Contest winners: Finding the Light

Presenting the winners of the third annual Wrightsville Beach Magazine photography contest — including some amazing images taken after the sun went down.

We asked for the best shots from area photographers and boy did you deliver! Our third annual photo contest drew nearly twice as many entries as last year’s, making it even more difficult to choose the winners.

Talented amateur and professional photographers submitted an impressive array of images in all three subject categories, landscape, people and wildlife. The best of the best are presented on the following pages.

Many of this year’s finest photographs were taken at night, including the grand prize winner and three that earned first-place honors. We also received some beautiful images taken just before and after nightfall, at sunset and sunrise.

The award-winners also showcase some of the best sights of Wrightsville Beach and the Cape Fear region, including several surfing shots and the customary collection of beautiful birds.

Grand Prize Winner 

Congratulations to Michael Mosure, the grand prize winner of our third annual photography contest for his entry, Life Guarding the Heavens. Mosure notes: “It was a surprisingly cool summer night at Wrightsville Beach with no clouds. I put the camera on a timer and climbed up the lifeguard tower to shine my light up into the night sky. I utilized a longer exposure time to gather more detail on the Milky Way.” 

Professional Entry | Landscape Category

• First Place
• Professional Entry | Landscape
• Midnight Rainbow by Peter Oehl

I was out one night attempting to capture star trails. When I reached the spot I wanted to shoot, the clouds had rolled in. I decided to take some photos anyway, and I’m glad I did! I love this shot because the tree in the foreground seems to be reaching out and touching the rainbow.

• Honorable Mention 
• Professional Entry | Landscape
• Crystal Sunrise by David Pascua

This is an image of sunrise at Crystal Pier. What is interesting about this particular sunrise is the sun aligned directly with the pier and its pylons.

• Honorable Mention   
• Professional Entry | Landscape  
• Blue Moonrise Over Wilmington by Jeff Hall

I positioned myself where I could catch the moon coming up next to the bell tower in the old courthouse. Clouds were obscuring the horizon, so I started packing up. I turned for one last look at the sky, and there it was in all its glowing glory! I set up the equipment again and started shooting.

Amateur Entry | Landscape Category

• First Place
• Amateur Entry | Landscape  
• Leaving 2020 Behind by Jeff Loveless

I was out on December 28 looking for Jupiter and Saturn and decided to take some practice shots of the moon. I just happened to see the plane as it was crossing the moon. I imagined that the plane was full of people ready to put 2020 in the rearview mirror.

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | Landscape
• Gravity’s Rainbow by Pete Desmond

The range of spectacular colors seen in a rainbow create the light we all share to guide us to its profound ends. This rainbow rising at sunset guided us to Masonboro Island.

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | Landscape
• New River Fire in the Sky by Kate LeCates

I took this image of a beautiful red and gold sunrise along the shoreline of the New River in Sneads Ferry. I used a longer shutter speed to soften the flow of the water and to help capture a bit of the reflection of sky in the tidal pool.

• Honorable Mention
• Amateur Entry | Landscape
• Sunrise Over Myrtle Grove Sound by Lowell Mason

This photo was taken during one of the many beautiful January sunrises, when there was some fog over the bay. Day broke quickly and the fog and muted colors quickly changed.  

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | Landscape
• Let There Be Light by Tim Smith

I was at Wrightsville Beach waiting for the sunrise and finally was greeted with this beautiful, golden light-filled cloud formation and reflecting tidal pools. A truly glorious morning!

• Honorable Mention  
• Amateur Entry | Landscape
• Nature’s Art, Ocean Stallion by Robert Dittmer

Photographing from the water adds a new perspective on the local waves.

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | Landscape
• Moon Over Masonboro by Phil Barbalace

This was taken one April evening as the moon was rising over Masonboro Island. Karen, my wife, walked down the dock to view the scene. I shot several different exposures and this one was the most interesting, with her figure silhouetted in the moonlight.

Professional Entry | People Category

• First Place
• Professional Entry | People
• 2020 Police Memorial – Corona Version  by Peter Oehl

The memorial honoring those who have died in the line of duty was held as a candlelight vigil in 2020. I took two shots, one a long exposure that created the starburst on the left (which is from a light pole) and a second of the two officers saluting and playing taps. I combined the two photos to capture this image.

• Honorable Mention 
• Professional Entry | People
• Catching a Wave by Jeff Chase

I was attracted by the mood of the day and liked how the surfers looked somehow intentionally posed for this shot.

• Honorable Mention 
• Professional Entry | People
• Time Will Tell by Michael Mosure

Of all the thousands of photographs I’ve taken, this image of my grandmother before she passed away is one of the most important. It was taken after eating at the Oceanic one night. 

• Honorable Mention  Professional Entry | People
• Emergence by Jeff Hall
• A surfer emerges from a sunlit wave at Wrightsville Beach.

Amateur Entry | People Category

• First Place 
• Amateur Entry | People
• September Swell at Wrightsville Beach by Tom Hanna

I took this photo of my son surfing at Wrightsville Beach on a beautiful fall evening. There was a storm brewing offshore. 

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | People
• Welder Laying Down a Bead by Peter Thibodeau

As the welder directed the stick with his right hand, his left hand was positioned on the bottom of his helmet to flip it up after the weld. The camera was tripod mounted at a very safe distance.

• Honorable Mention  
• Amateur Entry | People
• Cast Away by Van Pulley

Fishing alone on the Oceanic Pier at sunrise was still a safe outdoor activity during the pandemic.

• Honorable Mention  
• Amateur Entry | People
• Rising to the Task by Robert Thurston

A Varnamtown shrimper prepares his vessel for the spring season.

• Honorable Mention  
• Amateur Entry | People
• Play Outside! by Sophia Brewer

My kids and their friend were playing in the rain last spring. It brought back memories of being a kid. It made me happy that they were not glued to their electronics, something that is destroying our world.

• Honorable Mention
• Amateur Entry | People
• Ready for Anything! by Mari Kittredge

Our 3-year-granddaughter, Airlie Fitzgerald, at the Carolina Yacht Club after we had just taken her for a boat ride. With her life jacket on, she’s ready for anything! 

Professional Entry | Wildlife Category

• First Place  
• Professional Entry | Wildlife
• Brother and Sister Pileated Woodpeckers by Curtis Krueger

Every day for five weeks I would take a walk along Burnt Mill Creek to spend time with a nesting pileated woodpecker family. The male has a lower red cheek patch while his sister does not. 

• Honorable Mention 
• Professional Entry | Wildlife
• Painted Bunting by Michael Mosure

It was a wet spring day, when I lucked into encountering one of my favorite birds while walking on Wrightsville Beach. I was able to snap off a few photos at ground level to give the image that unique 3-D bokeh effect. 

• Honorable Mention 
• Professional Entry | Wildlife
• King of the Rocks by Sally Siko

The photograph of a painted bunting was captured at the Federal Point area of Fort Fisher while I was leading a birdwatching tour on June 1, 2020. Fort Fisher is a fantastic place to find painted buntings throughout the summer.

Amateur Entry | Wildlife Category

• First Place  
• Amateur Entry | Wildlife
• Robin in Winter by Jim Woodson

It was a big surprise to see this robin in my backyard in January. I usually only see them in the spring.

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | Wildlife
• Fierce Eyes by Jackie King

I saw this black bird on a wood piling behind Mott’s Seafood. As soon as I focused the camera, it stared directly at me as it took flight.

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | Wildlife
• On the Mums by Stan Washlesky

This tree frog was seeking refuge on a flowering mum plant on the front steps of our house. I was happy to capture a splendid moment of a small part of our local wildlife.

• Honorable Mention  
• Amateur Entry | Wildlife
• Oystercatcher Food Fight by James Reber

An older sibling tries to steal food from a younger oystercatcher on Wrightsville Beach. The young one retained the food.

• Honorable Mention 
• Amateur Entry | Wildlife
• Golden Hour by Victoria Paige

The Wrightsville Beach dunes at dusk, with a young heron on the horizon. The sky was so bright and rich with warmth, it seemed on fire.