Teens from Tucson and around the state are being recognized for getting up, getting out and capturing Arizona’s scenery for the Adventures in Nature photo contest.
This is the ninth year of the contest, a cooperative effort of the Nature Conservancy, Arizona Highways and Cox Communications. It is open to Arizona students, ages 13-18. Winners share $10,000 in awards money.
Kaden VanDuyne of Gilbert won the top three awards. First place was a sunset view in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. Second place was panorama of the geologic features along the Salt River east of Phoenix. Third place was a twilight image of Colorado River at Horseshoe Bend near Page.
“My dad is teaching me (photography) as we go along,” VanDuyne said. He starting taking pictures with a small point-and-shoot camera he received for his 10th birthday.
“My dad always says that he is not a photographer, but he sure really likes taking photos,” he said. “Often we will go out in the evening after he is done working and look for something to shoot.”
The family’s journeys throughout the state put VanDuyne in scenic spots where patience and the right time of day yield great photographs.
“Our family likes to be outdoors all the time,” he said. “We hike and explore a lot, and photography fits right into this really well because it allows me to capture and remember the things that we see.”
The third-place image at Horseshoe Bend was taken after huddling under blankets to protect cameras during a dust storm. As VanDuyne was walking to the car, he turned around “and the clouds started exploding” with color, so he ran back for more photos.
First place: Desert glowing the golden hour of sunlight in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix by Kaden VanDuyne. He and his father were inspired to photograph the area after meeting photographer Joshua Snow. "Probably over a dozen different times, my dad and I went out to that same area hoping to catch a good sunset and composition," he said. "There were definitely many other good compositions out there but this one always stood out to me because of all of these desert plants leading up the steep slope to the jagged peaks of the mountains."
The first- and second-place images capitalized on the dramatic light from the Arizona sunsets. VanDuyne said his family had seen the spot on the Salt River and returned at sunset for the predicted scene, where he “went out on a ledge of rocks” and balanced the tripod for a panorama picture.
Seven honorable mentions round out the awards, which this year included a beautiful sunset from the Santa Catalina Mountains looking at the lights of Tucson by Zada Prince; a house finch posing on a branch captured with a 400mm lens by Carrick Webb of Phoenix; a chilly day on Boynton Trail near Sedona using an iPhone by Adrian Hanna of Scottsdale; a closeup of a brilliant flower by Katie Piscopo of Gilbert; and a butterfly blending with tree bark by Corbin Rouette of Prescott.
Honorable mention: Silhouette in the Santa Catalina Mountains by Zada Prince of Tucson.
Honorable mention: Western screech owls light by flashlights by Kaden VanDuyne
Honorable mention: Snowy Boynton Canyon Trail near Sedona taken with an iPhone by Adrian Hanna
Third place: The Colorado River at Horsehoe Bend by Kaden VanDuyne. After taking cover from a dust storm, the scene changed. VanDuyne wrote: "About the time we thought the sunset light was done for the night, the canyon walls were turning from their bright desert orange to evening blue, I turned back around and saw the clouds turning bright pink! Knowing we didn’t have much time, I quickly ran back to a spot that I liked, laid down on my stomach and crawled forward to the edge of the canyon wall to snap a few more before the light was gone!"
Honorable mention: Green Comma Butterfly in Sycamore Canyon by Corbin Rouette
Honorable mention: Macro of a flower in the neighborhood by Katie Piscopo
Honorable Mention: West Fork, Oak Creek Canyon by Kaden VanDuyne
Honorable mention: A house finch perches on a branch in the backyard by Carrick Webb
