Mel Torrie Photography: August 2010

Happy day for dad. Shad won grand Champion for the wildlife category of the valley's photo contest. Here is the article and picture:

The finalists for the wildlife category this year all involved more than one animal. To be precise, they all involved one animal eating another animal, or eating more than one animal.

“We must be morbid,” said one of the judges.

Maybe so, but just as the canoes complemented the sunset in our scenic champion photo, the element of a hunting moment adds to a wildlife photo. Bear snagging fish usually trumps bear walking through trees. So our wildlife winner, naturally, is a picture of a fox that managed to grab not one but two ground squirrels.

Thirteen-year-old Shad Torrie of Petersboro captured the moment with his Canon XT Rebel. He and his father, Mel, were in Yellowstone National Park in July when they noticed the fox not far from the road. During the trip they saw eight bears and hundreds of buffalo, but it was the fox that provided the most interesting moment.

After Shad took his winning picture, he said, the fox “sat down and played around with them (the ground squirrels) for a little bit.”

Eventually the fox wandered off with its meal, leaving Shad with an image that HJ photo editor Alan Murray called “one of the most unusual moments captured of all our contest entries.”

“I especially liked how the photographer used a bit of blur motion to create some movement in the photo while keeping the fox’s face in focus,” Murray said of “Mouthful.” “And it’s pretty cool that he got that close to it.”

Although he was surprised to win the contest, Shad said, “I did think it was a good picture.”

Shad, who enjoys snowboarding, basketball and playing the cello and bass guitar, said he goes out “about once a week to take pictures,” often with his dad. Mel, a photographer himself, often gives Shad tips on the trade.

“He tells me about the rule of thirds and reminds me to get things in focus,” Shad said.

Shad, who said he also likes shooting landscapes, entered this year’s Summerfest photo contest, and also entered a scenic photo in the HJ contest.

In the future, he plans to enter more contests. At this rate, that could well mean more prizes.