2012 Great Nevada Picture Hunt
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GRAND PRIZE Pfalmer disproves the theory that high-quality photos can’t be taken from a window seat on a commercial flight. This image was captured from a Las Vegas-bound plane about 100 miles northwest of the city looking east from the Nevada/California state line. “It doesn’t get much more wide open than this; the mountain ranges go on forever,” he says. “Aerial shots are plagued with blue color casting [from the window and haze] that ruins color differences, but with this photo I used the color casting as an artistic element.” SETTINGS |
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CITY LIMITS WINNER This vibrant view of The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas and neighboring Strip resorts was nabbed at dusk from the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino across the street. “It is a blend of five images at various shutter speeds,” Wanta says. SETTINGS |
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CITY LIMITS RUNNER-UP LaPlant exited Interstate 15 in Mesquite to gas up while en route to Valley of Fire State Park. The combination of the crescent moon and the gorgeous blue lighting of the CasaBlanca Resort and Casino caught his attention. “I knew the sun would be coming up soon, so I scouted the pond area, composed a scene including the moon, palm trees, and the nice reflection and waited a few minutes for dawn,” LaPlant says. SETTINGS |
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WIDE OPEN WINNER Lockhart has for a long while been seeking the ultimate sunset photo of Lake Tahoe’s iconic Bonsai Rock. “I often watch the Incline Village web cams to see what the clouds are doing and always head [up there] hoping for the best,” he says. “I was delighted to see that on this day there were beams of golden light shooting through the clouds.” Even with this masterpiece to his credit, Lockhart is still not satisfied. “Someday I’ll get my color shot!” he contends. SETTINGS |
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WIDE OPEN RUNNER-UP This majestic scene was photographed on the north end of Washoe Lake (State Park) facing south. “There was a picnic bench sitting in the cold water, and I’m pretty sure that would have kept any ants off that table,” Molt says. She prefers to shoot this area at sunrise when the clouds over Washoe Lake reflect the brilliant colors of dawn onto the water. SETTINGS |
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NATURE WINNER Witt snapped this image in the southern part of the McCullough Range, a remote area accessible via State Route 164, west of Searchlight. He was driving down a dirt road when the animal darted in front of his vehicle. “At the last moment, the bobcat ran up the other side of the road where there was a hill,” Witt says. “Luckily, the bobcat took a break in the shade long enough for me to attach the telephoto lens, and I got this shot. Ever since, I always drive with my telephoto lens attached to the camera.” SETTINGS |
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NATURE RUNNER-UP “I was out with a friend in the hills above Sun Valley [north of Reno],” Horsley says, “specifically looking for a collared lizard. We found this one sunning on a rock, so my friend put a flat rock nearby and placed a grasshopper on it. We waited for what seemed like a long time while the lizard studied the grasshopper. When the lizard made its move, I started shooting as fast as the camera would allow.” SETTINGS |
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PEOPLE WINNER “We had lost a fuel pump the day before, and we holed up at a Beatty motel for the night,” says Turner, who took this portrait in May. “While the vehicle was being repaired, I took a morning walk through Beatty, striking up a conversation with this [local] Fred Reed, who has traveled the back roads of this part of Nevada extensively. A self-proclaimed desert rat, he said he loves the solitariness of the state.” SETTINGS |
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PEOPLE RUNNER-UP “Students from all over had a huge paint fight, and it was definitely messy!” says 16-year-old Raykov, who somehow managed to keep her camera clean for this colorful photo of her friends. SETTINGS |
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EVENTS WINNER As a traditional guardsman navigator for the Nevada Air National Guard, based in Reno, Pfalmer—also the Grand Prize winner of this year’s photo contest—is lucky enough to have exclusive access to the Thunderbirds that participate in the annual National Championship Air Races and Air Show. Although the event takes place at neighboring Stead Airport, the Thunderbirds take off and land at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. “We have a ramp next to the passenger terminal,” Pfalmer says. “When the Thunderbirds come to town, they park on our ramp. The color image just didn’t pop, but the black and white really brings out the geometric symmetry of the planes.” SETTINGS |
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EVENTS RUNNER-UP This photo of fireworks over downtown Reno was captured at midnight on January 1, 2012. Lienhard enjoyed this scene from University Ridge Park. “It’s probably one of the best vantage points to see the Reno skyline,” he says, “and you don’t have to deal with the crowds downtown.” Lienhard is the only 2012 contest winner to use film (Fujichrome Velvia). “Old habits die hard, I guess,” he says, adding that film has a look and feel that he prefers. SETTINGS |
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION WINNER Reyes-Gomez and his girlfriend, Ewelina Mikos, make treasure out of other people’s trash—what they call low-budget photography projects. “We started collecting things people throw away or leave behind to develop low-cost photography sessions,” he says. “I saw the Valentine’s Day balloons in the trash, my girlfriend made the balloon dress, and we went out to Bonnie Springs Ranch.” Reyes-Gomez used the Nevada wind you can always count on to get the balloons in perfect position in front of the sun. “I was lucky to capture the sun sparks through the balloons; it gives the picture a magic touch,” he adds. He used Lightroom 3.2 to get the “300” (movie) effect. SETTINGS |
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION RUNNER-UP Pfalmer’s job with the Nevada Air National Guard (see Events winner) also grants him exclusive access to the planes of Reno’s National Championship Air Races and Air Show at Stead Airport. “I arrived before dawn and then, just as the sun was coming up, I was lucky enough to have Strega towed out to the ramp for an early-morning test run,” he says. “The clouds at the top of the frame, by chance, mirror the shape of the airplane, and the contrail running through the photo gives a foreshadow of future speed.” Pfalmer used an HDR program to help transform the flat-looking silhouetted airplane into a more three-dimensional appearance. SETTINGS |
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THEN & NOW WINNER “I enjoy the challenge of doing these ‘before and after’ photos,” Holloway says. “It brings satisfaction finding the exact spot where another photographer stood more than 100 years ago.” The history photo shows Rhyolite, now a popular ghost town, as it was during its boom years in January 1908. SETTINGS |
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THEN & NOW RUNNER-UP The Montgomery Shoshone mill and mining claim was located between Beatty and Rhyolite. It was owned by Ernest Alexander “Bob” Montgomery, who was also one of the founders of the town of Beatty. A spur from the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad served the mill and is seen in the black-and-white photo (below). In the 1980s, this site became an open-pit mine. The 1907 photo is courtesy of the California Panorama Company of Los Angeles. SETTINGS |
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CLICK HERE to see images from past Great Nevada Picture Hunt photo contests.
SPONSORED BY:
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Two locations:
5067 S. McCarran Blvd., Reno, NV
775-826-6488
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775-883-3077
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Comments
When is the next photo contest, and how many can you enter? Do you have a disable category? The pictures were good this year. Thank you.
The next photo contest will be held at the same time next year. We accept entries from May 1 to June 30, and the winners are announced in our September/October issue. Contest details will be announced in the coming months. Not sure what you mean by a “disable category.” Thanks for your interest!
Thanks to everybody that contributed to the wonderful pictures of Nevada. Really enjoy your magazine.
Great shot, Larry !!!!! Fred’s eyes tell of a thousand & more journeys through life !!!!
The grand prize photo is stunningly beautiful. And I love Larry Turner’s “Roadmap of Life.” He captured so much in that man’s eyes. Beautiful work, all!
Stunning! I especially like “Ant Proof Picnic” by Dotty Molt.
Mark Holloway — Rhyolite then and now——what an amazing picture(s). Thank you so much for that piece of history. Love it.
All are very beautiful photos! My vote is for:
PEOPLE WINNER
“Road Map of Life”
Larry Turner, Malin, Oregon
Reminds me of an old-timer I met in Jerome, Arizona as a child! They seem so peaceful and seem to enjoy life so much.
Nature Runner Up, by Michael Horsley, is my favorite! So much motion and attitude in it. Great shot, Michael!!