LandTrust for Central NC First Annual Photo Competition

by Crystal Cockman

October 4, 2017

The LandTrust for Central NC hosted its first ever photo competition with each photo comprising one month of a calendar to be printed and available for purchase later this year. The photo contest focused on Seasons of the Central Piedmont and encouraged photographers amateur or professional to submit photos for each of the four seasons of the year. Here is some more information about some of the photographers and the pictures.

Eric Abernethy was the grand prize winner with best overall picture of a grey fox kit amongst ox-eye daisies, featured as the month of March. Eric also placed a second photo winner in our competition with a picture of a pine warbler on a snowy day perched on an ice-covered branch for the month of December. Eric is a freelance photographer and lives in the Uwharries in Randolph County.

Austin Kiker was the winner for the month of January, with a wood duck drake photo. Austin says “While wading through a drainage canal that accesses an impoundment which parallels the Pee Dee River, I stumbled upon this drake wood duck basking in radiant, golden sunshine. He called out to other wood ducks flying overhead, their wings whistling like lullabies on the wind. After only a few moments the drake suddenly took flight, but not before allowing me to take this picture of him.”

Jessica Maynor, a local from Montgomery County, submitted a picture of her Buff Orpington chickens huddled together in their coop. This is the picture for April. Jessie is a graduate of NC State University with a degree in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology. She is studying for her masters in forestry there now. The photo is of her first chickens she raised herself for eggs.

Lizzy Roy entered a photo of a sunset at High Rock Lake that was chosen for the month of May. Captured on a warm evening shortly after a spring thunderstorm, the photo features 6-year old Anelise Roy perched from her favorite vantage point in the front of a canoe. Photographer Lizzy Roy and her family live on High Rock Lake and enjoy fishing, swimming, water skiing, and soaking up the views while cruising the lake in their boat.

Monte “Sparky” Brooks from Lexington NC has the picture for the month of July, with ripe blackberries growing along a wooden fence line. Sparky is a retired Lexington Police Officer, who returned to the hobby of photography after the passing of his wife to breast cancer in 2010. His photographic interests are mainly landscapes, and all things nature, that God has provided us.

Rebecca Schoonover’s Blue Dasher dragonfly atop a blooming pink smartweed plant in a wetland in Anson County is our photo of the month for September. Rebecca is a graduate of the Duke Nicholas School of the Environment with a master of environmental management and of forestry. She took the photo while kayaking near the Pee Dee Wildlife Refuge.

For the month of November, a picture of a young farmer with his draft horses infront of a scenic landscape of vibrant fall colors was selected, a photograph by Nancy Bryant from 3 Eagles Sanctuary in Norwood NC. Nancy states, “One morning, early, I looked out our window on the farm and saw Holt, our young farmer who is leasing land from us, along with his draft horses. I had no idea how beautiful the colors were until I zoomed in.”

To see the pictures and read about the other months of the year, you will be able to purchase the calendar on The LandTrust website later this month at www.landtrustcnc.org. Or you can contact us by phone at 704-647-0302 with inquiries.