Winfield photographer wins top prize for October
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Randy Link of Winfield always liked the bell tower at St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton. He used photo editing software to create a painting-like image of the structure. |
Whenever Randy Link drove by St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton, he couldn’t help but look up.
After a fire razed the church in 2002, the path from destruction to rebuilding inspired the Winfield man.
About our contest
Each week our Neighbor section includes at least one entry in our Photo Finish photography contest. Our photo staff picks one overall monthly winner to receive a prize. If you would like to submit a photo, email it in .jpg format with at least 300 dpi resolution to ssanders@dailyherald.com. Include your name, address and phone number.
So much so that he paused to capture one feature of the new church that he felt stood out over everything else: a cross above the bell tower.
On Labor Day, Link snapped 24 photos of the structure with his Canon Rebel EOS. Using a tripod and a zoom lens, Link shot at different exposures around electrical wires and tree branches so nothing distracted from the tower.
“That was my center of attention,” Link said.
He merged three of the photographs using photo editing software, and the result is an image resembling a painting.
When his wife saw the photograph, she remembered the fire and thought of a biblical passage from Isaiah.
“God will give beauty for ashes,” Link recalled.
The Daily Herald photo staff selected his photograph as the top picture in our October Photo Finish contest.
DuPage Photo Director Scott Sanders praised Link’s use of a technique called High Dynamic Range to transform an ordinary photo of the tower into a painting-like image.
“His final result was helped by starting with a tightly cropped subject, free from extraneous objects in both the foreground and background,” Sanders said.
Link will receive a $50 gift certificate from PJ’s Camera, 662 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn. He’s decided to give that prize and the photo to the church.
“I just felt they should have it,” Link said.
Link was just 10 when he received his first camera. His dad, an amateur photographer, gave his son some tips, and he started with the basics.
“Always keep the strap around your neck so you don’t drop your camera,” Link said with a chuckle.
Ever since, Link has been honing his skills through online classes and photography books. The self-taught photographer focuses on architecture and landscapes. And the photo editing software tests Link’s creativity.
“It’s a way to express myself,” he said.
Link, who also won one of our monthly contests for his photo of Naperville’s Dick Tracy sculpture, advises aspiring photographers to capture what they appreciate.
“Shoot from the heart,” he said.
