WyoFile's Summer Snap Champ: Kathy Lichtendahl

WyoFile’s Summer Snap Challenge drew out another great set of contributions from local photographers. The winning shot comes from Kathy Lichtendahl:

Lichtendahl hails from Clark, Wyo., where she has lived with her husband Ken for the past two decades. “My in-laws live in Bondurant,” she writes via email. “My husband and I would come out to hike, climb and ski every chance we had before we finally decided we would much rather be here full-time than in a big city in the Midwest.” The couple raise pack llamas and spend “as much time as possible” in the mountains.

Photography has long been a hobby for Lichtendahl among her other pursuits. She’s retired from her marketing career and racks up many hours attending quilting contests around the country in her role as a certified quilt judge with the National Quilting Association. But recent years have seen her honing her skills – Lichtendahl is about to start her second year as a photography student at Northwest College in Powell.

The mountain peak of this fantastical image seems removed from the gorgeous natural environment below, recalling the Paramount Pictures logo. This is likely a side effect of the smoke rolling in south from the Bear Cub Fire, one of the many wildfires that ravaged Wyoming this summer. As is the case with all great photos, things lined up perfectly for Lichtendahl when she shot it in early July.

“I was taking some shots of the evening light on the river when the horses and riders came into view,” Lichtendahl writes. “As these guys came across the river a ray of sun made its way through the thick smoke and lit up parts of the scene.”

Lichtendahl uses a Canon 7D digital camera. For this shot, she used a 28-135mm lens which had just returned from the repair shop. Needless to say, the autofocus was now working.

For her winning contribution, Lichtendahl will receive a Flickr Pro account and a $50 cash prize. WyoFile would like to acknowledge our runners-up, who will receive WyoFile goodies and have their work featured in upcoming Photo Fridays. In no particular order, they are: Rob Koelling, Lee Bailey, Colleen Wilcox, Jessica Lippincott, Rose Kor, and Gareth Jacobs.

Thanks to all who participated!