Field and Forest Nature Photo Contest

Photographer's Comments

First Place - Lisa Young

Photograph: Snowfall Rays
Date taken: December 2001
Location: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Equipment used: Sony DSC F707

Comments: I was taking shots of a tiny bird the day after we had a snowstorm and the wind came up and brought all this snow off the trees and I saw the rays it caused and immediately started shooting and got this shot.

Second Place - Sonny Poole

Photograph: Hiding
Date taken: July 21, 2001
Location: Linwood, North Carolina, USA
Equipment used: Nikon Coolpix 990

Comments: The tree frog hiding on the backside of a leaf didn't work too well.

(Editor's Note: I guess it "worked" better than you thought. Congrats.)

Third Place - Greg Summers

Photograph: Contemplation By A Pond
Date taken: October, 2001
Location: Sawhill Ponds, East of Boulder, Colorado, USA
Equipment used: Nikon F100, Sigma 14mm lens, Bogen tripod with pistol grip head on Provia 100F using a cable release.

Comments: It felt as if I could capture the whole cloud above in the water and in a way see the curvature of the earth in the lens - it was an almost still moment when I found the right light. It took a while on an evening when nothing seemed to move me. I put the 14mm on and everything changed - it was as if I could reach from the bottom of the pond to the top of the sky.

Honorable Mention - Terry Cervi

Photograph: Softly Elegant
Date taken: 2001
Location: Buffalo, New York, USA
Equipment used: Nikon CP990

Comments: I personally love this image of the snowowl, taken at the Buffalo Zoo. They usually sit in the trees toward the back of their habitat but on this day, one was standing just a few feet from the front fenced area. I was lucky enough to get four or five shots before he turned and went back to the trees. I think these are the most gorgeous creatures!

Honorable Mention - Heather McFarland

Photograph: Mirror Image
Date taken: February 11, 2002
Location: "Silver Lake", Waterford, Michigan, USA
Equipment used: Nikon D1X, Nikkor 80-200mm F2.8, 1/320 sec at F9.

Comments: I was driving past a local lake one morning and saw these two swans lying on the edge of the ice. The smooth open water in front of them provided a perfect reflection to mirror the identical poses of the two swans.

Honorable Mention - Claude Rice

Photograph: Untitled
Date taken:Spring 2001
Location: The photographer's backyard, USA
Equipment used: Poloroid 700 digital camera.

Comments: I only intended to get the flowers and water, but the sun was just right and the water was calm so I got the reflections of the branches above, the sky and the trees on the far bank.

First Place	Second Place	Third Place
Click on a place to read the judge's specific comments regarding our first, second and third place winners. The full text of the judge's comments can be found at the bottom of this page.