This was my third year entering photos in the Lake Metroparks (Ohio) Photo Contest. There were 6 categories in the contest, I chose three photos to enter - one each in Lake Erie, Black & White, and Landscape/Floral. I was honored to receive First Place ribbons for all three photos.
The Birds is one of my favorite photos and has been quite popular on social media. I went to Headlands Beach State Park to photograph a sunset. I was sitting on the beach about 15 feet from the water's edge. Gulls were hanging out on the beach behind me. The ranger came by in a four-wheeler startling the birds who took off in flight. I continued taking pictures, thinking these would likely be throw away shots - I normally don't like birds in my photos. When I opened the photos in Lightroom, I was pleasantly surprised with the composition. After some post processing for color and exposure, I came up with the shot.
Available for purchase: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-birds-adam-kilbourne.html
Category: Lake Erie
Category: Black & White
The White Lighthouse. Fairport Harbor has two lighthouses, a historic one up on the hill and an active one at the junction of Lake Erie and the Grand River. The day I shot this image, the sky was overcast and the water was fairly calm, but not smooth as glass. At the horizon, the sky almost faded into the water. With some creative post processing, I made the horizon disappear and completed some other cleanup to produce the final image.
Available for purchase: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/white-lighthouse-adam-kilbourne.html
Category: Landscape/Floral
The Magical Garden. Every summer the Holden Arboretum hosts a summer concert series. This particular evening, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees during the 90 minute concert. The sky had potential for a nice sunset, so I grabbed my camera from the car. As I walked back to the butterfly garden, the mist was rising from the drop in temperature. I was able to setup and take multiple photos to create a panoramic image.
Available for purchase: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/garden-in-the-mist-adam-kilbourne.html