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2018 Northern New England Journey Photo Contest winners

Photo by Harry Lichtman

AAA members prove that the tri-state region of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont is fertile ground for photographic beauty.

Although the fourth Northern New England Journey Photo Contest opened its subject parameters to all 50 states, only one of the finalists captured a location from outside of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. If that number increases in the future, great. If not, it doesn’t matter: Our members proved once again that there’s more than enough beauty in the tri-state region to operate a fine competition, putting our judges to the traditional test. Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to those whose work appears on the following pages.

1st place: The Tarn by Fredrick Orkin

55-year member from Grantham, New Hampshire

Camera: FujiFilm X-T2

The Tarn by Fredrick Orkin

"I’m a 75-year-old retired academic physician who has been an ardent photo hobbyist since childhood.  Although I’ve had other photos published, this is only the second time I’ve received a prize for one; Billy the Goat, captured at the Bronx Zoo, won an honorable mention from Junior Natural History Magazine in 1950.

"This photo occurred at the last stop on a five-day Acadia National Park photo workshop led by nature and landscape photographer Colleen Miniuk-Sperry. I had cajoled my Bowdoin College Class of 1964 roommate, David Cohen, to join me. The Tarn is a pond in a glacially carved valley between Dorr and Cadillac mountains, about 3 miles south of Bar Harbor, Maine, on Mount Desert Island. Midmorning sun had risen sufficiently to light the water and cause reflections of the fall foliage as well as the rich color in adjacent reeds.”

2nd place: Bridge to Nowhere by Frank Easton

19-year member from Corinth, Vermont

Camera: Canon EOS 6D

Bridge to Nowhere by Frank Easton

"Since my retirement in 2016, I have enjoyed traveling around the country to take scenic and wildlife photos with my college friend Chuck Maranhas, a consummate photographer, and my dog, an Australian shepherd named Gem. The A.M. Foster Covered Bridge spans a small pond on a hilltop in Cabot Plains, Vermont.

"The elevation, combined with being surrounded on all sides by very large, wide-open fields with no power lines and limited traffic, yields breathtaking 360-degree views of Vermont’s Green Mountains and New York’s Adirondacks, resulting in spectacular shots of sunsets, sunrises, and the moon or night sky. I created this image by merging two photographs: one focused on the bright sunset, the other on the darker foreground.”

3rd place: Sea Smoke at Spring Point by Jesse MacDonald

20-year member from Gray, Maine   

Camera: Nikon D810

Sea Smoke at Spring Point by Jesse MacDonald

"This was the first time I’ve ever had the opportunity to photograph sea smoke since  jumping into the world of landscape photography. When my friend and I arrived at the frigid Spring Point Breakwater in South Portland, it was between minus 10 degrees and minus 15 degrees with wind. Although both of us were horribly unprepared for this level of cold, we stuck it out and waited for a break in the smoke to see the lighthouse.”

Honorable mentions

Nubble Lighthouse by Ronald Grant
Nubble Lighthouse by Ronald Grant, 16-year member from Seabrook, New Hampshire

"I have visited Nubble Lighthouse many times, but never early in the morning. I thought it would look nice under the stars." Camera: Canon EOS 6D

Fall 2017, Vermont by John Lee
Fall 2017, Vermont by John Lee, 20-year member, Nashua, New Hampshire

"A friend of ours recommended that we visit Sleepy Hollow Farm in Woodstock, Vermont, an icon of fall foliage in Vermont.” Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pemaquid Light by Dave Yeiter
Pemaquid Light by Dave Yeiter, 14-year member, Rindge, New Hampshire

"The photographer in the picture was standing right in the spot where I needed to be to get a shot of the sunrise and the lighthouse.” Camera: Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fresh Blanket of Snow by Darylann Leonard
Fresh Blanket of Snow by Darylann Leonard, 12-year member, Waterford, Maine

"After a storm brought several inches [of snow] overnight, we headed out to photograph Portland Head Light.” Camera: Sony a7R II

Burlington Bay Lighthouse by James Benoit
Burlington Bay Lighthouse by James Benoit, 15-year member, Burlington, Vermont

"This is a view overlooking Lake Champlain’s Burlington Bay and the partially obscured mountains of upstate New York." Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50

Misty Morning on the Farm by Angela Ostlund
Misty Morning on the Farm by `Angela Ostlund, 5-year member, Falmouth, Maine

"I dropped my neighbors off at the airport early one morning and took my camera, hoping for a good sunrise photo.” Camera: Nikon D750

Good Morning by Lee Petruk
Good Morning by Lee Petruk, 9-year member, Whitefield, New Hampshire

"I took this at 6:41 a.m. from the dock on Lower Suncook Lake. I have been coming here for 64 years, and this view never gets old.” Camera: Nikon Coolpix L830

Great Egrets by Frank Wereska
Great Egrets by Frank Wereska, 9-year member, Derry, New Hampshire

"While on vacation, my wife and I found Kraft Azalea Park, a small public garden in Winter Park, Florida.” Camera: Nikon D7000

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