About the Contest
This is the contest winner for the 2023-2024 Oregon Blue Book front cover.
Enlarge front cover.
The
Oregon Blue Book sponsors a cover photo contest open to all Oregon resident, amateur photographers. Photos must be captured in Oregon.
Deadline
The deadline for entries was
October 27, 2024.
About the 2023-2024 Front Cover Contest Winner
"Morning Magnificence" by
Micah Lundstedt of Eugene.
Micah’s Description
I have always loved photography, but I have been a more intentional hobbyist for the past 4-5 years. I enjoy the quiet moments this hobby provides me, to sit and enjoy beautiful natural scenes. It's a nice respite from the typical chaos of our modern lives. This photo was taken at sunrise on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge near Rowena Crest. My intention was to shoot east toward the rising sun, but I saw these amazing clouds catching the light to my left. I scrambled to try and find a new composition incorporating the clouds and the beautiful balsamroot and lupine wildflowers.
Often in photography, after all your research is done, you head out with a plan. However, many times the conditions change and some of the best photos you make are the ones you don't necessarily plan for. You need to be flexible and pay attention to what the conditions and light are doing. However, in its own unpredictable way, I think that is more exciting. In this image I love how the colors of the flowers and sky complement each other. This is certainly one of my personal favorites!
This is the contest winner for the 2023-2024
Oregon Blue Book back cover.
Enlarge back cover.
About the 2023-2024 Back Cover Contest Winner
"The Master’s Voice" by
Dale George of Grants Pass
Dale's Description
I am a 60 year old retired mechanic, married for 39 years and reside in Grants Pass, Oregon with several hobbies but photography is the main one. I got semi-serious about photography about 10 years ago when I joined our local camera club and slowly developed my own unique style of images.
This particular photo was taken on a solo summer road trip where I explored the coastal route from Brookings to Seaside. I had stopped in Newport to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium and spent the afternoon enjoying the displays. The underwater walkthrough tunnel gave me the opportunity to capture these rockfish exhibiting interesting behavior…tilting upward while suspended in place. Getting three of them lined up and close to the glass was a lucky break for me, as was getting them all in focus! To be honest, this shot was a challenge as the glass was giving unwanted reflections from almost every angle, and getting a good shot required a lot of waiting and about 4 trips through the display for the "right" composition.
Each time I view this particular image I feel fortunate to have captured it, and I’m left with the strange feeling they seem to be listening to a calling from something that we land dwellers could never hear or understand.