by Alicia MacLeay
Thank you to everyone who entered and participated in the first Trailspace member photo contest. It was great fun to see so many pictures from our talented members. We had 227 entries in the contest and nearly 4,000 votes by members.
Here are the top-voted winners, out of 98 entries, in the Outdoors Landscape category, along with some words from the photographers about themselves and their photographs.
Congratulations, everyone!
First Place - Outdoors Landscape
"Lake Blanche" by Chris Anderson (parkflavor)
About Chris: I live in the Salt Lake area and spend most of my free time outside. After graduating from college I moved here from Northern Virginia three years ago, mainly for the skiing and mountain biking and the accessibility to the mountains. I spend my winters skiing on the weekends and my springs, summers, and falls mountain biking, backpacking, disc golfing, and taking photos of the mountains. If it involves being outside, I'm in.
I took a photography class in college as an elective and have kept it as a hobby ever since. Living in Utah is great for taking photos because there is so much amazing scenery nearby and such a variety of landscapes and national parks within a few hours.
About the photo: I took this photo at Lake Blanche, which is accessed from the Mill B South Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City. It's about seven miles round trip to the lake and back and you gain about 2,700 feet in elevation. I hiked up with a few friends for a day hike last summer. We got started a bit later than we had planned and reached the top right as the sun was setting. The mosquitoes were terrible that day and we didn't have any bug spray, so it wasn't the most enjoyable hike, although the scenery was fantastic.
We reached the top just after the sun had set. I set up my tripod and took a few photos and then we headed back down. We didn't spend too much time at the top because it was getting dark and the mosquitoes were making life very unpleasant. Luckily we ran into some people with bug spray that were nice enough to share. We also didn't have any headlamps or flashlights because we didn't intend on being out that late and didn't do a very good job of planning. I had to be very careful on the way down not to trip or roll my ankle or anything because I could barely see, especially by the time I got back to the bottom when it was nearly pitch black.
Anyway, it's a great day hike for anyone that lives near Salt Lake City and definitely worth it when you reach the lake at the top. Just remember to bring a headlamp if you're starting late and bug spray if you're going in the summer.
Second Place - Outdoors Landscape
"Transition" by Khristian Snyder (KSPHOTOgraphy)
About Khristian: I am 19 years old, and even though I've grown up in the urban jungle of Southern California, I've been drawn to the outdoors from an early age. I went on my first solo backpacking trip two years ago in the Three Sisters Wilderness of Central Oregon. That trip really opened my eyes to the incredible beauty of the outdoor world.
I've had a camera since I was 8 years old and have really come to love photography and, with my main subject being landscapes, I try to get out into the wilderness every chance I get. My favorite places to get outdoors are in Central Oregon and the Sierras. Bringing back beautiful photographs of the places I go to my family and friends is very exciting for me as I love to show the beauty of the mountains to those who may never get to experience them for themselves. I hope to continue my photography and someday be able to do it full time and photograph the amazing world around us.
About the photo: The photo is taken from Sparks Lake, in the Cascade Mountains just west of Bend, Oregon. I had visited the lake for sunset several times that week but the sunsets were rather dull and ordinary. On this day, however, there was a lot of moisture in the upper atmosphere that caused lenticular clouds to form over the mountain range. I kayaked out to an island in the lake for sunset and began shooting one of the most incredible light shows I've ever witnessed. There was one other photographer in the area that was hooting and hollering over the amazing colors that were exploding in the sky.
Everything seemed to come together just right and I composed South Sister and Broken Top mountains in this shot. I really like how the warm colors of the day transitioned to the cool colors of night from one side to the other. Many think that I did heavy processing to this photograph but, to be honest, all that I did was basic contrast and light adjustments. The scene was so amazing that it was nearly impossible to take a bad photo of it!
Third Place - Outdoors Landscape
"Bearpaw Fire, Grand Tetons" by Nancy Adams
About Nancy: I retired in 2005 and now spend a lot of my time playing outdoors and doing volunteer work, and when I can combine the two all the better. Soon I'll be spending my fourth summer in the Tetons volunteering with the Wildlife Brigade doing bear management work, which is very fun and very meaningful. I also enjoy hiking and camping in Utah's Redrock Wilderness and just got back from Death Valley, a favorite destination this time of year.
About the photo: I was on a boat on Jackson Lake in the Tetons and took several digital photos of the Bearpaw Fire that burned more than 2,000 acres last summer. We knew the fire was heading towards the lake so just waited for it to explode through the trees, which it did, roaring like a freight train. It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Congratulations again to Chris, Khristian, and Nancy, our three outdoor landscape winners! They each win a gift card to an outdoor retailer of their choice.
Stay tuned for the category winners in People Outdoors on Tuesday, and Nature and Wildlife on Wednesday. And next week, we'll share some of the other images that were worthy of Honorable Mentions.
All images entered in the Trailspace photo contest are copyrighted by the photographer.
