Grand Prize
By Melissa Corson of Columbus, Ohio
While Corson had dabbled in photography in high school, she was motivated to pick up her old hobby again after seeing previous photo contests in Lake Erie Living. She bought herself a Nikon D3000 and set out to capture the landscapes of Ohio.
This photo was taken on a trip to Marblehead last February. She had intended to shoot the area’s famous lighthouse, but the natural scenery immediately drew her attention.
“What I was trying to capture in this photo was how clear and blue the ice was that day, and the magnitude of it,” she says. “I’m 5-foot-7 and many of the frozen drifts were above my head.”
Corson had already taken dozens of pictures, but when a few passersby came into view, she knew she had to keep shooting. “It gave me the scale I was looking for to complete the shot,” she says.
It wasn’t quite that easy, though. First, Corson had to overcome her fear of walking on the frozen ice. Her boyfriend, whom she describes as “the fearless ice fisherman,” finally convinced her.
“This was the first time I was brave enough to walk out more than a few feet,” Corson says with a laugh. “And I’m so happy I did.”
Lake Erie is not only Corson’s favorite subject to photograph, but also one of her favorite getaways. In the summer, she heads for the beach at the Surf Campground in Marblehead, spending her days boating, fishing and relaxing in the sun.
“My favorite part of the lake is that it’s two hours away from my house, so it’s enough time to get away from the city, but it’s not so far that you can’t get there really easily any time you want,” she says. “It’s just peaceful, quiet and beautiful, and it’s a really special place to me.”
First Place Winners
By Thomas Eller of Ashtabula, Ohio
Architecture
Eller is retired, but last summer he was still hi-railing down the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, looking for obstructions, his Kodak DX7590 in his pocket. That’s when he saw it. “The sun was rising after a rain shower,” he says. “There was steam coming up, like a mist, so we stopped the truck, jumped out, and snapped about a half dozen shots,” he says.
By Heather Kosinski of McKean, Pa.
Nature
Kosinski has been trying for years to capture the beauty of the grassy dunes at Presque Isle with her Nikon D7000. “I had not been able to get that shot that made me say, ‘this is it,’” she says, “until this shot.” The precise moment presented itself last summer. The challenge is “to wait awhile but not too long.” She succeeded in this photo, which catches the light on the grass before sunset.
By Shirley Barr of Port Stanley, Ontario
People
Barr was ready, her Pentax K-7 in hand, as her family took off for the beach. Her nephew’s 5-year-old son, who was preparing to boogie board for the first time, led the charge. “He runs, not walks, most of the time,” she says. As for what happened to the boy’s swim trunks, she admits, “I haven’t got a clue.”
Second Place Winners
By Scott Dommin of Vermilion, Ohio
Architecture
Dommin used a Cannon 5D Mark II with a Canon 24-105mm lens on a tripod to snap this shot from the Vermillion docks, just a stone’s throw from his home. “I rushed outside to take the picture because I knew the clouds would reflect the light like that only a few minutes,” he says.
By Chris Smith of Willoughby, Ohio
Nature
Smith often finds herself down the street from her house with her Kodak C183. “The park is perfect for a great angle on the sunset every evening,” she says. In this particular shot, she likes “how organic the picture is and how natural the light looks.”
By Annette Koolsbergen of Hamilton, Ontario
People
The hardest part, says Koolsbergen, was holding on to her Canon EOS 40D through the swings and spins. She also had to tape down the lens, as well as her parachute, harness and camera straps to prevent gravity from ruining her shot.
Third Place Winners
By Elaine Tosko of Lakewood, Ohio
Architecture
Tosko snaps it all with her Nikon D60, from skylines to shorelines — and in this shot, taken from her lakeside condo, she managed to get both. Tosko loved how the sky was dark, but you could see light in the distance. She also liked the mood evoked by the photo. “In the midst of the impending morning storm,” she says, “downtown starts to come alive.”
By Thomas Liskai of Helena, Ohio
Nature
We might as well call him the Butterfly Guy. Liskai’s passion for the winged beauties goes well beyond capturing them in photographs with his Canon 40D. Last year, he raised and released more than 30 Monarch butterflies himself.
By Jessica Emory of Erie, Pa.
People
Emory carries her Nikon D90 everywhere she goes, so her daughter is used to her pulling it out. “She’s my only child, and she has some special moments,” Emory says. “I try to get her off guard so I don’t get the big fake smile, and it usually works, ’cause she’s always moving.”
