Rick Aeschliman’s photograph, “Moonlight Falls Serenity” was awarded the Best Photo of the Year by the Nevada County Camera Club at their annual awards presentation via Zoom on Jan 22. Aeschliman’s photo was selected by club members from over 570 photos submitted by members throughout the year. “We are thrilled that Rick received our top award, especially during this challenging year. Rick is one of our premier night photographers. “Moonlight Falls Serenity” is stunning,” stated Rachel Rosenthal, president of Nevada County Camera Club.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition of my image “Moonlight Falls Serenity”, especially considering the “high bar” of quality that the members of this club set for excellence,” stated Rick Aeschliman. “This image was taken on a backpacking trip and is 7.5 miles from the nearest road, located in the Sabrina Basin of the Eastern Sierra (above Bishop, CA.) I used an App called “Photopills” to plan exactly when the the milky way would be in the the right position to get this shot. A wide angle lens was used to capture the arc of the milky way. Also, a full moon was rising which lit up the foreground beautifully.”
“For me, there is nothing better than exploring our incredible natural world, and I want to share my love for it through photography. I wish to share the incredible places I visit and hopefully inspire people to get out and explore. Perhaps this awareness will help us preserve these special places on our beautiful blue planet,” added Rick.
Also, on Saturday night, the winners of the club’s fourteen photo categories were announced. These awards included: for Best Assigned Subject – “Costa Rican Frog” by Bernadette Sylvester; Best Abstract – “For Some Reason I’m Hungry” by Rachel Rosenthal; Best Architecture – “Foggy Foggy Night” by Ellen Davis; Best Fauna – “Oops! Says the Sockeye” by Janice Rosner; Best Flora – “Cactus and Passing Storm” by Eric Engles in a tie with Tom Quinn with his “Moss Sprouts with Dew Mimic Chihuly”; Best Natural Landscapes – “Twilight at Furnace Creek Salt Flats” by Georges Pelpel; Best Night Photography – “Moonlight Falls Serenity” by Rick Aeschliman; Best People – “Newborn Four Days Old” by Shelby Cohen; Best Photojournalism – “Chalk Art” by Gary Cartzdafner in a tie with Bernadette Sylvester’s “I don’t see any animals out there. Do you?”; Best Travel – “Along the Waterfront, Shanghai” by Rachel Rosenthal; Best Creative Fantasy – Anything Goes – “Ghost of Edward Westons Muse” by Douglas Hooper; Best Manipulated But Realistic – “Super Flower Blood Moon Sequence over Lake Tahoe” by Kirk Keeler; Best Black and White – “A Man from Another World” by Janice Rosner; and Best Color – “Grand Prismatic Spring” by Rick Aeschliman.
The awards are based on votes from camera club members. Each month, members submit photos to be critiqued during the meetings and for a later vote. From the top monthly winners, members vote for the best photos of the year. “Each year, the quality of photos submitted keeps getting better and better: more technically proficient, more artistic, and more creative,” said Rosenthal. Nevada County Camera Club has about 150 members. Currently monthly meetings are on zoom but that may change depending on state and county guidelines. For more information on the Nevada County Camera Club and to see all the award winners – https://www.nccameraclub.com