Winter Wonderland Photo Contest Winners

Thank you to all the photographers that shared their best winter landscapes in the Winter Wonderland Photo Contest with chances to win a Sigma Lens and more!

A special thanks to our friend and professional photographer Mike Hagen for his collaboration as a guest judge in this photo contest. Mike Hagen is an author, professional photographer and workshop leader. He's known for his engaging style, his humor and his ability to make complex topics easy to understand. Mike owns and operates Visual Adventures (VisAdventures.com), is a CreativeLive instructor and works closely with Nikonians.org. He has authored eight books on photography and regularly runs photo workshops/trips around the world to places like Tanzania, Iceland, Galapagos and Cuba.

Congratulations Grand Jury Winner "Kirkjufell Waterfall Northern Lights" by RGW-Photography

"This stunning image took quite a bit of planning and technique to accomplish. For example, the shutter speed was just right to allow enough light for the flowing waterfall and the northern lights, but not too long to cause the stars to blur in the sky. The image composition is excellent with the foreground snow perfectly framing the river. Finally, the colors are phenomenal, with the warm glow on the landscape contrasting nicely with the blues and greens in the sky. Nice work RGW-Photography." - Mike Hagen

Congratulations Runner Up "Cracks In The Ice" by carlfino

"Carlfino did a very nice job of incorporating many of the fundamentals of successful landscape photography technique in this image. The interesting foreground elements of the cracks, the leading lines of the snow patterns, and the rugged mountains in the distance all combine to create a beautiful winter landscape image." - Mike Hagen

Congratulations Runner Up "A young polar bear cub resting with it's mother. " by frankiej7

"Frankiej7 perfectly captured this endearing scene between a juvenile polar bear and its mother. The warm color on the fur serves as a perfect contrast to the cool snow in the background. The overall composition is very good, with the young bear’s head resting on the mother’s rear leg. Beautiful!" - Mike Hagen

Congratulations Runner Up "Winter's Breath " by TUG-Photography

"This beautiful portrait showcases the contemplative look in this beautiful young lady. I love how you matched the color of her hair with the warm colors of the background lights. The snowflakes falling around her add drama to this quiet scene." - Mike Hagen

Congratulations Runner Up "Ice Cool" by PaulWatsonPhotography

"This is a beautiful image and is well-executed. I really like the vertical composition along with the subtle color combinations. The blue in the ice and the twilight sky along with the very subtle warm glow on the horizon make for a wonderful image. Also, nice job on keeping the solid blacks in the sand; that contrast makes the image pop off the screen." - Mike Hagen

Congratulations Runner Up "Black Power in the snow " by CreativeArtView

"This stunning image of a black horse running through the snow exudes power and beauty. I love the context of the image with the background trees showing just enough information to showcase the horse in the environment. Everything on the horse is in sharp focus, which further accentuates the strength of this beautiful creature." - Mike Hagen

Congratulations Amateur Winner "Winter Play Ground" by droptinecollections