Annual Photography Contest Results 2023
First Place
Coyote On Trail
Steve Hallmark
Walking back to the parking lot from the Satwiwa Culture Center at sunset, I surprised this young coyote. It seemed a bit confused about which way to go - I think we were both caught a bit off guard. Taken In October 2023.
Captured with a Nikon Z7II and Nikon 24-70mm. Focal length - 36mm.
Exposure - f/2.8 at 1/45th second, ISO 800.
Sheila Braden Award
Purple Rain
Jesse Sloan
A moody image of an Oak Tree overlooking the rolling hillside at Malibu Creek on a spring day. With the winter and spring rains being as plentiful as they were, the blooms of 2023 were a wonderful sight for those who ventured outdoors to take in the plentiful flora that graced us this past spring.
Second Place
Buck In Dry Grass
Steve Hallmark
Just across from the Satwiwa Culture Center, I came upon a small group of deer. To my surprise, this mule deer buck approached me. Taken in August 2023.
Captured with a Nikon Z8 and Nikon 100-400mm, Focal length - 280mm, Exposure - f/8 at 1/125th second, ISO 3200.
Third Place
Rusted Memories
Steven Friedman
Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa January 10, 2023 -- The ranching history in the Santa Monica Mountains is often overlooked and forgotten. We often think of the beaches, creeks, and wild lands of the steeper terrain, or about the Chumash, the original and long-time inhabitants of the area. But ranching played an active role in shaping the land as established in 1803.
The rancho has been sold and subdivided many times over the years. The last private owner of Ranch Sierra Vista was Richard Danielson who ranched the land for more than 30 years. The Danielson's used tilling equipment to maintain the grasslands and keep the chapparal at bay.
The abandoned tilling equipment featured in this photograph was used by the Danielsons. Abandoned on a hillside, left to rust in place, it becomes a lasting memory of the ranching in the Santa Monica Mountains. Rancho Sierra Vista was purchased by the National Park Service in 1980.
Honorable mentions