Two Northern Californians were among the winners of the California State Parks Foundation’s first photo contest.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For Patrick Rodden, a high school assistant principal in Modesto, nature photography allows him a chance to be still and take in incredible scenery.
He takes a yearly trip to the Mono Lake area every fall, a place he feels is often overlooked by many because of how close it is to Yosemite.
It was on this year’s trip with friends from work to the Tufa State Natural Reserve. While he was in the midst of walking his friends through composing a nature shot, he set his camera down as the sun was setting and captured the area’s unique beauty.
“The clouds lined up, the colors lined up, the reflections lined up, and just kept the camera there,” Rodden said.
Rodden thought about how much it captured a part of California that’s not often highlighted – he decided to enter the photo into the California State Parks Foundation’s first-ever photo contest.
“I just thought, you know, it’s cool for people to see it, and maybe the more people that see it and love it, the more that we’ll want to keep helping preserve it in the future,” he said.
The foundation tasked venturers with showcasing the natural beauty the state has to offer, from the coast to the Sierras.
Rachel Norton, the foundation’s executive director, said the initial contest received a positive response, with over 3,600 images submitted from parks across the state for five categories: Scenic Landscape, Wildlife & Nature, Recreation & Activities, People in Parks, and California History.
Rodden, much to his surprise, was chosen the winner for the scenic landscape category. The hobby photographer said the win has also helped ease his sense of imposter syndrome about his photo-taking skills.
“It took me out of that moment for a minute and just made me realize that, you know, I’m not Ansel Adams, but there’s something that somebody saw that they liked, so maybe I’m doing something good,” he said.
Rodden wasn’t the only Northern California winner, as Sacramento resident Tami Fandrei won in the People in Parks category.
Her winning photo began when she and a couple of friends visited Avila Beach and the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area in San Luis Obispo.
“We are a silly bunch, and we were actually recreating a Phil Collins video from back in the 80s, I think. And most of it that we created, that was one of the photos of part of the capture,” Fandrei said.
Fandrei said she was taken by surprise when she learned her photo was named a winner, as she never considered herself a photographer, but cherishes it more for the memories it evokes.
“The photo actually is a great representation of our personalities, and you can see it in that photo, and so for us as friends, we love that, we love that trip, and seeing that photo reminds us of the trip we took,” She said.
For being named winners of the contest, both Rodden and Fandrei were awarded yearlong state park vehicle passes, for a chance to spend even more time exploring California’s natural beauty.
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