Natural Beauty

First Prize

Sue Luft - San Luis Obispo County

Sue Luft’s small family vineyard is across the road from the site of this beautiful photo, which was taken on an exceptionally clear and sunny New Year’s Day. Although the grapevines march across the landscape with military precision, the owner protected this beloved old oak tree.

Second Prize

Doris Goss - Plumas-Sierra Counties

Picture this: a cold winter morning, four feet of snow, a farmhouse nestled in tall trees, blue sky and mountains. The 100-year-old Goss Ranch is home to 250 head of cattle, 100 ewes and eight gorgeous draft horses that are often enlisted to pull a sleigh through the deep snow or haul hay to the cattle. During the summer months, the farm hosts dinners and hayrides, but as the weather turns cold and the farm is blanketed with snow, it welcomes family and friends for wonderful holiday celebrations.

Third Prize

Thomas Hagopian - Fresno County

Tom Hagopian is an avid photographer with a sense of humor and an eye for beauty. He enters unique photos in the contest every year and often writes clever and humorous comments on the back of his pictures. This year, the color, symmetry and perspective he found in this view of spring peach blossoms and drip lines caught his attention.