Photographers go Wild

Photo by Jules Tileston Honorable Mention - creative, "Evening Duet"
Photo by Bill Heubner Best of category - Nature, "Falls creek and downed trees" Photo by William Heath Best of category - Landscape, "Wish"
Photo by Chuck Maas Best of Category - Wildlife, "Northern Hawk Owl"

Photo by Laurie Green Best of Show "Berry Picking"

An Alaska contest showcases some of the world's top nature images
By MELISSA DeVAUGHNAnchorage Daily News(Published: June 11, 2006)

Laurie Green was taking a lunch break from her job with the Mat-Su Borough School District when she captured the photo that took best of show in this year's Alaska Wild 2006 competition.
Green knew waxwings were on the move and went outside to see if she could spot a few.
Sure enough, she did. Quickly pulling her Nikon D2H digital camera to her eyes, she adjusted its settings, aimed and shot a few pictures of the birds in flight.
"I was so thankful to be behind the camera for that to occur," she said of her winning photo, which shows a gracefully angled waxwing in flight, plucking a bright red berry off a bush. "Lunch break means snack and go, so I didn't have a lot of time. When I saw what I had got, I said, 'Oh, my God, that's wonderful!' "
Ken Baehr, coordinator for this year's Alaska Wild juried exhibition sponsored by The Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers, said the competition is some of the strongest he has ever seen in the contest's 16-year history. Baehr, a photographer himself, won the Best Of Landscape category last year, said photography remains an enjoyable hobby after spending more than 20 years as a combat photographer.
"It's more relaxing taking photographs when you're not being shot at," he quipped.
Society president Chuck Maas won this year's Best of Show in the wildlife category for his image of a northern hawk owl perched on a spruce tree. The group uses independent judges to evaluate the competition so everyone in the society can compete.
"It was last September in Denali (National Park), and on actually a very crummy day," Maas said. "But that's sometimes when you see the best things. We saw (the owl) and he was not anxious to move, perched on a dead snag next to a spruce."
The image is striking. The owl's profile is outlined by gray sky, and a snippet of spruce tree can be seen in the background. The creature's gaze is intent. It seems to be looking straight into the camera.
Alaska Wild has become known in Alaska nature photography circles as a premier exhibition in the state. It allows budding and seasoned photographers a chance to compare their work and get recognized.
"Our goals are two-fold," Baehr said. "To generate interest in the organization ... and also give people an opportunity to display their work and get recognition for it."
This year's exhibit will travel throughout the state, beginning at the Hot Licks ice-cream parlor in Anchorage through June 26. Then it moves to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward and other Kenai Peninsula venues.
In November, it will be at the International Photography Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City before returning to Alaska for additional showings.
"The subtext is that this show gives people around Alaska and the Lower 48 a greater appreciation of the Great Land (of Alaska)," Baehr said.
Maas said the success of Alaska Wild has prompted Society members to evaluate other aspects of their club.
"The title in the organization is 'Outdoor and Nature,' so there's a whole lot of other outdoor activities that are covered in the concept," he said. As such, the group is considering offering an outdoor photo contest -- one in which the beauty of Alaska could be represented through photographs of paddlers kayaking, mountaineers climbing or anglers casting into a river.
"There are a million activities here that are people-oriented but just as much about being outside and in nature," he said.
Maas said the club has about 130 members from Alaska and the Lower 48.
"It's been going very well for us," Maas said. "One thing we try to do is cater to people who not only have experience but those who don't have a lot of experience either," he said.
Baehr said he can see that in the quality of this year's exhibit entrants.
"I think, all in all, it was the best quality entries we had and probably the most difficult to judge," he said. "I can't recall a single image that didn't belong in the exhibit."
Green, winner of the best of show, is a case in point, Baehr said. Her photography skills have grown over the past several years, and now she is considered one of the strongest in the field.
"She won the People's Choice award last year," Baehr said. "She's a very talented amateur, and all of a sudden, she's the one to beat."

Congrats to Laurie Green with her Best of Show!