America’s State Parks in partnership with ReserveAmerica.com is proud to share the winners of the sixth annual America’s State Parks Photo Contest. The judging panel was inspired by over 8,135 entries representing five categories, including: Scenic & Seasons, Activities, Wildlife, Family & Friends, and Camping.
Check out the winner stories below and be inspired to plan your next state park visit!
Grand Prize Winner
Photographer: Blair Celano
Location: Grand Haven State Park, Michigan
Prize: $5,000 from Black Folks Camp Too and an Apex Club Membership
The judges selected this scenic photo titled “Winter Frosting” that was taken with a Nikon D 850. Blair is a nurse and finds photography a great way to explore parks, enjoy time outside, and recharge.
“We live close to Lake Michigan and enjoy watching sunsets over the lake. It’s beautiful in all seasons, especially in the winter when the snow and ice can coat the piers. Grand Haven State Park is one of my favorite state parks. There’s a red lighthouse on the pier and a catwalk along it. I went down to the beach in the cold weather after a fresh snow to watch the sunset. I walked out on the frozen sand and snow (Not too far. You need to be careful about the ice shelves.) and enjoyed watching the sunset. I was able to catch some pictures of the sunset off of the pier. The picture showed smooth snow and reminded me of frosting on a cake.”
Scenic & Seasons Category Winner
Photographer: Lynn Crumley
Location: Hungry Mother State Park, Virginia
Lynn is a 73-year-old retired business owner. “I began my fascination with photography later in life as a result of my desire to document my extensive motorcycle travels throughout the 48 contiguous states and four Canadian Provinces. I was fortunate to have a wife who supported my wishes to travel, as I would sometimes be gone two or more weeks solo on my motorcycle seeing this great country. I have moto/camped from Nova Scotia to the Oregon and California coasts, from the Rio Grande in Texas to the Canadian Border in Montana, from Key West, Florida to the UP of Michigan, and many other places. I always enjoyed camping at the various state parks along the way, seeing what was unique to that particular area and the beauty it held.”
“The contest photo evolved out of a vision that I had to capture an early morning fog on a body of water. I knew Hungry Mother State Park would be the perfect location. I tent camped at the park and was up early to capture the photo.” Lynn took the photo with his Sony A7Riii camera, using a Tamron 17-28 2.8 lens.
Activities Category Winner
Photographer: Brook Burling
Location: Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, Wisconsin
Brook is an avid outdoors women who always has her Canon R5 to capture beautiful moments in time. The judges felt she had the perfect eye for these “Early Morning Anglers”.
“I headed out at first light with my kayak and camera on a small non-motorized lake located in the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest to soak up and photograph all the beauty that nature can offer. As I paddled through the cool air and light fog covered water, I spotted two men fly fishing in a small boat on the other side of the lake. I kept my distance not to disturb them and focused on photographing a pair of loons that had recently landed on the water. As a little time went by the sun was breaking through fog and illuminated the anglers against the darkness of the hemlock forest behind them and I couldn’t resist taking a photograph of that moment.”
Wildlife Category Winner
Photographer: Karl Hoeffner
Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas
The judges selected this unique action shot titled “Altamira Oriole Taking Flight”. Karl used a Canon R5, hand held, with a 100-500 mm zoom lens to take the picture.
“Aside from being at the right place at the right time, bird photography takes a lot of patience and persistence to shoot a photo that is not just technically good, but captures the beauty of the bird beyond a stock image. The element that adds beauty to an image can vary, but I’ve always found a bird taking flight or in flight to provide that extra ingredient. Estero Llano Grande State Park is known for great birding and being home to several species of beautiful birds not found in the United States outside of the Rio Grande Valley area in Texas, such as the Green Jay and the Altamira Oriole. The opportunity to see and photograph these birds motivated the visit. I spent three mornings in the park. On the last morning with camera properly set, I was fortunate to anticipate the moment and capture an Altamira Oriole simultaneously turning, spreading its wings, and lifting off from its perch. For a photographer, it is magical for all of the necessary elements to come together and produce a nice image. It is even more rewarding when others see and appreciate the beauty in your photograph.”
Friends & Family Category Winner
Photographer: Ann Schroeder
Location: Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah
The Friends & Family category winner image is titled “Adventure Awaits” and was taken with an iPhone 13 Pro. This moment was from an annual girl’s trip including four family members enjoying the views at Dead Horse Point State Park.
Ann says, “We are lucky in the Midwest to have several state parks within driving distance that we visit frequently. Beyond that, we always try to stop at state parks on our annual girls road trip!”
It was their first time visiting this park as it has been on their wish list for years. They want to return and camp within the park in one of the yurts.
Camping Category Winner
Photographer: Lynn Crow
Location: Grayton Beach State Park, Florida
The judges felt Lynn’s photo titled “Everything Old Is New Again” really captured the fun in camping and was this year’s winner.
“I am a nurse, photographer, dog lover, nature lover, boho retro hippie chick who loves everything vintage and colorful. I love water of any kind, especially paddle boarding or kayaking at the beach, bay, bayou, lakes, rivers, or springs. Being outdoors is where I want to be and there is no better way to do that than to be camping.”
“I’ve owned my camper for about six years now. His name is Buddy after my late father. Buddy is a 1964 Shasta Airflyte Camper that I had lovingly restored. I kept as much of the original feel as possible but wanted to decorate in a boho colorful style. I love to set up my campsites as retro as possible because it makes me feel happy and it is a great way to meet other campers! Grayton Beach State Park is the best place to feel like you are in the middle of the old Florida woods in a magical land.”
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated in the 2022 America’s State Parks Photo Contest!
Are you ready for an outdoor adventure? Plan your camping trip!