How the winning photo of the “Trees” contest was made
First off, I’d like to thank everyone who voted for my picture in March’s “Trees” contest. That group would not include me because I actually voted for someone else’s photo. These contests draw so many great entries each month that it’s often hard to decide between them. So actually winning one of the contests is an extreme honor for me and I feel very blessed. Thanks again to all who voted. Now, on to the story of the pic!
Years ago, when I was first starting in photography, I loved David Muench’s landscapes in “Arizona Highways Magazine”. I used to think that if I could just get out to some of the places I saw in the magazine, maybe I could take great landscapes, too. I eventually got my chance one year while visiting some friends in Tucson. One morning I woke up before dawn, tossed my gear into my car, and headed outside of town to try and take some pictures. As the sun came up, I excitedly looked around hoping to see tremendous photos, but all I saw was…sand, more sand, and cactus. Extremely disappointed, I thought to myself, “This is a desert!” I should have realized that ahead of time because it was the Saguaro National Park, but I was a bit slow back in those days. Even so, a lightbulb went off in my head and I realized that it wasn’t entirely the locations in “Arizona Highways” that made the pictures so amazing. It was more in how they were shown. I thought that if it was possible to make a desert look great, then surely I could do the same with the landscapes back home if I just worked at it. I’ve always said that in that moment I became like Dorothy at the end of “The Wizard of Oz” when she says, “The next time I go looking for adventure, I won’t look any farther than my own backyard”. Upon my return home, I set out to do just that and I began to look closer at my state, my city, and my neighborhood.
The location of my winning picture was one of the places I found during my explorations and it’s about my favorite spot in the state to shoot. It’s called Beavers Bend State Park and is located in the far southeast corner of Oklahoma. The scenery there is wonderful any time of year, but it’s particularly great in the fall, which is when my photo was taken. The Mountain Fork River that runs through the park is fed by water from the bottom of nearby Broken Bow Lake. Because the water comes from the bottom of the lake, it’s cold enough to support year-round trout fishing in the state park. That cold water also helps create a mist over the river many mornings. For me, it makes for a very mystical, fun place to photograph…