Departments

PLACES

FIRST PLACE

“High Cliff Sunset”
John Rast, Kaukauna
If at first you don’t succeed, keeping shooting until you do. Photographer John Rast achieved this shot of High Cliff State Park Harbor on his third attempt. “I had to wait until this time of year to get the proper alignment of the sun as it was setting,” he says. The judges appreciated how Rast was able to balance multiple components within the image. “I found it interesting how all the elements are represented – the water, rocks and sunset,” Volkman said. Rast wanted to depict the area’s pristine and diverse landscape. “I think this shows some of the beautiful natural resources that can be shared by all in the Fox Valley,” he said.

SECOND PLACE

“Downtown Vibrancy”
Manuel Vivas, Menasha
Northeast Wisconsin is well-known for its natural beauty, but it also offers an interesting urban landscape as seen in this photo of Appleton’s Houdini Plaza. “To me, this image reveals the colorful life and diversity encountered throughout downtown Appleton,” says photographer Manuel Vivas. Diane Stuckrath found the image title to be especially fitting. “This images depicts the heart of the Fox Cities – downtown Appleton – and all its vibrancy,” she said.

THIRD PLACE

“October Fog”
Colleen Andrasko, Oshkosh
It was a foggy, yet sunny fall morning and Colleen Andrasko was on her way home from dropping off her daughter at preschool. The unusual weather prompted her to take a detour to Lake Winneconne Park for some photos. “A photography teacher once told me, ‘If you can’t take a good photo in your backyard, you can’t take a good photo,’” she says. The Fox Cities’ backyard is made of many bodies of water, so Carpenter felt this image epitomizes the area. “That’s what I liked about this dock going into infinity,” he said. “It’s a haunting, fleeting moment that is hard to capture.”