Jeff Hirsch is no stranger to photography. In fact, he teaches it to others and takes people on trips to practice their photography.
“I’m no professional though,” he says. “My secret superpower is to be able put geek into basic English so photographers and other creatives can understand it ... and then it’s my job to take these people and put them in a position to get great pictures.”
This year, it was his own picture out of nearly 500 entries that won our annual Post-Dispatch Travel Photo Contest.
Hirch, 57, of Ellendale, captured the image on a two-week trip to Vietnam in September with about eight other photographers. They flew into Hanoi, and after spending a couple of days there, they traveled to the north of Vietnam, just 45 minutes from the Chinese border. Then the group flew south to Saigon and the fishing villages there. It was, in fact, the same sort of trip last year’s winner, Allen Ahner, was on, when he captured the winning image of a worker in Vietnamese fields.
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Hirsch took his photo in Quang Phu Cau, a small village about 90 minutes from Hanoi known for making the dyed bamboo sticks that are used in the production of incense.
“In the morning, at this family-run business, the bundles of sticks are dyed and spread out in a lovely fan shape to dry in the sun,” he says. “The colorful bundles and colorful workers make for wonderful photographic subjects.”
On this day, the incense bundles “were lined up and looking like fish scales. The workers were so graceful as they moved; I never saw them knock over a single bundle.”
Contest judge and Post-Dispatch multimedia editor Gary Hairlson was taken with the photo the minute he saw it. “It was absolutely stunning and everything about it fell into place — exposure, composition, symmetry and along with the subject content, it offered something I’ve not seen in past years of judging.”
Hirsch liked the composition, too. “I’m a very graphic shooter,” he says. “I love lines and texture, and I was just seduced by those colors.” To capture the moment, he stood on a scaffold with his Canon R6. He waited a while, watching the workers. “And then she looks up, and I said, ‘Boom, that’s the shot.’ ... To me, the balance is right. I like the pattern, it’s the gesture, the face that’s turned up that made the shot. If I’m doing storytelling, that’s what I’m looking for.”
The win is extra special for him. His father, Maurice “Bud” Hirsch, won the Globe-Democrat’s travel photo contest decades ago.
“It’s fun to carry on the tradition of travel photography that I learned from him and that he learned from his father,” Jeff Hirsch says. “It’s definitely in our DNA.”
![Travel photo contest - elephant](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C889 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/23/5239c4b8-9d96-11ee-8dff-e33c32083a1e/6580296a0cdd7.image.jpg?resize=1600%2C1067 2008w)
Second place: Jim Scott of Wildwood won second-place with this photo.
Second place
An African safari has always been on Jim Scott’s bucket list. He got the chance to go this fall with a group of photographers from the United Kingdom.
They traveled to Kenya, to the Kicheche Bush, known for its great wildlife photos in Olare Motorogi Conversancy in the Maasai Mara.
Scott, 72, of Wildwood, says he has always loved elephants and knew he wanted to get a great shot of one on the trip. He clearly succeeded.
“Capturing the perfect sunset at the right time as the background for the elephant shot is what propelled this picture to one of the top images,” says judge Hairlson. “It’s simply done, very easy to read and interesting.”
Scott took the photo just after sunset right at the equator. “The key is to get as low as possible, so the elephant is prominent on the horizon,” Scott says. He used a bean bag to steady his knees on the ground and waited, looking for movement. Then the elephant raised his leg, and that’s when Scott grabbed the shot with his Nikon Z9.
“It captures the magic of Kenya,” he says. “The skies in Kenya are like no other I’ve ever seen.”
On the trip he also saw lions, giraffes, cheetahs and leopards, which he calls the most beautiful of the animals.
“This trip was so extraordinary,” he says. “It was the best trip I’ve ever taken, and I’ve traveled a lot.”
Third place
![Travel photo contest: Bird](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=400%2C266 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=540%2C359 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=640%2C426 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=750%2C499 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=990%2C659 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C689 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C799 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C887 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C982 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/56/c56951e0-9b4f-11ee-8a39-838b4dd6e7c9/657c57e145f8d.image.jpg?resize=1764%2C1174 2008w)
Third place: John Gravlin took this photo from his cruise ship at the Galapagos Islands.
John and Marian Gravlin of O’Fallon, Missouri, went on a Galapagos Islands cruise on the Celebrity Flora at the end of April. They flew into into Quito, Ecuador, and then took a short plane ride to the Galapagos Islands where they boarded the ship.
On the morning of disembarkation, everything was packed except for John’s Canon EOS R6. He says he was “just killing time on our balcony taking shots of the birds” when this blue-footed booby swooped in. “This one was different from the rest as it really played with its reflection in the water.”
Hairlson agreed that it was something about the reflection. “The photo of the booby flying over waves was very well-executed. The slow shutter speed and panning with the flying bird created an artsy view of the shot. The uniqueness of the image is what caught my eye.”
Gravlin says his favorite part of the trip was the snorkeling. “We had three opportunities during the seven-day cruise.”
Honorable mentions
![Travel photo contest: Yellow coat](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C889 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/dc/3dc2fe78-9b70-11ee-ae6c-5f85c71dbdb3/657c8edba0cb0.image.jpg?resize=1600%2C1067 2008w)
Honorable mention: A brightly clad woman walks among the mudflats of Vestrahorn in Iceland in this photo by Ingrid Borecki of Glendale.
![Travel photo contest: Church in Iceland](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=400%2C266 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=640%2C426 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=990%2C659 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C689 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C799 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/27/f27b4ba2-9b4f-11ee-b6f5-af04a80e6649/657c5823ec368.image.jpg?resize=1264%2C842 1333w)
Honorable mention: This photo of a church was taken at Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Iceland by Harper Ackermann of Webster Groves.
![Travel photo contest: Idaho night sky](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/8e/88e7c3cc-9b5a-11ee-ab38-e7b41f4d57ed/657c6a517ad7f.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Honorable mention: Zachary Carroll of Creve Coeur captured this image of the night sky in Priest Lake, Idaho.
![Travel photo contest: sunburst](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=150%2C113 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=200%2C150 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=225%2C169 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=300%2C225 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=400%2C300 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=540%2C405 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=640%2C480 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=750%2C563 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=990%2C743 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C777 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C900 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C1000 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1107 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/08/2089fc64-9b50-11ee-b447-076b7dc442b9/657c5875b958c.image.jpg?resize=1662%2C1247 2008w)
Honorable mention: Judy Brink of St. Charles captured the light just right in this photo from Yellowstone National Park.
![Travel photo contest: Buffalo](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/2b/32b95f02-9b59-11ee-acb3-afe1ac135af7/657c67b116255.image.jpg?resize=150%2C84 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/2b/32b95f02-9b59-11ee-acb3-afe1ac135af7/657c67b116255.image.jpg?resize=200%2C113 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/2b/32b95f02-9b59-11ee-acb3-afe1ac135af7/657c67b116255.image.jpg?resize=225%2C127 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/2b/32b95f02-9b59-11ee-acb3-afe1ac135af7/657c67b116255.image.jpg?resize=300%2C169 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/2b/32b95f02-9b59-11ee-acb3-afe1ac135af7/657c67b116255.image.jpg?resize=400%2C225 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/2b/32b95f02-9b59-11ee-acb3-afe1ac135af7/657c67b116255.image.jpg?resize=540%2C304 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/2b/32b95f02-9b59-11ee-acb3-afe1ac135af7/657c67b116255.image.jpg?resize=640%2C360 640w)
Honorable mention: Dan Vogel of Wildwood captured this image of bison at the geyser field at Yellowstone's Old Faithful.
![Travel photo contest: Bear](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=150%2C143 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=200%2C191 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=225%2C215 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=300%2C286 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=400%2C382 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=540%2C515 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=640%2C610 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=750%2C715 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=990%2C944 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C987 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C1145 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C1272 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/a0/8a0b0914-9b58-11ee-9e3e-43e01c28ac4f/657c66ce91fe1.image.jpg?resize=1474%2C1406 1476w)
Honorable mention: Michael Albers of Maplewood took this photo of a grizzly bear in Battle Creek, Alaska.
![Travel photo contest: surfers](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/de/1de2f620-9b58-11ee-88ee-d770cf158111/657c65f41faa5.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Honorable mention: Arlue Briggs of Chesterfield took this photo of surfers in heavy fog at Long Beach in the Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
![Travel photo contest](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=150%2C178 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=200%2C238 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=225%2C267 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=300%2C357 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=400%2C475 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=540%2C642 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=640%2C761 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=750%2C891 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/9f/b9ff79c8-9de4-11ee-b711-2f8da65659b5/6580ad0adae77.image.jpg?resize=960%2C1141 990w)
Honorable mention: Anne Kelsey of the Shaw neighborhood captured this image of mother and child in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam.
![Travel photo contest](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=150%2C200 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=200%2C267 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=225%2C300 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=300%2C400 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=400%2C533 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=540%2C720 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=640%2C854 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=750%2C1000 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=990%2C1320 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C1380 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/4b/64b41f7e-9dac-11ee-826c-9f22d2c80dcb/65804e7a1133f.image.jpg 1333w)
Honorable mention: Will Connolly of Granite city titled his photo of the Leaning Tower of Pisa "Right Place, Right Time," and for good reason.
![Travel photo contest monkey](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=150%2C200 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=200%2C267 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=225%2C300 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=300%2C400 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=400%2C533 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=540%2C720 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=640%2C854 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=750%2C1000 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=990%2C1320 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C1380 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/33/333da88a-9d97-11ee-99b7-172f06a9fb60/65802ad2d51d7.image.jpg 1333w)
Honorable Mention: Eileen Smith of Affton was on vacation in the Riviera Maya Cancun when she snapped this photo of a monkey in thought.