2009 Travel Photo Contest Winners!

The Travel Essentials 2009 Photo Contest is over, and winners have been chosen! Thanks to everyone who submitted photos. We got a lot of beautiful shots, and it was difficult to pick a winner. We look forward to seeing lots more great travel images next year! Remember, you can't win of you don't enter! And, if you're in Ashland, please come by and check out our window display, which shows off all the winners and many of our other favorites!

We'd also like to extend a special thanks to professional photographer Sean Bagshaw, who was a guest judge for this year's contest. His seasoned eye was a great help in picking out great photos that were not only beautiful but told a good travel story.

Sean is southern Oregon's premier landscape, nature and travel fine art photographer. He has photographed throughout the western United States as well as Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Central and South America, Nepal and Tibet. You can visit his site at www.OutdoorExposurePhoto.com

Sean will be giving the closing keynote at the 2009 Columbia Council of Camera Clubs annual convention in Portland on October 11. His presentation is called "In Search of Drama - Challenges and Rewards in Extreme Light Photography" and will discuss examples of extreme light photography and give an overview of techniques available to photographers to help extend the dynamic range an image can contain. For more information visit www.columbiacameraclubs.org