Morning at Empire Beach by Stacy Niedzwiecki

More than 225 photos were entered into the amateur and professional divisions in the 2009 Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest, sponsored by Budweiser and the Chicago-based Great Lakes Forever. Budweiser will use one amateur and one professional photograph on more than 120,000 printed beer coasters to be distributed throughout eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces.

Judging is now down to the final round—and of the three professional photographs featured in the fifth annual competition—one was taken by Grand Rapids-area photographer Stacy A. Niedzwiecki. The photo Niedzwiecki submitted was captured during her 2007 Glen Arbor Art Association Artist-in-Residency program. The peaceful scene of Empire Beach and the Sleeping Bear Dunes was taken on an early October morning. “The sunrise lit the dune grass along the shoreline in a way that just seemed magical,” Stacy says. “While photographing the scene, I was hoping the viewer could almost hear the lake breezes blowing and feel the sway of the grass.”

Now it’s up to you! Go to http://www.greatlakesforever.org/node/add/vote to vote for your favorite amateur and professional photo. Voting ends on Sunday, September 13, 2009.

The winning photo in each category will be printed on the 2009 Great Lakes Forever/Budweiser beer coasters, along with fun facts on how you can protect the Great Lakes from pollution, groundwater depletion and invasive species. The coasters will be distributed to bars and restaurants throughout the Great Lakes region. The winners also will receive terrific prizes such as a tandem kayak, a GPS system or a backpack.

Again – to vote – simply visit:

http://www.greatlakesforever.org/node/add/vote

Point of Light by Stacy Niedzwiecki

The news that I am once again a finalist is very exciting! Last year, a photo I took of the Grand Haven lighthouse titled Points of Light, landed second place in the 2008 Great Lakes Forever professional division.

It was a warm, pleasant evening, and Luke had fun climbing up and down the dunes while I snapped away. I figured he’s be exhausted from running in the sand all day -but I was wrong. He stayed awake all the way home…singing and laughing and talking my ear off. Oh, well – so much for the “fresh air exhaustion” technique.

I had a chance to meet up with her and husband Jack while they were vacationing here in Michigan. Jack is an avid photographer of lighthouses, and has visited over 150+ of them along the East Coast and Great Lakes. It was fun meeting them in person after enjoying their many images posted at MyParkPhotos.com.

Thanks for the nice evening, guys! Fun to meet you in person…