the photojournalistic style of the entry captured by using
a wide-angle lens.
Third-place winner is Larissa Parke of Wellington with a youngster posing
at the looking glass in the historic Flowers house in Bellvue. Black-and-white
photography heightens the drama of the moment, one judge observed.
Susan Worden of Greeley gets honorable mention for recording a face full
of character found in downtown Greeley.
Water
First-place in the water category goes to William Meikle of Fort Collins
for a magical moment at the Cottonwood Hollow Natural Area. Judges noted
that lighting makes the photo elements - bird, water and mist - work well
together.
Dale Zawada of Fort Collins took second place among water entries with
a sunset on a Weld County lake. Judges liked the way the shadows provided
an oval frame to the composition.
Third place goes to George Janson of Fort Collins for his unusual view
of Riverbend Ponds. Color and focus impressed the judges.
Wayne Crownhart of Fort Collins gets honorable mention for his winter scene
of Hallett Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Critters
The critters category attracted the most entries with everything from
chickens to cats and bugs to moose. The first-place photo - a bobcat visiting
a front yard in Bellvue - appears on page 1. Judges praised photographer
Jan Bergman for capturing a well-composed picture during a rare opportunity.
Second-place honors go to William Meikle of Fort Collins for a Monarch
butterfly at Cottonwood Hollow Natural Area. Judges liked the contrast
of the butterfly against the flowers and noticed the excellent depth of
field.
Gene Dodd of Bellvue took third place for his close-up a dragonfly along
the Poudre River. Judges gave high points for detail.
Honorable mention goes to Rhonda Hilpert of Fort Collins with her shot
of chickens cavorting in the back yard. Judges liked the creative camera
angle, composition and exposure.
Flower
Gene Dodd garnered first place in the flowers category
with an interesting angle on a sunflower
growing along the Pleasant Valley Trail in Bellvue. Judges again liked
the camera angle and the contrast of the flower and sky. "The brilliant
blue of the sky is striking against the yellow petals reaching to touch
it," one judge said.
Jim Gano of Fort Collins took second place with a photo of nipple ball
cactus in the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. The repeating circular
patterns, along with good color and exposure, caught the judges' attention.
Third place goes to Gina Linde of north Fort Collins for a field of sunflowers
along Mountain Vista Drive.
Renee Luka of Littleton gets honorable mention for finding a toddler among
the columbines at Red Feather Lakes.
The Fossil Creek Current and North Forty News thank its volunteer judges
for scoring the photos. Judge Charlie Johnson works for Larimer County.
A former newspaper and free-lance photographer, Johnson's work appears
throughout the county courthouse office building and in the parks and open
lands calendar. Free-lance photographers Kelly and Teresa Smith live in
Wellington. A former high school journalism teacher, Teresa Smith now writes
books on natural health. Kelly Smith works in software testing at Hewlett-Packard.
A hobby photographer since childhood, he started taking his avocation seriously
when digital cameras became more affordable.
2006 contest
It's already time for shutterbugs to start collecting their entries for
this year's photo contest. Categories are cats and dogs, outdoor sports,
architecture and leaves. The contest is open to amateur photographers only.
Submission must be taken in Larimer County or Weld County during 2006.
Photographers may enter one photo in each of the three categories. More
details and entry forms will be available on this web site. Deadline for
entries is Jan. 5, 2007.
|
