The Lyme Land Trust is pleased to announce the Photos of Distinction for the Summer 2026 session of Imagining Lyme.  Please take the time to view all the beautiful photographs that are displayed in our showcase galleries. Please visit the gallery to see all the submissions. Check out the tips from Joe and guests to enhance your photo-taking. The next deadline for submission is December 31, 2026 for photos of Fall.

The judges felt that the following photographs stood out based upon the criteria of emotional impact and creative design. Here is the list of the those photos with judges’ comments.

Photos of Distinction:

Milkweed Sunset
by Rochelle Davis
Private Lyme Habitat

A curious and observant walker can come on one surprise after another. Each one is a gift of sorts, turning a stroll into a series of discoveries. A camera can be an invitation to take a deeper dive into those discoveries, beginning an immersive, creative process.

Putting myself in Rochelle’s shoes, an internal conversation about her discovery of the milkweed might go like this:

“Wow, that’s cool. What can I do to make a strong portrait of that milkweed? A lower angle is better for capturing the environment. The simplicity of the grass background isolates the subject. The dark line of trees is the perfect background that recedes into the picture plane and lets the lighter tones of the grass and milkweed come forward on the picture plane. Now, I can bring the clouds into the composition, define my time as just after sunset, which enhances the contemplative mood of the shot. The timing is perfect; the golden glow of a few minutes after sunset, the light on the field is indirect and soft and gives a perfect backlight to separate and enhance the warm color of each individual bud. The shift in focus from sharp flower to soft focus background further enhances the Illusion of depth.

Rochelle, this is a wonderful offering from your evening wandering. Thank you for sharing.”

By Joe Standart

Kingfisher
by Beth Nelligan
Hartman Park

Let’s ask why this is such a wonderful picture of a kingfisher. The photographer maneuvered herself in a way that she could isolate the subject against a simple blue sky. The simplicity of the background allows all other elements to become bold, graphic, compositional elements highlighting the subject, the kingfisher.

By chance, the kingfisher had chosen to land at the perfect convergence point of two branches in a dead tree. All lines lead to, in fact, point to the Kingfisher. An upper third branch visually balances the bird. Editing out extraneous elements is an important part of photographic composition. The dead tree with a verdant background places this bird in a wilderness of sorts. A telephoto lens was used, which naturally makes the background soft-focused.

You can’t take a photograph unless you get out there, and this is a wonderful reward for the effort.

Beth, well done!

By Joe Standart

Respect 2.0 Full-Frame View
by Kent Girty
Powerline Rocky Outcrop

This is an amazing photo by a thoughtful walker with a phone camera. It is a rare experience to see a pair of Northern Copperheads, one of the CT’s most secretive and cryptic reptiles, in its natural environment. Kent kept his distance and quietly observed without spooking them. He was able to record the feeling of potential movement and drama as the snakes emerge from the depth of shadow under a rock overhang to greet the morning sun. The diagonal alignment of lichen-encrusted rock, along with the rounded green cluster of Pennsylvania Sedge, frames the snakes within a striking composition defined by compelling textures, patterns, and contrast.

The Northern Copperhead is one of Connecticut’s two venomous snakes. They are rarely seen in Lyme, and their population has been declining due to habitat loss, disturbance, and human persecution. They’re docile and non-aggressive, and they’ll only protect themselves from people if they feel scared or cornered. If you are fortunate enough to see one, appreciate this wonder from a distance and leave it alone.

Thank you for this rare gift, Ken.

By Wendolyn Hill

Honorable Mentions

Eightmile River Sky
by Cailey Reidemeister
Hamburg Cove

This is another fine example of “You gotta get out there to get the shot.” And including the bow of the kayak is a great way to invite the viewer to become more a part of the photograph, a voyeur of sorts: “I could take that picture.” There are many elements of the composition that help this work: the low camera angle, the water disappearing out to “infinity,” the wide-angle lens seems to extend the sky over the head of the photographer and allow the clouds to become a graphic element as well as a beautiful element, the converging of sky and water at some distant and unseen point.

By Joe Standart

Reflections by Timothy Limon
Backyard Habitat

This photo is charming. The line of the log invites the viewer in and leads to the shapes of the relaxed Bullfrogs who seem to be “thinking about life,” as Tim Limon surmised. The green Common Rush stems frame the scene and, in particular, form a triangular outline around the glow of sunlight in the frogs’ still reflections. It is a perfect representation of the peace of a warm summer day in Lyme.

By Wendolyn Hill

The judges for this session were Wendolyn Hill and Joe Standart.

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.