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Images: Photo Contest Finalists

The sun sets on a river that is a hangout for hippopotamuses in South Africa in September, 2012. Carol Arvo of Lake Zurich
My wife and I were taking a walk in the woods just after the last heavy snowfall last month. Her red jacket really pops out with all the snow. Charles Mark of Elgin
The buds of as orchid bloom as they sit on a dinning room table to be enjoyed by the diners at every meal. Fred Henning of Elk Grove Village
Clouds are reflected in pools of water crisp as they stretch across a field. As you go further out, it is difficult to distinguish the clouds from the snow because both were downy white. Susie Lee of Wheeling
On a summer trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, we were fascinated by the ability of these three pine trees to grow directly out of this rock outcrop. This combination color/black and white photo was made using the digital camera’s single color setting at the moment of exposure. Mike Weimer of St. Charles
I took this shot just as the Red-Tailed Hawk was flying in front of the sun. Because of this, it’s wings and tail are outlined in sunlight and the detail of it’s feathers are highlighted. Bob Williams of Huntley
Several peacocks stand outside the door of a restaurant at the Milwaukee Zoo oblivious to the fact that it was closed. Kasia Elser of Antioch
Looking down the hallway at the RIU Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in March, 2010. David W. Gaitsch of Island Lake
Waiting for the Subway is a B&W image taken at the Times Square stop in New York. I used a slow shutter speed to capture the motion and multiple frames were taken to capture the waiting passenger in between the blur of the cars. Larry Pearlman of Naperville
An injured raccoon was curled up in a ball and occasionally peeked its head out. I was able to safely photograph it from a distance with a telephoto lens. Angela Cichosz of Carol Stream
Dogsled teams head out on the trails near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, for some training for the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska. Alice Ballent of Naperville
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