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“A man is an exceedingly minor entity, and the night is exceptionally vast and filled with marvels.” − Lord Dunsany
The theme for December’s readers Photo Challenge was night photography.
Winter nights arrive early, allowing readers not to stay up late for their shots. However, since it is also the coldest period of the year, they had to brave chilly conditions.
A total of 20 photos were submitted by nine readers. Those who faced the cold demonstrated that nighttime can indeed be the perfect opportunity for capturing images.
Here are the top selections.
Janet Baniewich from Billings, Montana embraced the holiday vibe for her nighttime photo. She utilized an Apple iPhone 15 to photograph a castle constructed from Christmas lights during the Holiday Nights event at Zoo Montana in Billings, Montana.
This annual event, ranked fourth in USA Today’s 2023 leading zoo light events nationwide, showcases around 10 million lights arranged in diverse displays. Baniewich’s photograph features playful lights in an open area formed to create a walk-in castle. The limbs of surrounding snow-laden trees elegantly frame the scene as the lights from the display illuminate the blanket of snow beneath, creating a fairytale ambiance.
Ward Downs of Stockton caught the lights of San Francisco in his nighttime shot.
Downs’ daughter, along with her family, hosted an annual neighborhood gathering on the rooftop terrace of their residence in North Beach. Using a Samsung S21 Ultra smartphone, he photographed the historic Victorian-style buildings directly across the street, with the downtown skyline, including the Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower, looming in the background, showcasing various architectural styles of the city in a single frame.
Bettina Engelman of Stockton managed to check off a goal from her bucket list with her nighttime photo.
She and her husband Paul had longed to witness the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. This phenomenon occurs as charged particles from the sun penetrate the Earth’s magnetic field and interact with the atmosphere, creating a light display in the sky.
The family had organized a trip to Europe in honor of Bettina’s mother’s birthday, including a detour to Norway to witness the lights. They joined a Northern Lights bus tour through Tromso. For nearly two hours, they pursued the lights, encountering difficulty due to overcast skies.
Eventually, they reached Kvaloya island, where the skies opened up for them. Engelman, using her Apple iPhone 16 Pro mounted on a tripod, was able to capture the lights using the phone’s nighttime setting with a 3.4-second exposure.
Massive snow-covered rocks distinctively define the foreground as the ribbon of green lights dances across the night sky. Clouds obscure some parts of the view, but enough lights break through, creating an impression that Mother Nature is revealing herself for exploration.
Holly Stone from Lodi encapsulated the essence of the festive season with her nighttime photograph. Using her Apple iPhone 14, she snapped a picture of a float during the annual Kiwanis Lodi Parade of Lights as it traveled through downtown Lodi.
Christmas lights adorned the float featuring Minions and the Grinch. The float emits faux snow (actually soap bubbles) giving the illusion of it moving through a wintry snowstorm.
In Lodi, Blair Hake of Stockton snapped his evening photograph during the Oak Farm Winery’s Christmas Holiday Stroll.
Using an iPhone 12 Pro Max, he photographed a tree enveloped in fog, illuminated with festive lights. The silhouetted grapevines in the foreground assist in framing the tree, while a luminous waning gibbous moon is visible through the mist among the tree’s branches.
Baniewich garners first place, earning a 16×20 print by UlmerPhoto along with a $25 dining gift card. Downs receives second place with an 11×14 print, and Engelman takes home an 8×10 print for third. All submissions are available for viewing in an online gallery at recordnet.com. A new challenge will be announced on January 21.
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