2012 Winter Photo Contest Finalists
Despite the lack of traditional winter weather, our talented readers were able to capture some fantastic shots for our winter photo contest! After serious deliberation, our judges have narrowed it down to five images that stand out from the rest. Here are the judges’ comments on why these five photos caught their eyes and made it into the finals.
Early Morning Snow at Town Landing by David Stone
The soft winter light plays nicely against the trees and frozen ice giving this photo the look of a painting.
Whiteout by Katie Gendreau
The soft, painterly light hits a fence highlighting falling snow on a secluded pathway.
Lonely Road by Tina Leal
The deep blacks and stark whites effectively lead the eye down to the turn of the road in the frame.
Train Station at Dawn by Lydia Williams
The use of HDR imaging strengthens the interesting composition of the trains at the station by adding more contrast to the photo, while the intense light source at the center of the frame accentuates the vintage look of the trains.
Female Cardinal in a Snowstorm by Butch Lombardi
The starkness of the white of the background really bring the cardinal’s colors into focus as snow falls around it.
Please take a moment to leave a comment to congratulate the finalists and let us know which photograph is your favorite. The winner will be announced in the coming weeks.
View more entries from the 2012 Winter Photo Contest.
Get bonus content not published in the magazine in our premier e-mail newsletter.
Congratulations Lydia !! Well done!
Mark
Beautiful picture, Lydia! Congratulations!
Great shot and excellent detail.
Congratulations to all the finalists. My choice for best photo is #5, female cardinal…nicely done!
Fantastic shot Butch..love it..
Hands down the up close and personal depiction of winter through the eyes of the cardinal, photo #5 should be the winner. Great job by Butch Lombardi!
Congratulations Butch, this photo of the cardinal in snow is fantastic!!
Wow, Butch…what an incredible perspective! great shot!
All the pics are beautiful…but the cardinal is truly amazing.
Congratulations to all…I really like Butch’s cardinal in the snow photo. It’s a superb shot.
Congratulations for being a finalist Butch? I love this photograph of the cardinal. Simply put, it is absolutely “awesome”!!!
Great photos! Really like the cardinal, amazing how the photographer was able to get that picture. The detail is fantastic!
They are all strong images but I still prefer the wonderful cardinal shot.. but these are all winners!! congrats all…
So beautiful. What a great photo.
I can’t believe you were able to capture the beauty of the cardinal. Butch you are amazing.
What a great photo of Mrs C in the snow. Love how you took this.
They aren’t easy to photograph.
Lovely light shimmering off the ice.
Fabulous capture of the cardinal. Exquisitely detailed. The little flecks of ice and the hint of tree make this extraordinary!
Love # 1, but # 5, the cardinal, is my pick for best photograph.
Five wonderful images, but my vote goes to the beautifully detailed female cardinal in snow.
Thanks you all for the nice comments. Although this looks like I was right on top of her she’s actually about 20 feet away from me. She is also not in a feeder but in a pussywillow tree in my Mom’s back yard. This was shot from the upstairs bathroom window.I used a piece of foamboard to fill the open window. I had a hole cut in it that fits my telephoto lens. It acts as a blind of sorts. As long as you don’t make any sudden moves the birds don’t spook.
I would like to add my congratulations to the other 4 finalists who present some wonderfully diverse and compelling images of what winter is in New England.
Lydia – I loved your superb trains capture when I first saw it. Congratulations on your well deserved recognition!
Butch: great distance shot of the Cardinal – picked up all the bird’s subtle colors.
Love the crystals on Cardinal’s face. Great shot.
Lydia, I love the train photograph!!!!
Tina, your photograph is stark, haunting and beautiful. An amazing shot!
I love the cardinal. How did he get that detail?!
All are great photos but I really like the cardinal. I love the details, the snow crystals around her head and the individual fbers on her feathers.
I really love the trains and the cardinal, but the bird is the word, Great shot Butch!!
Hearty congratulations to all finalists…well done!
Best, Lydia
Wow–they are all great. I particularly like “Early Morning Snow” by David Stone. I can just feel the chill in the air on a lonely, yet inviting morning. Beautiful!
Great pictures…congratulations to all the finalists! My favorite, though, was the train station. The exquisite detail in the sky just drew me in.
Train Station at dawn– is majestic — the vast expanse of sky mirrors the cold snow on the cold steel as the sleeping behemoths of steel are silently waiting for the first passengers of the day
Female cardinal is very nice but sometimes the males have the same plumage as the females, in the cold weather months. So it could be a male cardinal in winter gear.
Lovely images. My favorite is the snowy path by Katie Gendreau. Makes me want to take a walk.
Butch Lombardi’s Female Cardinal in the Snow is my Absolute Favorite.
Butch, congratulations on being one of the finalist, I am a cardinal lover and have a large collection of figurines, some hand carved. this one is spectacular, liked #1 and the one of the train but my love for birds, well, this is #1 in my book. Butch, do you have a website?
I like #4. I love trains!
They are all winners but #5 has the extra zip that sends it over the top. Awesome shot.
Hi Diane — You can see more of Butch’s photos on our site here: http://www.yankeemagazine.com/pictures/slide-shows/coastal-ri
or on his photography site:
http://eastbayimages.zenfolio.com/
They are all great, but #5 has to take the prize…………
Early morning snow is my choice for the best photo, 2nd in my opinion is the cardinal
Thanks Brenda, I just saw Diane’s comment. Diane you can view more on my website (www.eastbayimages.com). The Cardinal in the snow is one of my favorites from this “non-winter” we’ve had here in New England. I have other’s on the website, including 2 that were taken in an ice storm. They’re called “Cardinal in Crystal”. They are my favorite cardinal pictures. The beauty lies in the stark contrast between the male’s red and the surrounding ice on brances. Azar…This is a female, there were 3 pairs in the pussy willy at the same time when I was taking this. I did get shots of the males but I liked this on best….Thanks for the great comments.
David Stone’s photo is such a classic New England winter photo. I especially like the soft colors of the sky, contrasting with the whiteness of the snow, and nicely reflected on the icy lake. True atmosphere!