Have we reached the new normal yet? Or is this just the newest new normal, with others to follow? Or, what if — oh, never mind. As Las Vegans, we know change is constant and unpredictable. So, instead, let’s dwell on these images, winners of our 2020 Focus on Nevada photo contest, and what they remind us of, which is that “normal” fluctuates, but many things endure. Beauty. The power of nature. The energy of cities. The mysteries of human nature. The magical interplay of light, subject, and a photographer’s inspired eye. Congratulations to these winners for providing bright visions in an uncertain time.
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
1st Place
Timothy Salaz
Professional
“Dancer Amanda Powell at the dry lake beds in Boulder City. I wanted to capture dance, but tell a story in the process.”
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
2nd Place
Bryne Hobbs
Professional
“In this composite photo, the view of the Strip is actually from the 65th floor of the Cosmopolitan. My wife got us a room with a balcony for our anniversary staycation specifically so I could take some photos.”
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
Honorable Mention
Douglas Hughes
Amateur/student
“Lights and action from the Pinball Hall of Fame.”
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
Honorable Mention
Jonathan Hamlet
Professional
“This is the ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign shot in macro with extension tubes and water droplets on a plate of glass.”
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
Honorable Mention
Norm Craft
Amateur/student
“This is all that’s left of the back stairs at the old school in Rhyolite.”
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
Honorable Mention
Conrad Basilio
Semiprofessional
“Taken from the ongoing construction of the Las Vegas Convention Center addition. The scaffoldings were truly everywhere. It’s like a maze.”
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
Honorable Mentions
Courtney Knaup
Amateur/student
“After a winter rain at Red Rock, water pooled around these rocks. Overnight, the surface froze and the pool drained, leaving these rocks entombed in a hanging sheet of ice.”
ARTISTIC & ABSTRACT
Honorable Mention
Tayler Altman
Semiprofessional
“A drape and LED screen in the Sahara Las Vegas hotel-
casino. Very much
different than you would think.”
CITY SCENES
1st Place
Antonio Lopez
Amateur/student
“The bright lights of Fremont. Bright even through dark times.”
CITY SCENES
2nd Place
Marci Christie
Semiprofessional
“The Las Vegas Strip taken from an airplane window flying back to my new home of South Lake Tahoe. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, so I visit my family often since moving away.”
CITY SCENES
Honorable Mention
Natalie Burt
Amateur/student
“Suite views from Vdara looking down at CityCenter on a Sunday morning.”
CITY SCENES
Honorable Mention
Derrick Adabashi
Professional
“A buddy and I just decided on a whim to go shoot Downtown a few years back. I feel you get some of your best shots when you don’t plan them.”
CITY SCENES
Honorable Mention
Samuel Marshall
Amateur/student
“Saw this opportunity to head down to the Strip when it officially closed it doors due to coronavirus. Had to capture this lonely guy outside on the sidewalk, just a perfect moment that captures how empty the
sidewalks are now.”
CITY SCENES
Honorable Mentions
Paul Reynolds
Amateur/student
A man walks by a colorful mural Downtown.
CITY SCENES
Honorable Mention
Mike Cowan
Semiprofessional
“The supermoon photo-bombs the Stratosphere as it prepares to set over Las Vegas.”
STORYTELLER
1st Place
Homer Liwag
Semiprofessional
“My parents antique shopping while attending the annual Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City.”
STORYTELLER
2nd Place
Rocky Montez-Carr
Professional
“We were out in the Eldorado Dry Lake Beds shooting Gladius the Show and its horses. I had my drone up in the air when the sun was low in the sky and I saw this shot. I loved how long the shadow was.”
STORYTELLER
Honorable Mentions
Timothy Salaz
Professional
Native American dancers Jocy and Trae Little Sky.
STORYTELLER
Honorable Mentions
Justine Burton
Amateur/student
“Is it ice? Is it snow? Is it salt? A young boy jumps with joy in the otherworldly playground of Death Valley.”
STORYTELLER
Honorable Mentions
Juan Cardenas
Professional
“Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell watches Conor McGregor weigh in ahead of his fight at UFC 246.”
STORYTELLER
Honorable Mention
Carlos Manzo
Semiprofessional
Spider-Man looks on as another street entertainer performs a card trick at the Fremont Street Experience.
THE RURALS
1st Place
Cassia Lopez
Professional
A girl plays in a puddle after a desert rain in Logandale.
THE RURALS
2nd Place
Marci Christie
Semiprofessional
“This was taken in Tonopah after having no choice but to pull over from a very foggy night driving through Nevada. We stayed at the Mizpah Hotel, and this was our view from the window.”
THE RURALS
Honorable Mentions
Paul Reynolds
Amateur/student
“Seven-year-old Maylee competes in her first Mutton-Bustin’ event at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo in Logandale.”
THE RURALS
Honorable Mention
Norm Craft
Amateur/student
A ghost gas station in Rachel.
THE RURALS
Honorable Mention
Daria Osipova
Semiprofessional
An RV in rural Nevada as storm clouds gather on the horizon.
THE RURALS
Honorable Mention
Carlos Manzo
Semiprofessional
“Driving through Beatty after camping in Death Valley on Thanksgiving
weekend, we came across this group of burros stopping for a bite at the local diner.”
WILD NEVADA
1st Place
Warren Lee
Semiprofessional
“Costas and Annas hummingbirds are year-round residents of the valley. This female is enjoying a solar fountain in our backyard. Our bright desert light enables a fast shutter, which suspended droplets in mid-air and ‘caught’ the wide open beak of this female.”
WILD NEVADA
2nd Place
Helen Montez-Carr
Amateur/student
“We found this tiny fence lizard inside our window. Before we moved him to safety, he was kind enough to let me take a few photos. He was perfectly calm and only cared that he was able to bask in the sun.”
WILD NEVADA
Honorable Mentions
Warren Lee
Semiprofessional
“Take a gander at that handsome dude. The old Henderson quarry, now Cornerstone Park, is a rich area for sunlight, wildlife, and exercise with social distancing. Early morning provides interesting opportunities.”
WILD NEVADA
Honorable Mention
Alex Isom
Semiprofessional
“Taken during the Blood Moon of early 2018 at Red Rock. I scouted out the location the day prior and prayed for good visibility. As the moon lowered behind Mount Wilson, I thought it was over. I walked north about 50 yards and saw that the moon was sliding down the side of Mount Wilson. The clouds were thin and low. I shot as best as I could and got the tree as a bonus. It was an incredible experience."
WILD NEVADA
Honorable Mention
Jarrod Ames
Professional
“This is the Big Dune at Amargosa, two hours north of Las Vegas. Through the freezing temperature and the windchill, I was able to line up this photograph of the Big Dune with the moon behind it.”
WILD NEVADA
Honorable Mention
Homer Liwag
Semiprofessional
“The layers of Red Rock Canyon revealed by storm clouds on an unpredictable but beautiful sunset.”
WILD NEVADA
Honorable Mention
Therese Doney
Amateur/student
A bird relaxes at Sunset Park pond.
WILD NEVADA
Honorable Mention
Daniel Shumny
Semiprofessional
A vibrant Valley of Fire
LIGHT & SHADOW
1st Place
Jim Wiltse
Semiprofessional
“On my granddaughter’s birthday, she was a little sad when it was over, laying in the grass in my backyard with a balloon as I was trying to take her picture.”
LIGHT & SHADOW
2nd Place
Jonathan Boarini
Amateur/student
“The harsh light of the afternoon creates mysterious silhouettes among the figures in the Las Vegas Strip.”
LIGHT & SHADOW
Honorable Mentions
Brendan Stave
Semiprofessional
“This was taken in The Shops at Crystals. I was impressed by the geometric designs that encompassed the insides, as well as the dramatic light that was hitting this certain section of geometry."
LIGHT & SHADOW
Honorable Mention
Herb Holder
Semiprofessional
A hotel-casino interior photographed in high contrast.
LIGHT & SHADOW
Honorable Mention
Anthony Donofrio
Amateur/student
The Big Dipper hangs over a dark desert highway near Valley of Fire.
LIGHT & SHADOW
Honorable Mention
Bryne Hobbs
Professional
Reflections of a staircase in Downtown Las Vegas.
LIGHT & SHADOW
Honorable Mention
Connie Ann Santos
Professional
“This is a portrait of my friend Ami Divine I took in my home studio.”
Judges
Scott Dickensheets, Desert Companion
Joe Dumic, B&C Camera
Dwayne Eshenbaugh, Novus Architecture
Brent Holmes, Desert Companion
Alisha Kerlin, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
Andrew Kiraly, Desert Companion
Heidi Kyser, Desert Companion
Scott Lien, Desert Companion
Vogue Robinson, Former Clark County Poet Laureate
Christopher Smith, Desert Companion