BEST PICTURE 2016

PHOTO ISSUE 2016 BEST PICTURE 2016

A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA & KEITH WHITNEY

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Monument Valley at Sunrise, by Harold Jerrell Golden light illuminates the valley's iconic Yei Bichei and Totem Pole formations. "I like that this is a different perspective on a place we see a lot," Photo Editor Jeff Kida says. "He used a telephoto lens, so there's compression involved, and the background feels a little closer than it would if we were standing there. That adds drama, and the slash of light in the foreground adds interest and dimension."

Nikon D750, 1/60 sec, f/9, ISO 100, 232 mm lens

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SECOND PLACE

Water flows over rocks amid autumn leaves on a creek in the Sierra Ancha northeast of Phoenix. Kida says there's nothing he would add to or exclude from this photograph. “This is light, texture and wonderful composition,” he says. “The streams of water act as framing devices for the sunlight hitting that rock where all the color is. And because she used a slow shutter speed, it doesn't feel static.”

Nikon D7100, 5 sec, f/18, ISO 100, 50 mm lens

THIRD PLACE Terra Nova, by Phillip Noll Jr.

Fog rolls into the alien landscape of White Pocket, part of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, at sunrise. “This is a stitched image, but he knew exactly what he was doing,” Kida says. “Stitching eight images together and creating a panorama gives this huge place a different perspective. The forms in the foreground lead you to that pinnacle in the center of the image.” Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 1/5 sec, f/22, ISO 100, 42 mm lens, 8 images stitched

FACEBOOK FAN FAVORITE

Sunrise silhouettes a solitary horse beneath a tree in Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation. “Bev was camping at the Yazzie property, and she believes this tree was planted by the late Susie Yazzie, a Navajo legend,” Kida says. “This one is about light and the simplicity of two forms. The dust kicked up by the horse is brought alive by the backlight.” Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 100, 165 mm lens

HONORABLE MENTION

Algae forms ripples around rock formations at Watson Lake near Prescott. “I’m intrigued by those ripples, and I like the symmetry and this monolithic rock holding everything together,” Kida says. “The reflections are beautiful, and there are nice textures. A lot of really nice things are happening here.” (To see the other honorable mentions, visit www. arizonahighways.com/photography.) Sony A7, 1/10 sec, f/11, ISO 100, 14 mm lens

ADVENTURES IN NATURE STUDENT PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Stars and the Milky Way fill the night sky on a warm summer night in the Prescott area. Davidson, a Prescott High School student, won this contest, which was sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, Cox Communications and Arizona Highways. “Randy is completely self-taught, and he just asked around and figured out how to shoot the Milky Way,” Kida says. “He nailed it. The other judges and I thought the human element in the photo was important - it gave a sense of scale and a sense of how small we are in the universe.” Nikon D3300, 30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 12800, 14 mm lens