The Lyme Land Trust is pleased to announce the Photos of Distinction for the Spring 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 and to submit your photos. The next deadline is September 30, 2026 for photos of Summer.

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.

Mountain Laurel
By Bryn Souza
Chestnut Hill Preserve

One of the true delights of spring in Lyme is discovering the magnificent stands of mountain laurel scattered throughout the preserves. I always enjoy wandering through the grove near the road at Selden Preserve, and I imagine Bryn feels the same about the beautiful stand at Chestnut Hill Preserve.
Bryn’s photograph reflects her curiosity and adventurous spirit. She clearly enjoys exploring and isn’t afraid to look beyond the obvious in search of an intriguing and unexpected perspective. Her image captures the mountain laurel just as the buds are beginning to open, and her low vantage point draws the viewer in while beautifully emphasizing the texture, structure, and subtle color of the flowers in these early stages of bloom.
I’m guessing she used a medium telephoto lens with a fairly wide aperture—perhaps around f/5.6—to create the soft, beautifully blurred background with its pleasing bokeh, the aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas. Whether the light was gently filtered through the trees or the image was made on an overcast day, the soft illumination enhances the delicate beauty of the blossoms and lends the composition a graceful, almost ethereal quality.
A lovely photograph, Bryn!

By Joe Standart

Unexpected Box Turtle
Jos Konst
Lyme Open Space

“Taken on a rainy-day hike it seemed that the coyote and this turtle just didn’t expect hikers that day.”

To take a great photo or see unusual sites, you just have to get out there, rain or not. The Lyme Preserves offer a tremendous variety and opportunity for both. Overcast days or rainy days offer surprising benefits for a photographer, who sometimes think sunny days are the only time to photograph. But often the photos with the richest colors are taken in overcast days. Or on the shoulders of the day – dawn and dusk. Jos’s Box Turtle benefits from the soft light. All the colors are rich and inviting – except maybe the eye – a little daunting. Thus, besides being a photo of a turtle, it is about color and design. Jos has eliminated all the extraneous elements except for a leaf of grass which nicely frames the object.
What happened to the Coyote?
Lucky encounter, nice shot, Jos –

By Joe Standart

Great Spangled Fritillary on Milkweed
Private Habitat
By Joan Rivington

“My dream of having a butterfly garden is coming true.”

One of the joys of creating native habitat in your own landscape are the butterflies, including the delightful Great Spangled Fritillary. It’s even fun to say its name. To photograph a butterfly, one must be lucky and quick. This nicely composed closeup photo by Joan Riverton focuses in on the intricate patterns of the butterfly and the common milkweed flowers it is perched upon. They stand out from the blurred green background because of the contrast in color and focus. The adult butterfly can feed on the nectar of the milkweed and many other flowers. However, the young of each butterfly species depends upon a specific host plant to provide it with the right food for survival. The host plant for Great Spangled Fritillary is violets. Without violets, the species would not exist. Treasure your violets.

Thank you Joan, for sharing this special visitor to your butterfly garden.

By Wendolyn Hill

The judges for this session were Wendolyn Hill and Joe Standart.  Comments were written by Wendolyn Hill, based upon the judges’ discussion.

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.