Images: Photo Contest Finalists
The sun sets on Twin Lakes, Wisconsin in July.
Carmen Mazzuca of Ingleside
Clouds wrap around Mount McKinley in Alaska as snow covers its peaks last month.
Nancy Michael of Lake Zurich
A bee flies on a sunflower in Buffalo Grove this fall.
Jim Stolzenbach of Buffalo Grove
The sun rises around 7 a.m., glowing through the bottom of the Cloud sculpture in Chicago as well as reflecting off the buildings in the background.
Mike Zarnek of Mount Prospect
A storm rolls in over the solar system sculpture next to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago on Labor Day.
Sharon Swing of Bartlett
Lillian Hickman makes circles with a sparkler in Manistee, MI last month.
Merilee Biederer of Arlington Heights
A photo of an auto detail taken at the Geneva Concours dElegance in Geneva, IL.
Gary March of South Elgin
This is a jelly fish in the jelly exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The Shed has the best exhibits.
Michael J. Clemens of Saint Charles
I heard about the fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the region along the Minnesota-Canada border. Today I could see the haze and smell it in the air here in DuPage Co. Then I heard on the 5 p.m. weather report that due to the hazy sky it should be an interesting sunset. Grabbing my Canon EOS Rebel camera I headed out to a spot in Winfield where I hoped to be able to catch that interesting sunset.
Randy Link, from Winfield
This was taken at the Western Wall of an observant Jewish man praying at the Western Wall of the temple. I really like the contrast between the man and the wall and the traditional imagery. I used a zoom lens from afar, to make sure I didn´t disturb the man´s prayers.
Larry Pearlman, from Naperville
The photo is of the flag at my homes front door. The early morning sunlight on the flag really caught my eye. Knowing good light is fleeting, I grabbed my camera right away and took the photo immediately. I like the ethereal halo glint of sunlight which honors the flag and makes the flag also appear lit from within. The colors are strong, proud and spiritual all at the same time, quite fitting for the flag as we remember September 11th.
Tom Colgan, from Glen Ellyn