A Unique Celebration of Photographic Excellence

The People’s Vision Award 2023 has been chosen! This year the honor is shared by two photographs:“Counting Sheep” by Bryn Souza and “Winter Solstice” by Kristina White. Thank you for your votes. To choose the People’s Vision Award in the Imagining Lyme program, everyone who viewed the gallery was asked to cast a vote for the most cherished of the submitted photos for the entire year 2023.

“Counting Sheep” by Bryn Souza, was taken at an open house at Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm in March 2023, which was provided as part of the Lyme Land Trust’s Local Farm Series. Bryn Souza documented the promise of Spring by capturing recently born lambs romping with enthusiasm. Bryn used many useful techniques to create a mood. The eye level view of the scene and bright sunlight contribute to impart a sense of joy and wonder. She presents the photograph as a severe horizontal by cropping out a lot of unnecessary information top and bottom, and in doing so she further builds a sense of motion.

“Winter Solstice” by Kristina White: In pursuit of an experience that has been celebrated by humans for thousands of years, Kristina White viewed the sunrise on the winter solstice, December 21, at a site that, as she describes, “had many significant stone formations and some I believed were connected to the winter solstice.” For this photograph, Kristina arrived before sunrise, carefully chose her position and waited. Wonderfully, she was able to capture the burst of light right at the moment the sun rose and shone through the opening in the stone structure set on the edge of a dramatic slope to create a spiritually compelling photograph.

The diverse array of images submitted to the 2023 showcase gallery, all captured within Lyme, showcases the beauty and biodiversity of the region. To explore all of the remarkable submissions, visit the official website.

Submit your photos of Winter to the gallery now. The Deadline is March 31, 2024 for photos taken in winter. 

Photos may be taken in Lyme in these locations:

1. Lyme Preserves owned and/or managed by the Lyme Land Trust, Town of Lyme, The Nature Conservancy, and the State of CT. View a map of the preserves. 
2. Pollinator/wildlife habitat with native plants– May be in a backyard, local agriculture, or in a Lyme Pollinator Pathway garden in Lyme, CT.
3. Trail 53- the sky above Lyme.

Imagining Lyme encourages amateur photographers to expand their technical abilities, their visual awareness and highlight the beauty of our preserves by taking photographs prompted by inspiration from professional photographers, such as Joe Standart.

Be sure to check out the tips from Joe and guests to enhance the expression of your vision.