The Redoubt Reporter thanks all its photo contest participants for sharing their work with our readers. Selected entrants will be notified of their opportunity to participate in a photography exhibit at Kaladi Brothers in June.
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- Best in Show: “Street Lights,” by Susan Biggs, of Soldotna, reflects in the water from melting snow along the Sterling Highway in downtown Soldotna, taken March 29. Judges’ comments: Feels like springtime. The hard edges and sharp detail in the brick and curb anchors the composition and balances the softer detail in the reflection. Strong composition with a lot of movement and contrast. The color is rich without being overwhelming. There’s not too much of anything, it’s well-balanced and understated.
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- First place: “Skilak Loop Roll” was taken by Steve Epperheimer, of Soldotna, from the Upper Skilak boat launch looking west. The rolling effect of Skilak Loop Road with the heavy blanket of snow added almost a dreamy look to the scene. Judges’ comments: It feels mysterious. Even though it’s a dark photo there’s a glowing, enigmatic quality to it. It feels like it tells a story, reminiscent of a Robert Frost photo.
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- Second place: “Drop” was taken at Parsons Lake in North Kenai, by Judi Price, of North Kenai. Judges’ comments: Instantly startling in the crispness of the central focus contrasting with the soft, surrounding area. Cropping would improve the overall image, but the central crispness and refraction of light serves the photo well. Great tonal range. The almost perfectly symmetrical freezing of the water creates a lens effect, concentrating darks and lights, which wouldn’t work as well without the crispness and surrounding softness of focus.
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- Third place (judge Zirrus Van Devere’s choice): “Converging Plates” was taken by Steve Epperheimer, of Soldotna, on Skilak Lake just south of the upper boat launch. ”These ice plates were about 3 feet high and covered a distance of approximately two miles, and not in a straight direction. To capture this shot I laid flat on the snow and crawled backward until I positioned the sun so as to illuminate the plates.” Judges’ comments: Complete tonal range. Great combination of lights and darks. The way they play together is really exciting. From edge to edge there isn’t anywhere where that the interaction of light isn’t playing across the image. It makes the snow feel monumental, and yet the actual monumental structures — the mountains — in the background are visible yet dwarfed by the snow.
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- Third place (chosen by judge Joe Kashi): “Pre-game Blues” was taken by Mike Hancock, of Soldotna, at the ball fields off K-Beach Road on April 19. “The park looked as if trying to emerge from a blanket of winter sleep to soon shake it off and become active with sluggers and fans again. You can almost hear the crack of a fly ball and the roar of the crowd.” Judges’ comments: The very soft light feels like spring. The shot has very strong contrast at bottom, good sharpness in the reflection and an almost geometric look imposed on a very soft area, which the soft light tends to accentuate. It’s soft where you would expect it to be hard because of the light.
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- Third place (chosen by judge Rachel “Ray” Lee): “Wave,” showing the melting effects of massive snow coming off of metal roof, was taken April 5 at Parsons Lake in North Kenai, by Judi Price, of North Kenai. Judges’ comments: The foreground in the extreme distance is kind of like a journey. You go a long way just looking at it. It’s enigmatic and intriguing and has a really fantastic element to its reality.
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- Honorable Mention: “Aurora Borealis,” Sybille Castro, Nikiski. “It was a devilishly cold, cold night, and the overhead electrical laser show was blasting away at my house. I waited eight years to see this, and I would have not believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes! I am again in love with Alaska, and after such a long, cold, snowy winter, this aurora was a just reward. Wow, what a present from the heavens!”
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- Honorable Mention: “Spring Sunset Over Mount Redoubt,” by Nancy Dean. “With the coming of spring comes the beautiful sunset again, such as this shot taken at the top of the hill on Moose Range Drive on March 17.”
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- Honorable Mention: “Before the Frenzy,” by Mike Hancock, of Soldotna, was taken from the boardwalk at the Soldotna Visitor Center on April 18. “It is an attempt to capture a moment of quiet before the storm of tourists, locals and fish all arrive and bring our quiet little town back to life.”
