Congratulations May 2023 50/50 Winner - Nickly Lynn Richards

Congratulations to Nicky Lynn Richards for submitting the winning image for the May 2023 50/50 Challenge with Guest Judge Dave Brosha. You may recognize TSR veteran Nicky Lynn as the Runner Up from Season Two of The Shooting Range: A Photography Challenge, and we are thrilled that she's still proving her chops as a force to be reckoned with, even when she's making beautiful mistakes!

Here's the story behind Nicky Lynn's winning image:

About 80 miles deep into a 222 mile helicopter excursion through the steep rugged peaks of a mountain range, thick fog sank heavily down on us, kissing the ground and giving us no visibility to move forward. The pilot had no choice but to land - we'd have to wait it out. 

As soon as my feet hit the ground, the loud sound of crashing water was calling to me. "Damn! I should have brought my tripod!" was my thought as I eagerly walked toward the rushing water to get some cool slow shutter speed images of the creek. I didn't think I would need my tripod, as I was there to take aerial shots from a copter. But here I was, in this mystic, eery, beautiful untouched landscape. A photographer's dream; a misadventure! In a pinch I can use anything to keep the camera steady and what else is there around a rushing creek besides rocks? After taking many images, I'll admit I got a little too comfortable putting my camera very low and very close to the water. I mean, what could happen, right? In an attempt at a self portrait, pressing the timer button and running to get into place, I looked back and in the slowest of motions seen my Canon R6 roll into the deep, cold rushing water. The camera and lens was toast, but the SD card still worked! This was the last photo as the camera just started to roll. The Circle of Fate.

Here's what Dave had to say about Circle of Fate:

Hit Factor: 9 

Power Factor: 8

It's a remarkable feat, in photography, to not only create - whether accidentally or intentionally - an image that "feels" different from the hordes....but to do so accidentally? This image has mood, an eeriness to it, and a special form of uniqueness. Even without knowing the story behind the image, it strikes me as soulful and emotional. Which is at times hard to achieve in a landscape image.

Thank you to everyone who entered this month, thank you to Dave for squeezing us into his crazy schedule, and, of course, a huge congratulations to Nicky Lynn!

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