DuPage forest preserves announce photo contest winners
Five photographers have won honors in the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's second annual Take 5 Photo Contest.
Ling Liu of Lisle won first prize in the "places" category with a photograph of chickens and a farmhand at Kline Creek Farm near West Chicago.
"Watching the chickens focus on following the feeder is mesmerizing," Liu said.
Tristan Schramer of Wheaton won the "animals" category with a photo of a smooth green snake at a preserve in western DuPage.
"The wonder, awe, beauty and magic relinquished by the natural world goes well beyond value, and we must do everything we can to protect it," Schramer said.
The winning photo for the "plants" category - May apples at West DuPage Woods - was taken by Kim Stines of St. Charles.
Stines said she highly recommends spending time in forest preserves to "relax and meditate and forget about everything but the beauty that is there."
Sara Hodak of Brookfield won the "people" category with a photograph of three children looking at a marsh at Fullersburg Woods.
"We love spending time in the preserves with our kids, exploring and observing nature and wildlife," she said.
The voters' choice winner, featuring sunset at Blackwell Forest Preserve by Christian Cortinez of Wheaton, was selected from the 10 photos with the most online votes through the district's website and Facebook page.
"I go to the forest preserves to clear my head. I love sightseeing. I want to capture that moment with my photography," Cortinez said.
Photographers submitted almost 1,500 images of plants, animals, people, buildings, landscapes, landmarks and weather during the eight-week contest, an offshoot of the district's Take 5 in a DuPage Forest Preserve campaign to promote the physical and psychological benefits of spending time outdoors.
Studies show that even as little as five minutes in nature can improve your mood and reduce stress. Ten minutes of sunshine can help fight osteoporosis, and connecting with nature for one hour can boost a person's memory by 20 percent.
The Daily Herald Media Group, The Bike Hub in Glen Ellyn, Cabela's in Hoffman Estates and Erehwon in Naperville sponsored the contest through in-kind contributions and more than $2,500 in prizes, including two bikes with helmets, a camping package, a snowshoeing package and a rod-and-reel with assorted fishing gear.
"For the second year in a row, we were astounded by the quality of images we received," forest preserve President Joe Cantore said. "The photographers, particularly in the animal category, made our job of selecting winners a tough one."