About
Photo Contest
After spending months reviewing 5,000 photographs submitted to the Center's 2011 photography contest by about 1,500 photographers, judges decided on the very best of the good ones in late September. Nine winners were selected from the following categories: Botanical, Landscape, People with Wildflowers, Black and White and Under 18.
View the 2011 Wildflower Center Photo Contest Winners
Last year the Wildflower Center and Wildflower magazine hosted its first-ever photo contest. It was a hit, with 2,500 entries from more than 700 photographers. This year, we’ll do it again with some help from co-sponsor Texas Highways – the travel magazine of Texas.
We’re looking for spectacular photos of wildflowers that make us want to hop in the car in search of the nearest colorful roadside. We’ll consider closeups or landscapes – anything out of the norm is sure to turn our heads.
Photos can be entered starting March 15, and we’ll stop accepting entries by June 15. Write cprocop@wildflower.org with any questions or you can view the official rules and frequently asked questions.
Categories for this year are:
- Black and White (new)
- Botanical
- Landscape
- People with Wildflowers
- Under 18 (new)
Winners will receive cash prizes, and winning photographs will appear online and in the winter 2011 issue of Wildflower magazine.
Happy wildflower hunting!
The Wildflower Center and Texas Highways magazine
It's a snap
Tips for making the most of your time on the trail for photos
Photo contest judge and amateur photographer Bruce Leander shares these tips for taking awesome nature photographs.
1. Avoid mid-day and sunlight. This helps you prevent shadows for close-up images, and for landscape pictures Leander says "A field of flowers at mid-day is not interesting." Go out at sunrise, sunset or during fog.
2. For sharp pictures, use a tripod, mirror lock-up and cable release.
3. Don't shoot on a windy day.
4. Use the rule of thirds that tells you to place your subject in the upper left, upper right, lower left or lower right of the frame not dead-center.
5. A polarizer will allow for richer color.
6. Get low. "Most pictures by amateurs have you look down at the wildflowers. Walk around and try to figure out what the best vantage point is for flowers. Try not to get anything in the immediate background."
7. Use the right lens macro for close-ups and wide angle for landscape images.
8. If you're serious: invest in a digital SLR (cost is from $500 to $2,000), a quality macro lens, tripod, cable release and knee pad to kneel on.
9. Practice: "Like with anything, to get better you have to go out and practice. Once you're comfortable with the equipment, you can focus on getting the right angle, lighting and background rather than the mechanics of the camera."
