First Place : ”Yellow hills” BY HAIOU YANG
The wild yellow mustard blossom finally came in early April. An inner voice was calling me: go there! I went up to the Ecological reserve early in the morning. I was there by myself overjoyed with the hills painted yellow by the wild flowers, while it was drizzling. I played with my camera and tried to take different shots. Here are two of my photos.
Second Place : ”Love where you live” BY CAMI SIMMONS
Sunset exploration right from your own home
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UNDER 18 / YELLOW
1st place : ”Local Yellow” BY HAZEL WHITESON, age 10/11
(10 when I took the picture, but 11 while writing), yellow picture scavenger hunt
Just around the corner, yellow flowers grow. I found them on a bike ride searching for yellow. I tried getting some pictures using my family’s new lenses. Usually they’re big and round, but not mine. The lense I used attaches to my iPhone 6 and allows me to zoom closer in for more detailed pictures.
2nd place: Untitled BY SASHA CAHILL (15 yo).
I have enjoyed birding and photography since 2013, when I happened to see the same bird depicted in my submission.
My entry for the 2020 University Hills Photo Contest is a picture of a male Western Tanager, a bird I photographed at Irvine Regional Park on May 2, 2020. It is a striking bird, considered to be one of the most beautiful birds in North America, and found here during the breeding season. This male was one of nine I saw on the day, and he perched for one of the best photos I have taken this year. I hope you also enjoy it! Thanks for considering my picture.
ADULTS / QUARANTINE
1st place: Untitled BY LUIS AVILES
The two sons of our good friends Claudia and Santiago looking through the blinds, maintaining the necessary distance.
2nd place : Untitled BY NATALIE HOFFMAN
My inspiration for my picture was a mandala as they are used to enlighten people after they view them. In my mandala, you learn about COVID. Looking at the two people, sitting 6 feet apart (as the tape measure shows) you see that they are wearing masks which represents the severity of the situation we are in. Looking at the mandala itself, you learn that COVID-19 is a virus and it spreads from person to person (you can tell this by seeing that one giant virus divides into 8 different smaller ones, infecting 8 different people). My picture is meant to explain that COVID is serious, and we must all follow the necessary precautions. (My dog is sad that no one outside of our family is allowed to per her. ☹️)
UNDER 18 / QUARANTINE
1st place: ”Shut out” BY MILLIE BATRA (16yo)
Quarantine has been an extremely unique and impactful experience for many of us. To me, this period has been defined as a time of endless waiting and evaluating of the current state of our world and what everything has come to. I captured this shot of one of my best friends the other day to depict my distinct interpretation of what quarantine means to me and how it has changed my outlook on life. I specifically chose to portray this image in a dull and serious context to convey the extremity of this situation and the impact it has had. The small details including the smudged mascara and pre-quarantine magazines bring this image together to capture the significance of our situation. Finally, I chose to shoot this image through the window of my house in order to depict my perspective of quarantine and the feeling of entrapment that comes with it.
2nd place: ”Our home again” BY MARTA MEINARDI (16yo)
As both foot and car traffic diminished in our communities due to COVID-19, many urban and suburban areas became accessible to local wildlife again. UniHills has always had coyotes but I have never personally been able to get so close to one this big in such a busy area. I followed him around for about an hour on foot throughout the community and parts of UCI, and watched as he grabbed roadkill off the road. With less traffic in the area he seemed more at ease loping through the streets and was comfortable enough to stop for several minutes just meters away from a busy road.