Departments

THINGS

FIRST PLACE

“Ice Shove Photographer”
Carrie Hildebrand
Larger than life, dramatic and short-lived, the impressive ice shoves that pile up along Lake Winnebago are a photographer’s dream. This past February. Carrie Hildebrand captured another photographer snapping some pictures at Menominee Park in Oshkosh which set her image apart from the rest. “I like the perspective of the shot when you compare the enormity of the ice shove with the tiny person on the right,” Stuckrath said. Hildebrand says the photo reveals that life in the Fox Cities can be awe-inspiring in unpredictable ways. “You don’t need to travel far to see nature and beauty at its best,” she says. “And if you happen to live on the shores of the lake, nature may just come to you.”

SECOND PLACE

“Old Glory”
Dana Schmidt, Grand Chute
Dana Schmidt snapped this picture during the 2016 Memorial Day Parade in Appleton, as a gentle breeze billowed the flag at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Appleton Road. “You can’t really get any more Fox Cities than this,” said Strom of this well-timed, patriotic photo. “I love the way the clouds look against the blue sky.” In fact, it was the day’s clear and calm weather that inspired Schmidt. “I think this image reveals that life in the Fox Cities is much more than cold winters,” she said. “Our summers in the Fox Cities are everything summer should be – lots of sun, live music, water sports, outdoor activities and much more.”

THIRD PLACE

“Catch of the Day”
Heather Landers, Kaukauna
One rainy March day, Heather Landers decided to drive through Menasha’s Jefferson Park on her lunch hour and saw pelicans in the cove by the docks. “I patiently watched from my car by the boat launch for a while as three of the pelicans fished and I got lucky to capture one of them with their lunch,” she says. The judges loved the precise timing that was required to capture an action shot such as this. Carpenter was drawn to this image because of what it reveals about the Fox River’s resurgence. “It speaks to me because it shows the river is clean enough for pelicans to be here,” he said. “That’s a relatively recent thing.”