This Saturday is the launch date for the 2014 Friends of Roxborough State Park 2014 Interpretive Calendar. I entered the contest with a little prompting from my wife, and a ton of help from friends helping me select which photos to submit. I was blown away and beyond happy when I got the news that 5 of the 6 images I entered were selected, and that I had won Grand Prize, 1st place, 3rd place, and a cover. Wow.

Here are the winning shots:

Grand Prize: May – Lightning

First Place: March – Bluebird

Third Place: August – Sunflower

Back cover: Sunset

February: Doe Munching

I am so grateful for all of the positive words of encouragement I have received from family and friends. Sharing the photos I take has been an incredibly rewarding experience over the past year. I typically post them on Facebook several times a week and will get better about organizing and posting here from now on.

So if you’re in the area, swing by Roxborough State Park Saturday morning and get your 2014 calendar! They are only 10 bucks and the money benefits the park through the Friends of Roxborough State Park organization.

Here is the press release:

And the bio I wrote up for the award ceremony:

Chris Boyack
Married, 4 children (1 boy and 3 girls)
Age: 43
Hometown: Springville, Utah
Roxborough Village resident since 1998

Being outdoors is one of my favorite things in life. Photography gives me an excuse to get out and experience nature. Sharing what I see with others through a picture I take is an unexpectedly rewarding bonus.

Pursuing activities such as hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, skateboarding, skiing, fly fishing, bow hunting, mountain biking, and road cycling enabled me to reach the goal of being outside through different ways while mastering new skills and staying physically fit. My latest hobby involves running ultramarathon races through the mountains, which is yet another means to that end. I have completed eight 100 milers, and many more events in the 30-50 mile range.

Get outside, move, observe, breathe, sweat, feel. These are my most basic needs.

Through it all, I was a picture-taker. My dad was the greatest influence on me in that respect, as he documented our lives growing up with an ever present camera of one kind or another.

Recently I shifted my thinking; how could I make the leap from simply taking pictures, to being a photographer? Starting in the spring of 2012, I set out to answer that question by selling a bike I wasn’t riding anymore and buying my first DSLR camera. I concentrated on learning and practicing new skills, which requires spending a lot of time in the field. Do you see the pattern?

Practicing photography has been an immensely satisfying process and is a good fit for my personality. I am a technical person with a career in the computer industry, but I also posses a strong creative side that was dormant for far too long. To me, photography is the perfect blend of science and art. It feeds my soul and teaches me new things about our world.