2000 Photo of the Year

Photograph: Good Morning Starshine

Location: Sawhill Ponds, Boulder, Colorado

Date taken: November 24, 1999

Equipment used: Nikon F100, Tamron 28-200, Provia, Bogen tripod , no filters. (Exposure information lost in the excitement of the moment.)

Web site: Colorado Photos and the Field and Forest Members Gallery

Comments: As the sun rose through the mist that lay in a blanket over the pond, I positioned it behind a stand of trees, Suddenly, it was like shafts reaching into the water of the pond. It was as if the fog was on fire. I scrambled around to find the right place where enough of the shore with the beautiful, new fallen snow in the foreground and the reflection of the trees in the water. It was 10 degrees and I could barely feel the shutter release with my fingers. My breath fogged the viewfinder but somehow I kept clicking with no idea if what I would see on film would be anywhere close to the golden sunlight as it streamed toward me. I was breathing hard as I tried to take it all in.

What makes this more of a miracle for me is that this is in an unlikely place with tangles of wires in the background and a wire fence along a dirt road. In the distance is the noise of early morning traffic. But not this day. This morning, it was still and silent and all the workings of the world were hidden in a blanket of gilded fog. in a moment, it was melted off by the warming air. The world crept back in. Now, I have this to remind me of the beauty that is always around me and invisible for most of the time.

Interview with Greg Summers

Field and Forest: What inspired you to pursue nature photography?

Greg Summers: It was nothing more than a wish to get out more - at least, that's how it started. I began with an Olympus D600L and wanted some photos for a brochure for my Insurance Agency. I went out one early November day in 1998. It had snowed the night before and the sun came up on a clear blue sky morning. When I saw the grandeur of the Flatirons (west of Boulder, Colorado) printed out on my inkjet, I was in love. I suddenly saw the world through my own eyes and I was surpried to find such beauty as I had never imagined. From that point on, I began to go out every day to find little piece of beauty. Each day, my love of nature grew. I really had no choice but to continue.

Field and Forest: How has your nature photography effected your life?

Greg Summers: Seeing such beauty for the first time in my life made everything look different. I noticed details, I noticed colors in the sky and every day has become an exciting voyage of discovery. I was at the stage of life where I was beginning to ask "Is that all there is?" The answer was a profund no! I woke up at before sunrise and knelt in the snow waiting for first light. I waited for the Canada geese to stir on mornings the cold made my fingers ache. In the evening I went out and watched the sunset. I learned more patience than I wanted to learn and I began to learn the rhythms and cycles of nature and thus, my own.

Field and Forest: You have spent a great deal of time photographing this locale - Sawhill Ponds. Why do you feel a passion for this subject instead of others?

Greg Summers: Sawhill Ponds is located just east of Boulder, Colordao in the middle of gravel pits and cement factories. Two miles west, a steady stream of small planes buzz ino the air from the Boulder County Airport. In this one place, Sawhill Ponds, is a sanctuary that is home for 100's of different birds and other wildlife. In the summer, the ponds are glassy smooth and reflect the colors of the sun as it sets over the Continental Divide. It's an oasis of peace and tranquility. The patterns of shape and color in the clouds mesmerize me. In the morning, the time when "Good Morning Sunshine was taken, a thick fog hung over the ponds. In a moment I can only describe as magic, the world was blotted out and streaks of light and color flooded in. My yeart raced as I hurried to record the show. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Field and Forest: What are some of the difficulties you've had to confront since you began documenting this area?

Greg Summers: My biggest problems were total lack of knowlege of natue, it cycles and rhyhms, and photography. I was a beginner in every way. It was like my classroom. Along with my lack of knowledge was lack of patience. I learned to stay still and wait far longer than I ever ad before. I waited through mornings and evenings of disappointment to get the few gems that keep me going back.

Field and Forest: What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year which you were unable to accomplish thus far in documenting this subject?

Greg Summers: I hope to get closer to its essence. Considering I have no idea what exactly that is, I don't know how to do it. I want to redo Good Morning Sunshine, but that would take a miracle. I'd like to capture one of the Bald Eagles on film, but that would take an even bigger miracle.

Field and Forest: Lets talk about your winning photo entry, "Good Morning Starshine" for a moment. It's a stunning photo. What were you thinking when you raised your camera and saw this image in your viewfinder?

Greg Summers: I was thinking, Oh, Oh, how do I do this? It's so beautiful. What should I do? Where do the trees go? Will it look like that? Where do I take a light reading? What's happening next? And then it was over and I was laughing out loud. I had no idea what was in the camera.

Field and Forest: Photographers are often their own best or worst critic. We want to know, how do you feel about your winning photo?

Greg Summers: I left the slide to sit for almost a year before I submitted it to anything or showed it to anyone. I saw the grain in the darker areas and almost decided not to scan and yet, there was something about it. I decided it was about emotion and moment, not about technical merit. It was about awe and wonder, but I decided to submit it only after several other photographers on a feedback forum reacted to it. Even now, I am surprised every time I look at it.

Field and Forest: What are your top three tips for shooting better nature photos?

Greg Summers: Go back to the same places over and over again. Know them like you know your own face in the mirror. Notice where the sun comes up through the year, find good framing elements, and when you learn to be in the place like it was your home, relax, there's no need to look for anything. It will come to you.

# Practice a lot - treat everything like practice, take bad pictures and make lots of mistakes.

# Use a tripod as much as possible, even when it means struggling into silly positions.

Field and Forest: Anything else you'd like to say?

Greg Summers: Life is an illusion created by each of us. I really don't believe this, but I try to teach myself that every time I go to shoot. I try to see that lesson through my viewfinder. Nothing is as it appears.

Judge's Comments:

This was a very tough choice. Kim and I debated for several days about the merits of each photo which made it to our final round. We also consulted Mike Flood, of Illinois, one of our members at Field and Forest and an honorary staff member who has been instrumental in the success of Field and Forest through his friendly critiques, suggestions and support. Nonetheless, the selection for this year's winner became easier the more we discussed the merits of Greg's photo. We are so honored to present it as our 2000 Field and Forest Photo of the Year. Congratulations Greg!

Composition: We have been marveling at Greg's wonderful composition for quite a while since he first began submitting images to Field and Forest. In fact, we think his composition is so impressive we actually used his images for a discussion about the "rule of thirds" compoitional technique. For an explanation of how Greg uses composition in his photography Click Here. Without a doubt, "Good Morning Starshine" is another wonderful example of fine composition with its strong leading lines which frame the subject while at the same time serving as a visual entry into the image.

Lighting: This image is entirely about light and speaks for itself. The early morning sunshine splitting through the branches of the tree as it is dispersed by the fog makes this a quintesential look at the use of wonderful light and its role in the success or failure of an image. Greg also managed to retain detail in the highlights without losing important shadow detail in the small patch of snow at the water's edge. His exposure is right on the mark.

Color: Another powerful element of this image is the quality and color of light. Remove the warmth of this image and it would still be a strong image but would lose its contrasting elements of warm sunshine and snow. Combine this with the saturation on the water reflecting the scene and it requires little more comments as to why this is a winning photo.

Aesthetics: Generic enough to fit all nature experiences and yet unique enough to qualify as one of nature's quiet moments of spontaneous worship. The power of this image beyond its technical quality and obvious beauty is its subtle suggestion that there truly is a power greater than ourselves which can not be explained in any manner or form beyond personal experience.

Difficulty: This factor is not ordinarily a criteria in our contests. It became a factor in the Photo of the Year judging primarily because of the minutiae of trying to determine the best photo among the many wonderful images we had to choose from. Generally speaking, images should be judged at "face value." Nonetheless, the difficulty factor in obtaining this image is clearly spoken by Greg himself as he describes his attempts to record the scene. Greg made many trips to this area before encountering this "chance" opportunity which was executed with precision.

Creativity/Originality: It would be easy to classify "Good Morning Starshine" as yet another landscape image with a beautiful sunrise/sunset sky. We see images created by God far more than we see images created by photographers. What we mean by this is that Greg was fortunate enough to be presented an opportunity we would have considered a privilege to witness. But to record the scene with authenticity required quick thinking and creativity to include crucial elements such as the patch of snow in the foreground and make careful exposures for a truthful rendition of nature's gift to him on that cold morning.