Favorite Places grand prize winner chosen
Sixteen photos of Michigan were in the running for the grand prize in The Detroit News’ Celebrate Michigan: Favorite Places Photo Contest. After five days of online public voting and 2,214 votes cast, the winner was clear. And cloudy.
“Rolling Clouds Over Ore Dock,” by Justin Carlson of Negaunee — shot on a summer evening in Marquette’s inner harbor — collected the most votes and wins a $500 Visa card.
It’s the third of three Celebrate Michigan contests this summer, bringing our 11th annual photo festival to a close. This year, a record-high 2,927 photos were submitted.
Editor’s Choice winners
The Detroit News photo judges also named three of their favorite images from the pool of finalists for Editor’s Choice awards. The photographers who submitted them will receive $150 Visa cards:
■ “Aurora Hunters,” by Dale Niesen of South Rockwood. Careful planning, two LED flashlights, a wide angle lens and a 15-second exposure resulted in a showstopper of a photo of the Northern Lights at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
■ “The Dawn Hiker,” by Mudg Poster of West Bloomfield. Fog, water and the first rays of sunlight combine to make a beautiful, ethereal image of a hiker striding around a peninsula in Kent Lake.
■ “Marsh Life,” by Michele Gabris of Roseville. This intimate look at a marsh wren balancing between two cattails had it all: excellent composition, technical quality and an engaging subject.
Honorable mentions
There were so many fabulous photo finalists that the judges decided to name a few more that they absolutely loved.
■ “Jet Ski Views,” by Clay Holmes of Macomb Township: A GoPro camera held by Holmes on a jet ski in Wixom Lake produced the coolest action shot of the summer.
■ “Sassy Pants the Squirrel,” by Sharon Bodenus of Little Lake. That cartoon-like squirrel oozes charm and personality.
■ “November Battle!” By Jim Ridley of Brighton. Two bucks lock antlers in a rarely seen moment, a shot that would impress any breaking news photographer.
■“Sunset@Fishtown,” by David Tisch of Ferndale. Tisch proved it’s possible to capture a fresh view of a familiar tourist spot with amazing lighting and perfect framing.
And so we put the lens cap on another season of our Celebrate Michigan Photo Contests, with applause for everyone who took the time to browse the entries or the photo gallery and cast votes for the three winners. Thank you!