If you need any inspiration to visit national parks this summer, take a look at these winning photographs in the 2015 Share the Experience contest sponsored in part by the National Park Foundation. Many feature public lands in the West, making them a close-to-home destination.
First prize and $10,000 went to Yang Lu of El Segundo who captured a light-filled moment at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on the Arizona-Utah border. He and his wife went on a two-day backpack when he snapped this, according to the National Park Foundation’s website.
“My photography is not just for recreation, it is to inspire people to explore these areas,” he wrote in explaining the photo.
The image also will be featured on the annual Federal Recreational Lands Pass too.
The 2016 photography contest is under way now. The rules are simple: Snap your best shot of any national park or federal recreational land and enter by Dec. 31. Go to www.sharetheexperience.org to see rules, past winners, submission categories and learn how to upload an entry.
Ten others submitted winning photographs in the contest also sponsored by Active Network and Celestron telescope maker. Here’s a sampling of some; go to the Share the Experience blog to see the rest.