Fredericksburg region photographers were among the winners and honorable mentions in Scenic Virginia’s ninth annual Virginia Vistas Photo Contest.
Edward Episcopo of Fredericksburg won the “Vistas with Wildlife” category with “Rappahannock River Shad Run.” The photograph captures an osprey snagging a shad from the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, just after sunrise.
“I set up my tripod and camera and set the focus for the middle of the river, where I was hoping to capture images of herons feeding on shad,” Episcopo said. “I heard a loud splash to my left and I spotted an osprey struggling to get out of the water. I quickly turned my camera towards the osprey, just in time to catch it rising out of the river with a very large shad.”
Episcopo also earned an honorable mention for “Big Meadows,” his photo of deer in Shenandoah National Park.
Others from the region received honorable mentions. They are:
– Mary Lynne Wolfe of Spotsylvania for “Twilight in Fredericksburg”
– Buddy Secor of Stafford for a shot of Henry Hill at Manassas Battlefield
– Theresa Rasmussen of Fredericksburg for “Morning Fog on the Battlefield,” taken at Chancellorsville
– Fritzi Newton of Fredericksburg for three images. “Winter Abstract,” taken at Ni River Trail in Spotsylvania; “The Heron Highway,” shot on the Rappahannock; and “Primordial,” captured at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
You can winning photos online at Scenic Virginia Gallery.
Scenic Virginia is a private, non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to preserve, protect, and enhance the scenic beauty of Virginia.
