The 10th annual Nature Photo Contest benefiting the Wildcat Glades Friends group garnered 72 outstanding entries this year. From idyllic landscapes to songbirds, waterfowl to rusty trucks, flowers to insects, nature and her beauty came alive in the photographs. Our thanks to judges Lauren Copple, Kim Banner, Cameo Harrington, Kerstin Landwer and Robin Standridge. Every entry was a winner in our eyes! Thank you to all of the photographers who showed us the beauty of nature in the Four States!
1st Place
Tyler Artym is an accomplished photographer from Carthage, Missouri. His photo of the fawn was taken on the banks of Center Creek following a flood. He recalled, “I noticed a doe swimming across the river, and then I spotted two fawns she had left behind. They were only about two days old. I called Missouri Conservation and waited with the fawns. They weren’t old enough to be afraid of me. I could hear them bleat, and they nudged my hand with their cold noses. The conservation agents were able to reunite them with their mother, but I was amazed at the experience of seeing God’s creation so close. I always want my photos to bring His creation to others.”
2nd Place
Amy Watts, a self-taught photographer, spends a lot of time outdoors photographing nature. She especially likes photographing birds. Her photo of the killdeer was taken at a local water treatment plant.
“There’s always something exciting going on there,” said Amy. “There are lots of bird species year-round, and in the spring, there are lots of nests. I saw this killdeer in the gravel around the pond and took the photo with a Sigma 150-600 mm telephoto lens. It’s a lot of fun to experiment with my camera in all kinds of weather.”
3rd Place and Facebook Fan Favorite
Ashlyn Henderson first entered the Show Me The Ozarks nature photo contest 10 years ago in the kid’s contest.The rabbit with the sun shining through its ears, is her first entry as an adult and is our 3rd place winner as well as the Facebook Fan Favorite. In capturing this iconic symbol of spring, Ashlyn said, “My mom and I were hiking, and the rabbit was sitting on the trail. I almost stepped on it, but for some reason it just sat there. I was able to get on my belly and use the normal zoom lens on my camera to get the shot before it hopped away.”
Kids Contest Winner
Eleven-year-old Havyn Thayer was taking photos for a 4-H contest when she captured her winning photo. Havyn said, “I was out in our pasture, and I saw the bee on the thistle and took the picture.” Her photo took a blue ribbon in the 4-H contest, too. Havyn’s mom, Kacey, noted any time Havyn is hiking, she takes her camera along. She’s always looking for interesting things in nature to photograph.