Making a Prize Winning Photo
Making A Prize Winning Photo requires much work
©Bert Gildart: Several years ago I won the first place award in the Northwest Outdoor Writer’s Association (NOWA) photo contest. As I mentioned in my last posting, NOWA is an organization of writers, photographers and editors who want to sell – or buy — stories and photographs.
The contest includes several categories and a contestant must win in several of the categories to place first for the contest, which I did.
Categories are varied and one included “outdoor activities,” in this case kayaking. The attached photo may look as though it was easy to make, but it wasn’t. In other words, it was much more than a simple “snap.”
I was lucky to have Janie, a first-rate kayak paddler/model who worked for over an hour to help me get all the “elements” artistically aligned.
Composition wise, the kayaks had to be angled properly and then pointed in the right direction – the mountains in Glacier National Park. There had to be some separation as well between the two kayaks. Then Janie had to dip her paddle at just the right moment, and the outside blade had to be angled just right but still held high. There had to be the right balance between my kayak and her kayak. And Janie’s kayak had to be in focus, not mine.
At any rate, it all conspired to work well creating a picture that not only won first place but an image that has sold to a number of different publications.
The NOWA convention is an annual affair and will be held this week from Wednesday to Sunday, and I will be one of the judges in the photo contest, so obviously won’t be participating in the “shoot out.” The city of Polson is hosting our convention and they have planned an interesting agenda for us. There’s lots to see and Janie, who is also a member, and I are both looking forward to a week of seminars, tours and, of course, seeing folks from all over the Northwest. In the past, attending NOWA conventions has taken us to several Canadian provinces and to all the states in the Northwest. We’ve been doing this a long time.
And, now, least I forget, happy Earth Day. It was established in 1970 by the Nixon administration, an administration which also passed the Clean Water Act. Politics are a bit different today, for today environmental concerns are not so popular among many Republicans.
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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THIS TIME TWO YEARS AGO:
4th ed. Autographed by the Authors
Hiking Shenandoah National Park
Hiking Shenandoah National Park is the 4th edition of a favorite guide book, created by Bert & Janie, a professional husband-wife journalism team. Lots of updates including more waterfall trails, updated descriptions of confusing trail junctions, and new color photographs. New text describes more of the park’s compelling natural history. Often the descriptions are personal as the Gildarts have hiked virtually every single park trail, sometimes repeatedly.
Big Sky Country is beautiful
Montana Icons: 50 Classic Symbols of the Treasure State
Montana Icons is a book for lovers of the western vista. Features photographs of fifty famous landmarks from what many call the “Last Best Place.” The book will make you feel homesick for Montana even if you already live here. Bert Gildart’s varied careers in Montana (Bus driver on an Indian reservation, a teacher, backcountry ranger, as well as a newspaper reporter, and photographer) have given him a special view of Montana, which he shares in this book. Share the view; click here.
$16.95 + Autographed Copy
What makes Glacier, Glacier?
Glacier Icons: 50 Classic Views of the Crown of the Continent
Glacier Icons: What makes Glacier Park so special? In this book you can discover the story behind fifty of this park’s most amazing features. With this entertaining collection of photos, anecdotes and little known facts, Bert Gildart will be your backcountry guide. A former Glacier backcountry ranger turned writer/photographer, his hundreds of stories and images have appeared in literally dozens of periodicals including Time/Life, Smithsonian, and Field & Stream. Take a look at Glacier Icons
$16.95 + Autographed Copy
