"Tender Moments" -- Prize winner! Whooooweee!

        Perhaps my readers will remember my blog post, A Visit to SC Audubon's Beidler Forest in Late June, and the story of this doe and her baby who allowed me to observe and photograph them up close and personal.

Fawn and Doe in SC Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest -- June 28, 2011

 
Well, I have a confession: I did not share with you the best photo of the bunch.  My reason for withholding that photo is that I planned to enter it in the SC Audubon / Carolina Nature Photographers Association (CNPA) photo contest.  And why should I reveal my best shot to the competition by blogging it?!   Thus, I kept the photo under wraps..... until NOW!  Because now we can slap a blue ribbon on that baby!  Ta DA!  First Place in the Wildlife Division!  

"Tender Moments" -- First Place in Wildlife Division of the SC Audubon / Carolina Nature Photographers Association 2011 Photo Contest -- taken in Francis Beidler Forest on June 28, 2011

 Not only that, my prize winning photo was published in the local Post & Courier today with a short article about the contest.  Carl scanned the print version for me so that we can keep it into perpetuity on our hard drives.

Post & Courier article about my photo taking First Place win in the 2011 SC Audubon - CNPA photo contest!

        Thursday evening, SC Audubon will honor the winners at a private awards ceremony in Summerville.  Sweet!  Yea!  I am very happy to know that my talent is such that I can be recognized by professional photographers (the judges in the contest) with a First Place win!

        So what's next?  Hmmm.  Maybe, an editor from some publisher such as National Geographic will contact me.  Hee, hee, hee!  Now I am dreaming!  Oh wait, that happened Friday!  Seriously, I am still on Cloud Nine!  They liked one of the photos from this blog and are considering it for possible use in a new book.  Wow!  This is not all said and done.  I do not know that they will like the high resolution version of my very small blog photo.  And of course, many photos and much film lands on the editing room floor in final cuts.  Who knows how it will turn out?  I may become a famous (ha, ha!) nature photographer, yet!