The Clermont County Engineer's Office has announced that bridge construction on Round Bottom Road will continue until Friday, May 2. The closure will be located between address 925 and 931 Round Bottom Road—approximately 6.65 miles. Tealtown Road will still be accessible from Round Bottom Road via Hwy 50.
Congratulations to our 2024 Photography Contest winners!
Precious moments, dewy mornings, and small worlds from new perspectives: This year's prize-winning images are sure to intrigue and delight any lover of the natural world—now, in two NEW categories.
Each year, we are blown away by the range of beautiful landscapes, memorable discoveries, and diverse ecosystems photographed right here at the Nature Center. This year, our judges reviewed over 500 entries from 66 anonymous photographers. We continue to look forward to each year's submissions from our passionate and talented nature community—thank you to all who entered our 2024 Photography Contest.
This year's Best in Show winner showcases life from unexplored perspectives. This winning photograph, submitted to the Reptiles & Amphibians category, features similar qualities to our new Small Worlds category in its view of a lush, green habitat from "frog eye-level", just atop the surface of the still water.
Our Staff Pick winner, featuring an Eastern bumblebee and goldenrod speckled with droplets of water, evokes a sensory concert of textures, bouncing highlights, and the fresh scent of florals after a light rain. Similar to our Best in Show winner, our Staff Pick winner, submitted to the Invertebrates category, also shares aspects of our Small Worlds category in the fine details, rarely seen by the naked eye.
Scroll below to view this year's winners in each category.
Photo: Lewis Reynolds/2024 Mammals Category First Prize Winner
Best in Show: Tom Marks
Photo: Tom Marks/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: While visiting Cincinnati Nature Center with my nephews, we spotted several frogs and a few turtles in Lotus Pond. Intrigued by the small frog perched on a branch with a subtle reflection visible in the water, I captured the image with my Sony camera using a 70-200 mm lens. The longer focal length allowed me to capture the scene without frightening the creature. My family and I are thankful to have such a wonderful place to hike and enjoy scene like this so close to home!
Staff Pick: Gretchen Bodmer
Photo: Gretchen Bodmer/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: I spotted this bird at Long Branch Farm flitting among dense bushes near the parking area. My approach was to get close to make the bird the obvious subject, and also include an environmental factor. I noticed an abundance of thorny branches and surmised that this species may place thorny twigs around their nest to protect it from predators. I kept my camera aimed toward a singular errant branch without much behind it and waited for the bird to arrive. My patience paid off and I was able to quickly focus and click the shutter when the subject showed up. I used a Nikon Z8 camera with a fully extended Nikkor 180-600mm 5.6-6.3 lens.
Birds Second Place Winner: Lewis Reynolds
Photo: Lewis Reynolds/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: I used a Sony A-1 camera with a 600 mm prime lens and a 2x extender for 1200 mm total focal length. I watched the tree for about an hour prior to sunset last May, waiting for owls to appear. Two owls were present together in the hole for about 60 seconds.
Invertebrates First Place Winner: Andrew Fix
Photo: Andrew Fix/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: This photo of a dogbane beetle (Chrysochus auratus) was taken early in the morning at Long Branch Farm and Trails. These beautifully iridescent insects feed on the dogbane plant, which is in the milkweed family. They are relatively approachable if one moves deliberately. Equipment used in taking this photo included a Nikon Z 7ii mirrorless camera and a Nikkor 200mm f/4 Macro ED lens on a tripod (1/60 sec; f/8; ISO 200). The sharpness and detail seen is possible by using a technique called Focus Stacking. Here, a series of images (30 in this case) are taken while making very small adjustments in the focal plane. Individual photos are combined using special software (Helicon Focus) that extracts and merges only the “in focus” portion of each image. The results are usually worth the effort it takes to get the final image.
Invertebrates Second Place Winner: Lewis Reynolds
Photo: Lewis Reynold/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Invertebrates Species: Bold jumper (Phisippus audax) eats caterpillar on dwarf lake iris Location: Cincinnati Nature Center
Invertebrates Third Place Winner: Diane Bodenmiller
Photo: Diane Bodenmiller/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: Experiencing the beauty of God’s creation under the stewardship of Cincinnati Nature Center, my photography flows from a sense of awed wonder. It is a great joy to explore the trails quietly, gently, and prepared for surprises. Regular visits to the park teach me how different lighting conditions change the mood of the landscape, so an unusual foggy sunrise evokes an especially deep feeling of calm. Paying attention to habitats reveals where various creatures and plants can be found and how they interact, creating an unusual opportunity to witness a tender touch between a doe and her fawn. As the best camera is the one you have, the camera on my smartphone and an older, entry-level DSLR are my tools to save impressions of special observations or experiences to share with others.
Mammals Second Place Winner: Bob Marklein
Photo: Bob Marklein/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: I took this on a cold October morning from inside the bird blind at Long Branch Farm & Trails. While looking for birds, I noticed this chipmunk a few yards ahead of me. It was keeping still yet appeared ready to bolt at any moment. My approach to the image was to make the chipmunk stand out against an uncluttered background that doesn’t compete for your attention. I was able to slowly and quietly reposition myself to frame the chipmunk between branches with the greenish pond surface filling the rest of the space. I used a Nikon Z8 camera and a Nikkor 180-600mm 5.6-6.3 lens.
Mammals Third Place Winner: Diane Bodenmiller
Photo: Diane Bodenmiller/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: This image was captured at the intersection of Far Ridge Trail and Wildflower Trail at Rowe Woods. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Plants & Fungi First Place Winner: Kathleen Cahall
Photo: Kathleen Cahall/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: While hiking the Geology Trail in spring, a beautiful bloodroot caught my attention when the morning sunlight created a surrounding glow on both the leaves and bloom of the plant. The image of the bloodroot was taken with a Nikon D850 DSLR Camera using a Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. The camera settings were f5.6, 1/800 sec., ISO 160, with the lens zoomed to 300mm. It is an honor to receive First Place in the Plants & Fungi category!
Plants & Fungi Second Place Winner: Breanna Johnson
Photo: Breanna Johnson/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Plants & Fungi Species: Tropping Crumble Cap of Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus) Location: Rowe Woods
Behind the Shot: I captured this photo in November with my phone while exploring the woods and maintaining the trails as a volunteer. The delicate mushrooms emerging from the moss created a dreamlike scene, making me wonder what mythical creatures might be hiding within.
Plants & Fungi Third Place Winner: Kelly Brunarski
Photo: Kelly Brunarski/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: The flower image was taken at the herb wall, with a Sony A-1 camera, Profoto flash, and a Meyer Optik Gorlitz Trioplan 100mm lens. This is a German specialty lens that isolates the subject while providing interesting bokeh effects.
Reptiles & Amphibians First Place Winner: Andrew Fix
Photo: Andrew Fix/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: This young red-eared slider was seen balanced on cattail stalks at the edge of Matt’s Pond while photographing birds. It was amazingly cooperative and never moved despite thinking it would plop into the pond at any time. As with birds, it helps to take a few photos each time one moves a step closer to the subject. The photo was taken handheld with a Nikon D500 DSLR camera using a Nikkor 500mm PF f/5.6 prime lens (1/400 sec; f/5.6; ISO 400). This lens has a close focus distance of around 10 feet but only provides a magnification ration of 1:5 (only 20% of true macro or “life size”). As a result, the photo was cropped significantly to obtain the final image.
Reptiles & Amphibians Second Place Winner: Gretchen Bodmer
Photo: Gretchen Bodmer/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: I was at Lotus Pond last year in late February when hundreds of wood frogs started breeding. A neat reflection on the water where this particular wood frog was provided me with a nice picture.
Trails & Landscapes First Place Winner: Diane Bodenmiller
Photo: Diane Bodenmiller/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Trails & Landscapes Species: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Location: Beaver Trail at Long Branch Farm & Trails
Trails & Landscapes Second Place Winner: Elizabeth Meintel
Photo: Elizabeth Meintel/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Behind the Shot: This is a photo of two of our grandkids enjoying a warm summer day at the Nature Center! They have so much fun exploring the outdoors. This was taken where the Geology and Wildflower trails meet. Equipment used was a Canon R6, with a 24-105 zoom.
People Second Place Winner: Lewis Reynolds
Photo: Lewis Reynolds/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: People Location: Rowe Woods
People Third Place Winner: Jason Herman
Photo: Jason Herman/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: People Location: Powel Crosley Pond at Rowe Woods
Small Worlds
Photography in this category is open to the photographers interpretation. Subjects may include anything from close-up macrophotography to teeny-tiny landscapes.
Small Worlds First Place Winner: Gretchen Bodmer
Photo: Gretchen Bodmer/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Small Worlds Species: Orb weaver sp. Location: Cincinnati Nature Center
Small Worlds Second Place Winner: Kathleen Cahall
Photo: Kathleen Cahall/Cincinnti Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Small Worlds Species: Jelly babies (Leotia lubrica) Location: Cincinnati Nature Center
Small Worlds Third Place Winner: Lewis Reynolds
Photo: Lewis Reynolds/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Small Worlds Species: Eastern bumblebee (Bomus impatiens) on thistle Location: Cincinnati Nature Center
Mobile Photography
Although photographs captured on a mobile device may be submitted to any category, only photographs captured on a mobile device are eligible for this category.
Mobile Photography First Place Winner: Lewis Reynolds
Photo: Lewis Reynolds/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Mobile Photography Location: Rowe Woods
Mobile Photography Second Place Winner: Jason Herman
Photo: Jason Herman/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Mobile Photography Location: Long Branch Farm & Trails
Mobile Photography Third Place Winner: Sui Tsang
Photo: Sui Tsang/Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest
Category Submission: Mobile Photography Species: Stinking orange oyster (Phyllotopsis nidulans) Location: Fernwood Trail at Rowe Woods
Youth
Contestants ages 16 years and under eligible for this category.
Share your love of nature through YOUR lens! Click here to enter our Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contest. All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate! Photographers may win in more than one category. In the event a participant receives multiple awards, they will be given one award at the highest level received.
Deadline for all entries is December 31. Winners will be announced the following February.
