The Lyme Land Trust is pleased to announce the Photos of Distinction for the Summer 2023 session of Imagining Lyme. Please visit the showcase gallery to see all the photos that were submitted. The judges have chosen three photos that stood out to them. Here is the list of the those photos with judges’ comments written by Joe Standart.
Green Frog by Renee Smith (Selden Creek Preserve)
One of the delights of taking a walk in the woods is taking the time to stop and observe wonderful details often unnoticed by the casual walker. To add to that delight, one only needs a camera/phone to transform the discovery into an artistic challenge. Renee Smith’s green frog is such an event. How long has that frog been living in the woods without ever being discovered? Who has seen a frog that looks like that? And once discovered, how do you deal with it photographically? Renee did a lot to share the “essence of frog” with us. She took a low vantage point putting us on the same level as the frog revealing its natural habitat. She got close and focused perfectly on the frog’s eyes to give the viewer an intimate view. Renee has revealed with wonderful clarity the beautiful unique coloration of the frog. Renee’s walk in the woods has been a path of discovery and an artistic and technical challenge, which she has approached in the masterly fashion, and shares the results with us here. What fun and thank you Renee.
Nectar on the CT River by Kent Girty (Ely’s Ferry Landing)
One of my favorite words as it applies to Photography is serendipity, the wonderful things that happen, seemingly accidentally, unexpectedly, and with delightful results. Kent may have gone out in search of the perfect monarch butterfly, but more likely he went out to explore the visual landscape, and the butterfly fluttered into his awareness, and he decided to capture the moment. Of course, butterflies seldom perch on a flower, wings spread wide and wait for a photographer to capture them in their full glory, which Kent has done here. More likely, Kent has patiently pursued his subject from bush to flower attempting the photograph each time only to be frustrated as the beauty chose another flower to settle on. When he finally got his chance, his choice of lens, aperture, angle, background worked beautifully. The use of a narrow depth of field capturing the butterfly in sharp focus. The out of focus background highlights the subject. The lower angle adds intimacy, and the complementary color of the Blue water background adds vitality to the composition. Well done.
Beetle by Sarah Prineas (Pleasant Valley Preserve)
I bet you have never met a Prionus Geoffroy, a genus of long-horned beetle, before. Me either, and I am sure Sarah did not set out to photograph one. But curiosity and a sharp eye has yielded this wonderful curiosity for us to ponder. Sarah has captured the beetle on a broad, green leaf with like colors around simplifying the background and allowing the black beetle to be the photo’s hero. Indeed, the simplicity in the color pallet – green and brown allow the black beetle to really stand out. The narrow depth of field puts the background into soft focus, further bring one’s attention to the subject. What a great discovery. Thank you for sharing.
The judges are Lyme Land Trust Board members Joe Standart and Wendolyn Hill.
Joe Standart is an internationally known, award-winning photographer. His national public art initiative, Portrait of America, began in New London in 2004. Learn more about Joe
Wendolyn Hill is an artist, award winning photographer, and former professor of art. Learn more about Wendy.
