"Cold Cow" wins Grand Prize in WisconsinNative.com photo contest

A photograph showing the "stark contrast of beast against Mother Nature on a cold and snowy Wisconsin winter day" has been awarded the Grand Prize in the first WisconsinNative.com photo contest.

"Cold Cow," by Terry Mayer of Genoa City, was taken on January 21, 2008, near Darien, with the frigid cold illustrated by the scene of a Black Angus cow standing in the field while the snow falls around him and freezes to his face.

Mayer's photo was the first-place winner in the Rural Scene category and then chosen as Grand Prize winner among the top photos in each of nine categories.

For his work, Mayer won $1,000.

Mayer shared this story about the winning photo: "It was a very snowy day and I was out driving around looking for a photo that would show the snow and cold. I came across cows in a field during the snow storm, but it wasn't right, for some reason I didn't feel the photo. So I pressed on with the idea in my head of cows in the snow just looking for the right one. I crept along in the my car going 10 mph on the country roads that are the last to get plowed, so I should have turned around, but I really wanted the photo that was in my head. Towards the end of the day as it was starting to get dark I saw this cow on the side of the road in a farmers field. I just grabbed my camera forgetting about my coat and gloves. The black cow caught my eye first then I saw the frost and snow around his face, his eyes were so cold looking and he just stood and stared at me. I left the shutter open a little longer to get the streaks of flakes but left the 2.8 aperture wide open to get the shallow depth of field and concentrate on the face and the nice detail and contrast. It was so cold I couldn't see the screen on the camera so it wasn't until the next day I downloaded the card and saw the image."

Terry Mayer took the winning shot using a Nikon D2hs with an 80-200-mm Nikon lens, an ISO speed of 1000, with no flash in natural light that was overcast and dark.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the Chicago Tribune: "The stark contrast of beast against Mother Nature on a cold and snowy Wisconsin winter day created a photograph with high intrigue and strong dramatic appeal. The interplay between black and white, the textural detail and the dynamic cropping all contributed to the success of this artful and abstract image."
Overall, Theno said she was impressed with the quality of work submitted in the photo contest and the variety of Wisconsin scenes represented in the work.

Here are winners in other categories:

Great Outdoors -- "John Nolen Sunbeams," was taken just after sunrise on October 7, 2007 by Vicki France of Mt. Horeb. Vicki explains how she caught the photo: "Every single day I drive to work hoping for the weather to do something dramatic and for a photo composition to appear. On this early day in October the fog was lifting and the sun was working its way through and I was just one mile from work and thinking to myself...what a shame to lose out on such a beautiful dramatic morning. Then I decided to swing into Olin Park and drive the short loop (who cares if I'm late for work ...I wanted a picture) and when I stepped out of the car I saw this enchanted world opening up before me and my heart began to sing. I half expected fairies to come out of the woods and be dancing and singing. I knew I had to capture the moment and the place quickly before the light changed. This photo was a pivotal point my photography in that I have been on a mission to capture "Enchanted Worlds" ever since."

Vicki France took the winning shot using a Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL 20D with an aperture of F/7.1, exposure time of 1/160 of a second and an ISO speed of 800.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the Chicago Tribune: "This image, a spectacular mixture of rich color and light, creates a mood that is almost dreamlike. There were a number of wonderful photos in this category, but this image stood apart because of its beauty and technical excellence."

Urban Scene -- "I find few subjects as frustrating, fickle, frightening, and rewarding as lightning," said the winning photographer in the Urban Scene category of the WisconsinNative.com photo contest.

"May 25, 2008," by Phil Ejercito of Madison, is a dazzling shot of lightning flashes over the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Phil said he had been craving a good storm, "It had been since August of the year before that I'd gone out to shoot a storm, so when this late-night storm blew through in late May, I was raring to go. I remember this storm being very electrically active, but unfortunately very fast-moving and dropping heavy precipitation, two factors that would make me less inclined to go shoot. Still, though, watching the storm on radar, I waited until the heaviest precipitation had passed by, noted the direction of travel of the storm, and lined that up in my head as to where I could shoot and what I could frame with, then ran out the door over to State Street. There was still some light rain, and thankfully plenty of electrical activity in the skies, but the biggest challenge was the 50 mph wind gusts. I got everything set up, braced against the tripod, shot, shot, shot some more, until I knew when I opened the shutter for this particular photo, that this was the one. I packed up and scurried home, grateful to have gone out to shoot lightning and come home alive once again."

Phil Ejercito took the winning shot using a Canon EOS 20D, with an aperture of F/5.6, an exposure time of 2 seconds and an ISO speed of 100.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the CA unique restaurant with sixty years of history is the winner in the Wisconsin Attractions category of the WisconsinNative.com photo contest.

Wisconsin Attractions -- The photo, "Ardy," by Joel Witmeyer of Menasha, was taken on April 4, 2008. It shows Ardy and Ed's Drive-In glowing in the morning sun. This Oshkosh landmark is an authentic 1950's style drive-in, complete with roller skating car hops and draft root beer. The photo consists of 5 exposures blended together with automatic bracketing at -2, 0, +2 and 2 manual exposures.

Joel Witmeyer took the winning shot using a Canon 20d with a Tamron SP AF17-50mm lens, at F/2.8.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the Chicago Tribune: "Is it the birth of the drive-in diner or the death of it? Either way, this is a great character image of a true Wisconsin attraction. The great sky and the soft light wrapping itself around the corner of the diner accentuate both the mood and straightforward composition."hicago Tribune: "Great timing, technique and strong composition coupled with a bit of luck came together to create a wild and powerfully surreal urban spring storm photo."

Wisconsin Pets -- Phil the cat earned plenty of treats for being such a cooperative subject and Phil the photographer earned top place for the shot, "July 31, 2008," the winner in the Wisconsin Pets category of the WisconsinNative.com photo contest.

Phil Ejercito of Madison, cat-sitting for a friend who was in between leases, couldn't resist getting a photo of the cat waking up from a sink nap. He explains the story behind the picture, "Let's get this out of the way: my name is Phil, and this cat's name is Phil. It's really bizzare to meet a pet that shares your name. I ended up cat-sitting Phil and needless to say, my cat Tela was not pleased with this new addition to the household. I always keep Tela out of the bathroom, so it made sense that Phil would seek refuge there. Of course, it's absolutely impossible to walk by a cute cat napping in a bathroom sink without wanting to take a picture. I wanted him yawning and stretching, so I put on a 10mm lens stopped down to f/8 so I could get right up in his face and not have to wait for auto-focus to lock. Trying to keep things at a reasonable shutter speed and ISO, I slapped a window green gel on my flash to match the bathroom's fluorescent lighting, put a diffuser made out of a rubbing alcohol bottle on the flash, waited for a good stretch and yawn, then shot."

Phil Ejercito took the winning shot using a Canon EOS 20D with an exposure time of 1/30 of a second and an ISO speed of 400.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the Chicago Tribune: "This category had several humorous pet photos, but this one came out on top because in addition to having great personality, it was well composed, well lit and, most opportunely, well-timed."

Recreational Sports -- The winning photographer in the Recreational Sports category of the WisconsinNative.com photo contest had to deal with more than tough lighting conditions to get the shot, there were also bullets flying.

"Roundup" was taken on May 24, 2008 by Todd F. Bischoff of Sun Prairie on a camping trip just outside of Crivitz. Todd explains the backdrop of the photo, "Every year a good group of my friends head north to camp, fish, shoot, and generally have fun. We have dubbed the event the "Redneck Round-up." This photo was taken during our sharpshooting competition where we all shoot at clay pigeons and various other objects at the end of the shooting range. Lighting is always a challenge during mid-day due to harsh shadows and bright highlights, and not getting a hole in myself was an added challenge for this photo. There were 2-3 people firing anything from a .22 to a .306 to a .44 Magnum at any given time. So I had to be alert and mindful of everything going on. And of course, I wanted to shoot as well, so when I was taking photos, I had a gun in hand."

Todd F. Bischoff took the winning shot using a Canon 20D with a Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 lens, and an exposure of 1/200 of a second at f/9.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the Chicago Tribune: "This photograph has a marvelous documentary quality to it and draws the observer into the image through the use of multiple layers -- a distinct foreground, a middle scene and a background -- each with something unique to explore and ponder. The use of black and white contributes to this, keeping the focus on the subjects and turning this image into a curious three-dimensional tableau."

Hometown Happenings -- A photo taken at the 36th annual Iola Old Car Show is the winner in the Hometown Happenings category of the WisconsinNative.com photo contest.

"1947 Dodge Truck" was taken July 15, 2008 by Joel Witmeyer of Menasha at one of the midwest's largest old car shows. Joel said that the clouds were perfect for the background on that morning, making an amazing reflection on the 1947 Dodge Truck. If you look closely you can see an image of the photographer reflected as well.

Joel Witmeyer was using a Canon 20D with a Tamron SP AF17-50mm lens with an aperture of F/2.8 when he took "1947 Dodge Truck." The shot actually consisted of 3 exposures blended together with automatic bracketing at -2, 0, and +2 with exposure compensation.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor at the Chicago Tribune: "This beautiful image is a great example of a photographer enjoying the journey as much as the destination. Great use of color, composition, found design and light -- they all contribute to the success of this photo."

College/Pro Sports -- They say that when you run the sausage race, everyone's a weiner, and it's certainly true of our winner in the College/Pro Sports category of the WisconsinNative.com photo contest.

"Hit the Showers (Post Race)" was taken on the afternoon of June 19th, 2008 by Neil Stechschulte of Sun Prairie when the Milwaukee Brewers played the Toronto Blue Jays. Neil remembers, "I was lucky enough to be taking the day off of work to go to the Brewers game with my Dad, which I hadn't done in years. Our seats were in left field, so the Weiner Race participants came right towards us when they were done. It just wouldn't be a home Brewers game without this event. (Now if they would only let Bernie Brewer slide into his mug of beer again.) For the record, the Bratwurst (#1) finished first, and the Brewers held on to win 8-7 over the Toronto Blue Jays."

Neil Stechschulte took the winning shot using a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi with a Canon EF 75-300mm lens, an aperture of F/5, and an ISO Speed of 400. There was no flash and the weather was partly sunny with mixed clouds when "Hit the Showers (Post Race)" was taken.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the Chicago Tribune: "You can’t go wrong with the Racing Sausages at Miller Park – they always make good entertainment and often make a fun photo, like this one. The added bonus is the element of fans. They provide a bit of scale and create an interesting composition."

High School Sports -- A photo of an unsuccessful pick-off play at first base is the first-place winner in the High School Sports category of the WisconsinNative.com photo contest.

"Close Play at First" was taken July 14 by Dan Herrmann of Franklin and shows the dirt flying as a player dives back to first, beating the pitcher’s pick-off throw. The runner at first base was taking a large lead off in trying to steal second when the pitcher threw to the Oak Creek first baseman who in turn tried to put the tag on the West Allis player. The photo was taken at Oak Creek where the home team was playing West Allis in critical baseball game in an effort to clinch the conference title.

Dan Herrmann said he was practicing on taking some action sports pictures when the picture was taken. He shot the photo using a Canon Rebel XT with a 70 to 200mm F4 lens. "Close Play at First" was shot at ISO 400 at F5.6 with a shutter speed at 1/1000.

Said Judge Meg Theno, senior photo editor of the Chicago Tribune: "Good job by the photographer getting the peak action moment at first base, including the nice splash of sand."