First Place Wildflower Category
Third Place Wildflower Category
We have just returned from a trip to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation area, East Tennessee, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Eastern Kentucky, and Cumberland Falls State Park. It was an exhausting, but rewarding trip. We (my wife and I) were up early every morning and usually returned to our cabin well after dark. We spent each evening downloading and editing images. At the end of our trip we participated in the Cumberland Falls Nature Photography Weekend and Contest. The contest starts on Friday at 12 noon and ends on Saturday at 6 PM. Photographers must submit their images on or before 6 PM, a maximum of six images that may be entered in 6 categories. Approximately 80 photographers participated this year with participants from as far away as Virginia, Alabama, and Ohio. My wife took first place in a category dubbed "Wet and Wild" and I took first and third place in the Wildflower category.
Significant to mention; all the single wildflower images on this page, including the first place winner, were taken with a manual focus 200mm f4 Nikon micro lens on a Nikon D200. The third place winner was taken with the Nikon 80-200mm f2.8. If you look at the enlarged version of the third place photo you will see the sessile trillium is sharp where as the phlox that surround it are blurred due to wind.
The Losers
The Losers
