2012 Photo Contest Winners!

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Backpacking Light 2012 Photo Contest and Runners Up

Thank you to all who contributed! We're unable to publish all of the over fifty entries, but it was a tough race with many evocative and lush photographs. Though I wasn't a judge, it was fun to collect the images and captions, learning a bit more about each of the photographers in the process. Here are the top ten entries, with the photographers' captions and the judges' commentary on each. Special thanks to our judges: Ryan Jordan, Chris Wallace, Damien and Renee Tougas, and Tony Wong.

Congratulations to the winners!

First Place (Hyperlite Mountain Gear Porter Pack): Heather Allen

Second Place (Ruta Locura Wasatch Bivy): Scott MacButch

Third Place (Mountain Laurel Designs eVent Mitts and Gaiters): Frédéric Maillard

ARTICLE OUTLINE

First Place (Hyperlite Mountain Gear Porter Pack): Heather Allen
- Second Place (Ruta Locura Wasatch Bivy): Scott MacButch
- Third Place (Mountain Laurel Designs eVent Mitts and Gaiters): Frédéric Maillard
First Place - Heather Allen
- Judges' Comments
Second Place - Scott MacButch
- Judges' Comments
Third Place - Frédéric Maillard
- Judges' Comments
Honorable Mention - Steve Denny
- Judges' Comments
Honorable Mention - Danny Milks
- Judges' Comments
Honorable Mention - sieto78 (look up username/email)
- Judges' Comments
Honorable Mention - Ludovic Pradel
- Judges' Comments
Honorable Mention - Jack Kan
- Judges' Comments
Honorable Mention - Emily Mathews
- Judges' Comments
Honorable Mention - Mandy Redpath
- Judges' Comments

# WORDS: 2990
# PHOTOS: 10

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Mar 6, 2012 at 2:46 pm #1286724

Addie Bedford
BPL Member

@addiebedford
Locale: Montana

Companion forum thread to:

2012 Photo Contest Winners!

Mar 6, 2012 at 3:37 pm #1849743

Nick Brown
Member

@ojsglove
Locale: Highland Park

Congrats to the winners and all who participated! Thanks for sharing your photos and to BPL for conjuring up the competition. It's a great idea.

I would only say that the judges seemed to favor color perhaps at the expense of tone and atmosphere provided by more "drained" images.

Hope the competition continues!

Mar 6, 2012 at 5:09 pm #1849782

Robert H
Member

@roberth

Talk about amazing photos… what a beautiful hobby we all share.

Mar 6, 2012 at 5:42 pm #1849798

Luke Schmidt
BPL Member

@cameron
Locale: Alaska

Congrats to the winners. There are some awesome pics there. Makes me want to plan ten new trips and buy a new camera! I love all the feedback on what makes a good photo. I'm more of a snapshooter but all the ideas here will help me take better shots on feature trips. Thanks.

Mar 6, 2012 at 5:47 pm #1849802

Chris S
BPL Member

@bigsea
Locale: Truckee, CA

"Makes me want to plan ten new trips"

Agreed. The Colorado Trail just jumped up on my list.

Mar 6, 2012 at 10:23 pm #1849901

Daniel Paladino
BPL Member

@dtpaladino
Locale: Northern Rockies

Great shots everyone! I especially like Frédéric Maillard's shot from Iceland. I will be there in early July with my family!

Mar 7, 2012 at 9:33 am #1850054

Keith Bassett
Member

@keith_bassett
Locale: Pacific NW

Any chance that the images could be posted at hi resolution to use for desktop images?

Great photography, now I really want to go to patagonia!

Mar 7, 2012 at 10:00 am #1850066

Will Rietveld
BPL Member

@williwabbit
Locale: Southwest Colorado

Beautiful photos and very inspiring, thanks to everyone that participated.

A small correction: in the honorable mention photo by Steve Denny, the lake pictured is Taylor Lake and the pass is Kennebec Pass, about 20 miles from the end of the Colorado Trail.

Mar 7, 2012 at 10:06 am #1850070

Tim Heckel
Spectator

@thinair
Locale: 6237' - Manitou Springs

Beautiful photos one and all! I have enjoyed them all.
Congrats to the winners.
Perhaps Leave No Trace principles should be encouraged in future contests.

Mar 7, 2012 at 10:20 am #1850076

Greg Hummel
Member

@bighummel

This is one of THE most photographed scenic area in the Sierra. It is also my favorite place in the world of the outdoors. In 2001, I camped there preparing to climb Banner. My hiking partner and I came down to the lake as the peak was bathed in pastel colors of early morning and the lake was a perfect mirror. We both had our cameras and took several. My best is now framed on the wall of my living room. We climbed Banner that day, a glorious one.

Greg

Mar 7, 2012 at 11:29 am #1850107

Bob Gross
BPL Member

@b-g-2-2
Locale: Silicon Valley

Technically, there is no Mount Banner there. The correct name is Banner Peak.

The peak behind it is Mount Ritter. To avoid confusion, often the two are lumped together as "Ritter and Banner."

–B.G.–

Mar 7, 2012 at 12:41 pm #1850153

Addie Bedford
BPL Member

@addiebedford
Locale: Montana

What a great idea! However, BPL only has the rights to publish these images once – copyright remains with the original photographer. If said original photogs want to grant me permission, I can link their photos to the original size they submitted for user download.

Mar 7, 2012 at 7:02 pm #1850347

Ken Thompson
BPL Member

@here
Locale: Right there

I think Addie's new avatar is a winner. Who knew she is such a dish!?!

Mar 7, 2012 at 7:32 pm #1850359

Eric Lundquist
BPL Member

@cobberman
Locale: Northern Colorado

Perhaps a member's only download to protect the photographers?

Mar 7, 2012 at 8:24 pm #1850382

Eugene Smith
BPL Member

@eugeneius
Locale: Nuevo Mexico

As pleasing to the eye as the majority of the photographs are, almost all of them leave me desiring more from the image maker. Where is their voice? In some of the images I fail to get a sense of how the photographer is responding to the environment before them, beyond the "Wow, what that's nice!….*shutter release." Even a landscape photograph can tell a story if it has the right elements….or absence of.

With the exception of the first photograph, which is technically proficient and meticulously crafted, Danny Milks' photograph of the lone traveler traversing a snow field, and Sieto van der Heide's photo overlooking Denali, many of the remaining images in this contest appear as simple snapshots in beautiful locales….how can you snap a "bad" photograph in Patagonia or climbing a glacier in NZ?

Mar 8, 2012 at 10:09 am #1850572

Tony Wong
BPL Member

@valshar
Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

Eugene,

I have nothing but respect for you and I want to learn more about what you are talking about, so I can understand.

Can you use one of the photos from above and tell me how you think it might have been shot differently to give it more "voice" to interject the photographer's physical or emotional response to the environment they are in?

I am just having a hard time trying get my head around what it is that you feel is missing.

Yes, they are pretty pictures, but are you saying that they are too "post card" perfect and as a result are a bit sterile and lack the little individual tweeks that would add a bit of personal style/"voice" to the shot?

-Tony

Mar 8, 2012 at 10:31 am #1850588

Fred eric
BPL Member

@fre49
Locale: France, vallée de la Loire

I like a lot Danny Milks photo composition.
This hiker and his path, wow !

Daniel you will love Iceland, there is so much diversity in a small island with great freedom about where you can go.
I plan to go back there soon, maybe next year.

Mar 8, 2012 at 1:29 pm #1850671

Nick Gatel
BPL Member

@ngatel
Locale: Southern California

"As pleasing to the eye as the majority of the photographs are, almost all of them leave me desiring more from the image maker."

We probably need to go back at look at the "rules" for the contest.

But I understand exactly what Eugene means. I also thoroughly enjoy most of the pictures posted here on BPL. But for a contests, I want to understand the story…

– A beautiful vista of high altitude mountains and a seemingly endless vista, but you see the hikers struggling with the ascent and altitude, you feel their pain and slow progress, but you see that it will be worth it because you see the vista they will enjoy once at the top.

– A hiker strolling down a beautiful trail surrounded by breath-taking scenery. You see satisfaction and ease in the hiker's posture, they are communicating the enchantment and you can SEE they are happy.

– A grizzled hiker exiting a wonderful place, the hiker looks like he has been in the wilderness for a while, you see the wilderness behind him, and you see that he has been cleansed by the experience in his face and posture.

Mar 8, 2012 at 2:36 pm #1850706

Tony Wong
BPL Member

@valshar
Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

Nick,

I completely understand what you are talking about with the examples that you are talking about.

By having a subject/person in the photo it can add context to the moment, which can be reflected in the facial expressions of the people in the photo or their body posture to show the challenges they are facing within that environment.

In my pocket camera photos, I often prefer to focus on people within my shots to give a context.

I think that it might help to have Addie post up the criteria that we were given in making the evaluations.

From memory, there were three areas that we were asked to judge on.

1. Technical aspects of the shot

2. Composition….how does the shot make me feel, it is pleasing to the eye

3. Inspirational…does the photo capture a sense of adventure and inspire someone to want to get out there, want to be there.

I hope that I am remembering it the criteria right.

-Tony

Mar 8, 2012 at 3:50 pm #1850751

Jay Wilkerson
BPL Member

@creachen
Locale: East Bay

Congrats to the winners and enjoy your cool gifts!

Mar 8, 2012 at 4:08 pm #1850759

Nick Gatel
BPL Member

@ngatel
Locale: Southern California

Tony,

I am not being critical of the winners at all!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just think that Eugene and I are somewhat connected in what truly inspires us, and a great picture needs to tell a story. A picture that needs no words to describe it; an image that leaves us contemplating, happy, sad, euphoric, motivated, etc.

Again, I do not want to detract from the winners, their ability outshines mine.

Mar 8, 2012 at 5:21 pm #1850793

Tony Wong
BPL Member

@valshar
Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

Nick,

I know you are not being critical of the winners in anyway at all.

You are just helping shed light on what Eugene might have been intending to say he felt was missing.

Like I said, I was just trying to understand where he was coming from and to appreciate his point of view.

This is art….we can all appreciate what we see and we can have different reactions to it. Neither is right or wrong, good or bad…just a different perspective of how to view it and what they like in it, which my differ from someone else's view.

-Tony

Mar 9, 2012 at 7:37 am #1851056

P. Larson
Member

@reacttocontact

Congrats to all the winners.

Mar 11, 2012 at 2:52 pm #1852065

Jacob D
BPL Member

@jacobd
Locale: North Bay

Excellent efforts by all.

I tend to agree with Eugene a bit. Not to take anything away from the others, but for me the winning photo was Sieto's. Great mood and atmosphere.

I didn't realize there was a contest until someone mentioned it to me just recently, so I missed the criteria and rules. Were (or are) all of the entries displayed somewhere? Were the finalists voted through by BPL members, or did the judges do all of the selection?

I would love to see what everyone entered.

Mar 18, 2012 at 2:59 pm #1855634

Jim Sweeney
BPL Member

@swimjay
Locale: Northern California

Loved the rhythmic movement of Frederic's shot, the mixture of compression and release.

Also really appreciated the judge's comments. Reading the article is like taking a short course in backpacking photography, in the best way–we're given things to think about, and a language in which to think them, without having our horizons narrowed by rules or proscriptions.
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