Lens flair: Check out the results of Winning Images 2014 

Winning Images began at New Times in 1994, and the contest has been inviting local photographers to participate for 19 years now. It eventually expanded to include our sister paper, the Sun—and this batch of images should remind everyone involved of why this annual competition has been such an enduring and growing presence in the community.

This year brought in 385 photos, which our judges had to whittle down to three winners each in eight categories. Each of those entries also came in with a $5 fee, and all of the money collected is rolled back into prize money for the winners, who also receive awards from the contest’s sponsors.

While the winning images for 2014 are revealed here, you can also see them hanging at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art during Art After Dark and through normal visiting hours until the end of the day on Nov. 9.

Mimi Ditchie, Murals in the Amargosa Opera House, Judge's Pick, Adult, Travel

Nate Markham, My Sister in the Backseat, Third Place, Youth, Open
Nate Markham, Love NYC, Second Place, Youth, Open
Kimberly Hall, Technicolor, First Place, Youth, Animals


Dorothy Cutter, Inuit Girl, Third Place, Adult, Travel
Lynda Snodgrass, Red Barn at Sunset, Second Place, Adult, Travel
Debbie Markham, Colorado River Reflection, First Place, Adult, Travel

Christine Harrison, Mother and Child, Third Place, Adult, People
Rene Delk, Emily, Second Place, Adult, People
Kim Grossman, Midnight Train, First Place, Adult, People

Noelle Luchino, Siena Drive, Third Place, Adult, Open
Jim Russell, Czech it Out, Second Place, Adult, Open
Tom Lott, Harmony Creamory, First Place, Adult, Open

Aidan Briggs, The Shadow Line, Third Place, Adult, Land/Seascape
Doug Bush, Montana De Oro Sunset, Second Place, Adult, Land/Seascape
Doug Bush, Central Coast Waves, First Place, Best of Show, Adult, Land/Seascape

Jennifer Olson, Freshest, Third Place, Adult, Flora
Bob Canepa, Amarylltis Composite, Third Place, Adult, Flora
Jennifer Olson, Out of Reach, Second Place, Adult, Flora
Catherine (Cat) Evans, Got My Hat, First Place, Adult, Flora

Bob Canepa, Mixed Textures, Third Place, Adult, Architecture
Joni Ray, Tower at Santa Margarita Ranch, Second Place, Adult, Architecture
Jonathan Shapiro, Under the Pismo Pier, First Place, Adult, Architecture

Trina Galvan, Eyes Wide Open, Third Place, Adult, Animals
Doug Bush, Pismo Monarchs, Second Place, Adult, Animals
Mimi Ditchie, Salamander Smile, First Place, Adult, Animals

The 2014 judges

Ken Kienow has been a full-time wedding photographer for the past six years and lives in San Luis Obispo with his wife and two young children. His company does between 65 and 80 weddings per year on the Central Coast and throughout California. See his work at kenkienow.com.

San Luis Obispo native and perennial Winning Images judge Peggy Mesler is a photographer and owner of The PhotoShop in SLO, where she shares her appreciation and knowledge of photography with customers, clients, and friends. Peggy graduated with a journalism degree from Cal Poly, and opened The PhotoShop in 1995. Her interests include gardening, hiking, and birding, and her favorite photographic subject is people.

Kara Suzuki has more than 15 years of experience as a graphic designer, and she currently works as a designer at Cal Poly in the Marketing and Communications Department. She previously owned and operated her own design firm on the Central Coast, WE3 Graphic Design Studio, with clients throughout San Luis Obispo County and California. She is a graduate and former instructor at San Diego State University and is part-time faculty in the Graphic Design Department at Cal Poly.