By Community Outreach Manager, Ari Hippensteal
Congratulations to all of our winners of the 2023 SCWF Photo Contest! With 470 photos entered in this contest, it truly is a showcase of photographers’ exquisite talents and the beauty of South Carolina. Deciding a winner was an incredibly difficult decision as all images submitted into three categories: Carolina Critters, Scenes of South Carolina, and People in Nature, captured the theme of the category in one perfectly timed photo. We hope you enjoy our top picks, and a huge thank you to all who participated and continue to allow us to have such stunning photographs that can be used in our educational material year after year. The full catalog of submitted images can be seen on our Flickr account.
Carolina Critters First Place: Two’s Company by Norm Grant
About the Photographer:
Norm Grant began photographing wildlife in 2021 during an extended winter stay in South Carolina to visit family. Since then, wildlife photography has become a passion for Norm, and South Carolina has become a second photographic home for him and his wife who make frequent visits. When not in the Charleston area, Norm can usually be found in his home state of Rhode Island photographing New England wildlife and other natural subjects on or near Narragansett Bay.
About the Photo:
“During frequent visits to South Carolina over the past several years, I had hoped to find a Roseate Spoonbill to photograph. Even when I did find one, I just never seemed to get close enough. Then in 2023, I photographed nearly a dozen. It simply took time, patience, and in this case, getting to know some of the South Carolina nature photographers who are so generous with sharing local knowledge. What I like about this photo are the poses, the perches, and the color on both birds as well as the background. Most of all, the Spoonbill and Tricolored Heron seem to be completely at ease hanging out near each other.”
Carolina Critters Runner up: Green Lynx Spider by Trey Wardlaw
Scenes of South Carolina First Place: Edisto Sunset by Carol Haff
About the Photographer:
Carol Haff is a landscape and wildlife photographer who loves exploring the outdoors and strives to capture, record, and share with others those fleeting moments in time. She loves experiencing sunrises, sunsets, and wildlife in their own environment, and hopes to convey her excitement and emotion of the moment through her photography.
About the Photo:
‘‘One of my favorite places to visit is Edisto Island. My husband and I had just arrived at the Edisto Beach State Park Live Oak Campground and were setting up for the evening, after securing a last-minute marshview spot. As the sun started to set, the scattered clouds lit up with beautiful muted colors of pink and purple. The outreaching branches of the Southern Live Oak seemed to lead the eye to the sunset scene unfolding. The beautiful clouds were also reflected in the water. It was a fleeting but amazing scene, the perfect ending to the perfect day in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and we had a front-row seat!”
Scenes of South Carolina Runner Up: Dandridge, Rick, A Very Fine Morning.
People in Nature First Place: Blazing the Trail by Larissa Lord
About the photographer:
Larissa and her husband have lived in the Lowcountry for over 15 years and are current residents of Awendaw. She started photography a little over ten years ago with the goal of documenting her children and their experiences as they grew up. Larissa works at a small library throughout the week, and likes to spend the weekend exploring various parts of SC with her family. She always has her camera with her and she loves environmental portraits and connecting her family to the space they are in.
About the photo:
“Blazing the Trail was taken during one of our family hikes on the Awendaw Passage/Palmetto Trail. My husband and I, our two boys, and dog enjoy going out on day adventures together. Many trees are climbed, rocks are skipped, and occasionally they go off the beaten path to scout for creatures in the grass and mud. This particular January day was crisp and bright with gorgeous clouds in the sky. Wherever the boys go, the dog is not far behind, and I loved freezing her in action as she ran after my youngest son. I often document our hikes so my family can look back on our adventures and see them through my eyes.”
Runner up: In The Zone by Lyric Littlejohn
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