GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Jessica Fridrich
A stationary monsoon storm at sunset provides an unusual combination of light, reflection and shadows amid the textured “brain rock” of Northern Arizona’s White Pocket. “There’s a certain serenity to this image,” Photo Editor Jeff Kida says. “The wonderful soft textures in the rocks create leading lines, and everything leads you to the subtle payoff of the tree, then the cloud above it. The quality of light here is spectacular, and overall, there’s a feeling of calmness.”
NIKON Z7, 2 SEC, F/10, ISO 64, 19.5 MM LENS
SECOND PLACE
Riley Bregar
With the Superstition Mountains, in the background, basking in the red glow of sunset, a bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) keeps watch atop a ledge in the neighboring Goldfield Mountains. “I didn’t see the bighorn at first, but without it, this wouldn’t be nearly as successful,” Kida says. “It would still be a lovely photo, though, because everything else works: the late light, the cloud cover, the wash of the light on the rock and the distant mountains. That all comes together beautifully, but once you notice the bighorn, it becomes the hub. This is an example of a single, very small element pulling everything together.”
SONY A7 III, 1/200 SEC, F/6.3, ISO 400, 70 MM LENS
THIRD PLACE
Theresa Rose Ditson
“The first word that comes to mind for this image is ‘layers,’ ” Kida says of this view of the Prescott area’s Watson Lake, the surrounding Granite Dells and the distant San Francisco Peaks at sunset. “Your eye moves from foreground to middle ground to background to far background. The soft light and pastel tones are punctuated by the textures on the rock faces of the Granite Dells. Everything works beautifully, and Theresa did a marvelous job of finding this scene and waiting for the right light.”
NIKON D810, 0.3 SEC, F/13, ISO 64, 240 MM LENS
HONORABLE MENTION
Anne James
Mountain bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) face off atop a plant stalk near Big Lake, a reservoir in the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona. “Anne said it was fun to watch these bluebirds and that as soon as one would land on a stalk, another would fly in and chase it off,” Kida says. “She’s captured a nice moment here. In the desert Southwest, we don’t see blue hues very often, and here, they stand out from the earthy, muted tones of the background. The limited depth of field also ensures that the background doesn’t compete with the birds.”
NIKON D850, 1/1250 SEC, F/7.1, ISO 400, 500 MM LENS
HONORABLE MENTION
Catherine Sienko
The seed head of an aster (genus Aster) displays its delicate components at Diamond Bell Ranch, southwest of Tucson. “This is an interesting study in color contrast and soft textures,” Kida says. “There’s such a minimal depth of field, with very little in sharp focus, that the image becomes dreamlike. But the color contrast interests me the most: We have soft yellows juxtaposed with blues and grays, creating interest and intrigue. The flower also is off-center, which adds a little bit of eye movement.”
NIKON D800, 1/60 SEC, F/5.6, ISO 100, 55 MM LENS
HONORABLE MENTION
Kat Guellich
Two antelope jackrabbits (Lepus alleni) graze in a meadow in Amado, south of Tucson, in late summer. Kida says this lovely nature photo could almost be an illustration, given its very soft light and idyllic environment. “Kat photographed the main rabbit just as it perked up and looked back at her,” he says. “Your eye goes to that rabbit first, but the second one, in the background, is a nice bonus that kicks the interest level up. It makes the viewer wonder if there are more rabbits just outside the frame.”
CANON EOS REBEL T3, 1/250 SEC, F/5.6, ISO 100, 120 MM LENS
ADVENTURES IN NATURE STUDENT PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
Arianna DuPont
Rare March snow covers trees and vegetation along Sabino Creek, near Tucson. This image won the grand prize in this year’s student contest, which was sponsored by Arizona Highways, The Nature Conservancy and Cox Communications. “In many ways, this is two photos,” Kida says. “The top is very monochromatic, with dark branches, white snow and gray sky. Below the horizon line, we see green grass and red stones. But what ties it all together is the reflection of the branches in the water. Arianna did a marvelous job of seeing that and capturing it.”
NIKON D7000, 1/100 SEC, F/4.2, ISO 160, 34 MM LENS
HONORABLE MENTION
Catherine Sienko
Monsoon rain drenches Mexican birds of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) at Diamond Bell Ranch. “The blurred raindrops are the intriguing element here, but we also have wonderful colorful contrast, with yellows and reds popping out of that green background,” Kida says. “Even though the light is very soft, that contrast is evident, and because of the minimal depth of field, your eye goes to the uppermost flower. This isn’t a static photograph — you can feel something there.”
NIKON D810, 1/125 SEC, F/5.6, ISO 200, 500 MM LENS
HONORABLE MENTION
Jenny Bowlden
Bighorn sheep warily eye their photographer in the White Mountains. “This is really a monochromatic image,” Kida says, “and because of the patterns of the sheep’s faces and horns, this photo is about shape, form and repetition. Photographers like me might have a messy desk, but in a photo, I want to see organization and patterns, and I want those patterns to be easy to follow. This image does that, and it also does a nice job of using all the space in the frame.”
NIKON D500, 1/500 SEC, F/5.6, ISO 640, 220 MM LENS
HONORABLE MENTION
Theresa Rose Ditson
“This is all about patience,” Kida says of this capture of lightning striking a point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. “Theresa set herself up in a beautiful spot at the Canyon during stormy conditions, then was able to wait for the right moment. Sunlight is hitting the nearest cliff face, and that yellow-orange light is juxtaposed against the dark green of the conifers. Your eye goes there first, then travels around the frame and sees the trees, the Canyon and the lightning. It’s a simple image, but there are a lot of things going on.”
NIKON D810, 1/5 SEC, F/13, ISO 64, 24 MM LENS