Plainfield Resident Earns Third Place In Will Co. Photo Contest

Plainfield IL

14 May, 2020

3:57 PM

Description

PLAINFIELD, IL — Longtime Plainfield resident, Maura Carlisle, captured a radiant shot of a robin perched atop a snow covered branch on a crisp April morning. Almost a month later, she was elated to be named one of the winners in the Will County Forest Preserve District's Stay-at-Home Backyard photo contest. "The whole premise of this contest was to submit photos that were taken in your backyard, and so I was inspired to concentrate on taking photos of birds I was seeing in my yard this spring," Carlisle said. "On the morning of April 15, we woke to a fresh snowfall. I love the feel of a fresh snowfall and the surreal light it can create. The robin was flitting around in my backyard crabapple tree. I stood out on my patio trying not to be noticed by the birds hoping for a good shot. I love that the combination of the new snowfall and the emerging red leaves of the tree cast beautiful light on the robin." The contest was launched to help people beat the coronavirus-induced ennui while sheltering at home. Any photos of nature taken in one's backyard since the governor's stay-at-home order went into effect March 21 could be sent as an entry. Carlisle said she was "was literally jumping for joy when I found that my photo was on the top 10 finalists list for the contest." She won third-place and was awarded a $25 gift card. The contest ran for nearly two months as the deadline was extended following the extension of the stay-at-home order. "I knew that there would be strong competition with a lot of photos submitted. The Will County Forest Preserve normally runs a monthly photo contest in the summer which is a big draw for local amateur photographers," she said. "I am honored to be voted as one of the winners." Carlisle harbored a love for photography since her childhood days, and she learned the use of her first camera while on the yearbook staff in middle school, and took photography classes in high school. "I've enjoyed taking the usual photos of family and vacations, always being the one behind the camera. Last spring, I decided it was finally the time to really learn the ins and outs of my DSLR," she said. "I started taking classes at Joliet Junior College. I wanted to learn how to take great photos without using automatic settings and learn how to process them." Since she has a degree in earth science, this contest gave her the perfect opportunity to combine her passion for photography with her "love for environment, nature and wildlife," she said. "Under current times with the stay-at-home order, I have found that getting outside daily is very helpful in keeping my spirits up," Carlisle said. "I'm learning more and more about the animals and birds in our area." Other winners of the contest were: First Place: Jack Woodard of Elwood for his photo of a simple mayapple plant and its sister sprout. He won a $100 gift card. Second Place: Matthew Valiga of Naperville for his shot of two great horned owls stoically surveying their surroundings from a tall tree. He won a $50 gift card.The Will County Forest Preserve District is currently accepting submissions for its annual Preserve the Moment photo contest. For more information on upcoming contests, visit the website. For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Plainfield Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!