FIRST PLACE
Hopkins Grove Church
Kathleen Hoard, Madrid

I really liked the simplicity of the white steeple against the very blue sky that day. The photo reminds me a little of the whitewashed homes and blue ocean of the Greek Isles.

SECOND PLACE
Foggy Morning
Jason P. Murphy, Pleasant Hill
www.jasonmurphyphotos.com

 We Have Junk, David Benna, Ames

Eye Spy, Travis Biggs, Cedar Falls. Honorable Mention. This photograph of an adult bullfrog was taken at Georgef Wyth Park in Cedar Falls, in the spring of 2009. As I was looking at a small pond there, all the frogs jumped away from the edge except this one. I kept getting closer and closer, eventually getting close enough to take this photograph. As soon as I was done and returned to the path, the frog jumped back into the water. He was a remarkably good model.

Pocket Aces, Thad Buege, Waverly. I took this photo for a school assignment called "Hobbies, habits, and hang-ups." The goal behind this photograph was to give you a feeling of what it's like to have the best starting hand in poker. When all is on the line and that feeling of confidence as you're about to take down your opponent.

Droplets, Alex Cudworth, Youth, Iowa City. I took the picture in our kitchen when I was babysitting my 2-year-old nephew. We were playing with water in the sink and I thought it looked really cool when we changed the faucet to the sprayer. There was awesome sunlight coming in from the window behind the sink and it made the water droplets sparkle.

Wildcat Den, Joann Eland, Iowa City

Peony With Butter Glow, Linda Espey, Des Moines. I enjoyed the peony blooms longer this summer. They were especially soft and luminescent in the morning light. I took the photo with a macro lens and tripod.

Bliss, Tammy Flynn, Dubuque. Honorable Mention. This picture was taken at my sister Cindy’s house in Kansas City. We were celebrating my great niece Amelia’s baptism. She was
about three months old in this picture. I was trying to convey the message of how blissful the baptism was and capture that moment in her face.

Reflection, Shelle Goodwin, Winterset. My daughter, Grace, and I were making memories with a fun summer photo shoot. As I reviewed the photos, I discovered that I had captured one memory from two different points of view — hers and mine — in one photo!

Joe, Jody Halling, Perry. This picture was taken in northwestern Iowa during a family vacation. We were hiking and this little guy jumped up on a rock, cracker in his paws and I snapped his picture. My son named him Joe and he entertained us for awhile, then scampered away.

Dancing in the Wind, Kila Haney, Youth, West Des Moines. I took this picture in Booneville. I was actually taking a picture of something else and when I turned I saw the grass blowing in the wind and tried to capture the beauty of what I saw.

In a Puddle, Jenise Hibbler, Des Moines. I shoot a lot of water movement and reflections.  My In a Puddle picture was my neighbor’s garage reflected in the part of my backyard that floods when it rains like crazy.

Pitcher Plants, Kathleen Hoard, Madrid. I liked the way the light seemed to come from within these plants.

Day DREAMING, Hannah Janssen, Youth, Bondurant. This was taken at the little league baseball field this summer. I was taking pictures of the game and noticed my friend Logan leaning on the fence watching. I was trying to capture his hidden emotion. Logan is a huge baseball fan and I believe he was dreaming of being a Yankee — or maybe about me!

Mey-Mey, Megan Pitt, Youth, Altoona. My photo was originally titled On Land it's Much Preferred for Ladies Not to Say a Word from the script of The Little Mermaid. This is what gave me the idea to set up my camera in my bathroom and start brainstorming ideas on how to give myself a mermaid tail. In efforts to simplify my title, I opted for Mey-Mey, which is my three-year old nephew’s nickname for me. It just seemed fitting.

Autumn in Madison County, Jeff Purdy, Winterset

Dew Drops, Anna Riley, Youth, West Des Moines. I took this photo in my kitchen when my dad was growing wheat grass after he had watered it. It was in the middle of winter and the dew drops looked so pretty on the grass.

High Plains Funnel, Virginia Stone, Waukee. My husband and I were driving back to Des Moines from Yellowstone national Park in June, 2009. I was driving while we watched this supercell storm form near Casper, WY. As the funnel first formed, my husband held the steering wheel while I operated the pedals and took photos. It was especially exciting for me, as I attended Mississippi State in broadcast meteorology (I was a classmate of WHOTV's Jerianne Ritter and I occasionally fill in as a weather anchor for a Minnesota station) and this was the first funnel I'd ever seen up close!

Hogback Bridge, Madision County, Carmen Struth. Honorable Mention. My husband and I moved to Madison County several years ago but had never seen the covered bridges, so one day we packed the kids in the car and took an adventure. Near the end of the day, I took this shot of my eldest son exploring with the golden sunlight of that early summer evening spilling into the bridge behind him.

Spring Growth, Eric Tastad, Marion. My infrared photo was taken in early spring 2009 near Boyson Park in Cedar Rapids. I wanted to convey a sense of renewal following the spring storms. Every year new sprouts pop up out of the dead ground and bring us the nourishment we need to survive the year. I felt infrared was the right medium to use because it separates the foliage from the earth and provides nice contrast in the sky.

Full Service in 7.1 Seconds, Spencer Vaughn, West Des Moines

“1”, Nathan Wedemeyer, Youth, Adel. This photo was taken on Memorial Day weekend at the Dalmanutha Cemetery located in rural countryside north of Casey. We were visiting family plots with my grandmother and aunt when I noticed my sister, Abby, age 6, was unhappy to be at the cemetery and decided to take her photo.

Time Machine, Greg Witzenburg, Gilman. Honorable Mention. This photograph is of the Marshall County Courthouse clock taken from inside the clock tower. It dates from 1900 and uses the original gears. I was trying to capture as much of the inner workings in the shot as possible to show a behind the scene look at a courthouse clock and how all the pieces work together.