NW Exposure 2011 winners

Ruby Beach After the Storm

Grand Prize winner in WTA's 2011 Northwest Exposure photo contest. "I visit the Olympic National Park several times a year as it is one of my favorite places to hike and photograph, often in the late fall to early spring to take advantage of the passing storms."

Boulder River Falls after Heavy Rain

1st Place Wild Landscape in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "I visited the falls three times before it all came together in mid-January this year--two days of very heavy rain, then a letup in the rain to get some photos."

Enchantment Lakes Basin

2nd Place Wild Landscapes in WTA's NW Exposure photo contest. "As I scrambled up a short steep section, I turned around and was presented with this fantastic view; golden larches reflecting off the blue waters of Inspiration Lake, with Prusik Peak and The Temple looming above, all covered with a fresh blanket of snow."

Skyline trail under snow

3rd Place Wild Landscapes winner in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "The weather was beautiful: sunshine and blue sky interspersed with sudden ominous dark clouds."

A Closer Look at Nature

1st Place in Flora and Fauna in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "I was hiking in the Turnbull National Wildlife refuge on the Pine Lakes Loop hoping to see wildlife... but I noticed the large dandelions on the side of the trail."

String of pearls

2nd Place in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest in the Flora and Fauna category. The photographer used a macro lens and flash to capture this image. "I love that the flash caused part of the anemone to become luminescent, looking like a string of pearls."

Vine Maple Close Up

3rd Place in the Flora and Fauna category in WTA's NW Exposure 2011 photo contest. "I was looking for subjects to photograph in the Ohanapecosh area of Mount Rainier when I saw a young vine maple with bright, raindrop-covered leaves."

Final steps to the summit

1st Place Hikers in Action, WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "I was leading a group of climbing students to the top of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Glacier. As dawn broke we found ourselves about 400 feet below the summit, where the wind and sun sculpt the ice into very interesting shapes, known as penitentes."

Fremont Lookout

2nd Place Hikers in Action in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "This was my first time on this amazing trail from Sunrise to the Fremont Lookout. While shooting the mountain from multiple angles, I found this hiker taking a nap who provided a nice compositional element to give depth to the scene."

PCT Camp

3rd Place Hikers in Action in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "While hiking the PCT near Chimney Rock, we set up camp late in the day. Rather than focusing my attention at the peak, I turned the camera around to get a shot of our beautiful mountain top campsite. After composing the shot I thought it would be nice to jump into it, since I rarely show up in my own images."

Four-Year-Old Building A Cairn On Earl Peak

1st Place Families on Trail in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "My 4-year-old son, Noah, and I hiked to the top of Earl Peak to watch the sunset. Over the past summer he's become fascinated with building rock cairns and this evening was no exception."

Sunset Discovery

2nd Place Families on Trail in WTA's 2011 NW Exposure photo contest. "We were playing on Second Beach, close to sunset, when my daughter encountered her exceptionally long shadow. She was in awe of it after she realized that it was mirroring her movements. It was very gratifying and meaningful to me to capture that instant of discovery."