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2018 Photo Contest
First-ever “You oughta be in pictures” contest draws 140 entries
The Washington Island Observer thanks all of the many subscribers who entered our first annual photo contest. You captured the beauty and mystique of being on and around our unique islands! There were so many fine photographs among the 140 entries that the judges had a difficult time choosing winners for the three categories (People, Wildlife, Landscapes). Therefore, in addition to publishing the winners in this issue, we will be featuring other notable photo submissions throughout the coming year. We appreciate everyone who took the time to enter. If you didn’t win this year, please start taking photos for 2019 as you enjoy the islands’ fall season. Congratulations to the Washington Island Observer’s 2018 Photo Contest winners:
PEOPLE CATEGORYFirst place: Kate Griffin
Second place: Haley Buckmaster
Honorable mention: Amy Lesnjik
WILDLIFE CATEGORY
First place: Jean Francois Pipereau
Second place: Duncan Petrie
Honorable mention: Dennis McDonald
LANDSCAPE CATEGORY
First place: Jean Francois Pipereau
Second place: Tim Sweet
Honorable mention: Vicki Rupiper
🙂
People category, honorable mention: Amy Lesnjak
Judges’ comments: "We kept coming back to the baby photo. It is an unusual and a creative people pic. All the curves of the background material replicate the baby’s curvy legs. The sand on the feet is the reward. It tells a story."
People category, second place: Haley Buckmaster
Judges’ comments: "Love the gutsy “portrait’’ of this fearless girl on the edge of a bluff with her carefree focus on the dandelion. The water on the upper left balances out the subject on the lower right. The position of the head fills the dead space of the bluff. Beautifully proportioned."
Wildlife category, first place: Jean Francois Pipereau
Judges’ comments: "We really liked this photograph the moment it arrived. The chance formation of seagulls, yes seagulls, is unusual. Symmetry is commonly associated with larger waterfowl like geese. We don’t think this photo can be improved. Head positions are aligned, wings are perfectly feathered. It simulates a photo sequence of a seagull taking off. No doubt the photographer is pinching himself about this one.”
Wildlife category, second place: Duncan Petrie
Judges’ comments: "Another shot where timing is everything. Squirrels are busy bodies that do not stay put in one spot long enough to pose. See how its body is framed in the open white spot between the trees? Nice. The image carries the viewer’s eyes even farther up. Considering the backlighting of the photograph, it was well salvaged."
Wildlife category, honorable mention: Dennis McDonald
Judges’ comments: "There’s lack of color and quality in this print, but it doesn’t matter. The parade of hungry seagulls guiding the fishing tug into harbor screams Washington Island. A meaningful pic for anybody’s wall. The name of the vessel is barely visible — Seediver."
Landscape category, first place winner: Jean Francois Pipereau
Judges’ comments: "WOW. What a beautiful night. Jean Francois Pipereau captured summer. With great camera equipment, a tripod and a longer exposure, the photographer was able to present the viewer an amazing panorama of the sky above Sailor’s Pub in Detroit Harbor. The photo carries a diminishing afterglow of the sunset and some clouds in the night sky. A bit of over exposure on the lower left is nearly impossible to correct. Well done. Hope it inspires hobbyists to toss iPhones and invest in a DSLR."
Landscape category, second place: Tim Sweet
Judges’ comments: "Creative composition lending the observer “eyes’’ from inside the Thordarson Boathouse on Rock Island. The photographer teaches us to see from the unexpected view. A medley of thick dark clouds, a peak of the sun and layers of snow-covered ice give it a solid perspective of the distant Jackson Harbor. The bonus is the bright white ice illuminating the inside of the arches."
Landscape category, honorable mention: Vicki Rupiper
Judges’ comments: "If you’re an Islander, a winter shot warms the heart. Another view of the fishing tug Seediver by a different photographer during a different season. The gentle gouache-like hoar frost in the trees truly boosts this image. It could be cropped a tad more on the right giving the vessel an illusion of “forward’’ progression. Couple of seagulls in tow is better than none."
SIGN UP FOR THIS YEAR’S PHOTO CONTEST
Contact us to sign up and participate in the upcoming island photo contest. Entries must be received by September 1st. Winners will be announced in October.
Tournament in Kiel hard-fought; yields triple-double for Gunnlaugsson
By Jim Rose
PHOTO BY JIM ROSE
On Dec. 27 and 28, our girls basketball team participated in a girls tournament in Kiel, Wis. Our team was not originally invited but got a chance to play when one of the other JV teams could not make it. They did also have a varsity bracket. The first night our team played the host team, Kiel, and was defeated handily. I was not there for that game, but was able to make the next game, against the Kewaskum, Wis., JV team. This was a much closer match and made for an interesting game to watch. Our girls were ahead for almost the entire first half, until Kewaskum pulled ahead with seven seconds left in the half. Kewaskum pulled further ahead in the second half, but our girls did not give up, catching up to within one point twice in that half. But, by the end of the game, our girls were down by ten, and ended up losing with the final score being 39-49.
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Get ready for the 2019 birding festival
By Chari Rutledge
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Plans are underway for the 2019 Washington Islands Birding Festival to be held May 16-19. The festival is under the auspices of the Washington Island Art and Nature Center, and is also sponsored by the Washington Island Ferry Line and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The festival features guided small group birding on Washington, Plum and Rock Islands. Our Islands are located on the Great Lakes flyway. Data collected on the Island shows that this weekend, in particular, usually promises the largest amount of bird activity. The 2018 festival bore that out with 139 species recorded by the 60 birders attending. The birders also enjoyed dinners and programs that gave them a chance to meet and get to know one another.
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