Raffensperger a Finalist in National Contest

A photograph by GNPA member Tricia Raffensperger was recently chosen as one of the finalists for the “American Landscape” photo contest, sponsored by Outdoor Photography magazine. We asked her to tell us more about the image, and how she came to make it:

“I have always had an affinity for capturing trees in my photography. This one in particular spoke to me when I captured it in Death Valley in February 2019. It was coming up on the first anniversary of the death of my oldest son, and I felt this tree symbolized strength in solitude. I’d recently had a Canon 5D Mark III converted to an infrared camera, and this was the first time I was using it. I thought the Joshua trees were perfect for trying it out.

“I entered it in the Gwinnett Ansel Adams competition, along with a few other images just after I returned. John Mariana was the judge and he remarked how much he liked the image, but he felt it needed more contrast. He did select another image I had submitted for first place. But this was my favorite, so I took his advice and gave it more contrast.

“This year, just for the heck of it, I entered it and four other images in the Outdoor Photography “American Landscape” contest. When I received an e-mail notifying me that this image had been selected as a finalist, it absolutely blew me away. What an honor and surprise to have this image selected! John Mariana was spot-on with his critique. Thank you, John!”

Image details: Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105 lens, ISO 800, 1/60 sec @ f/11.