READERS’ CHOICE WINNER: “Atrapada,” by Maida Millan. The title of this photo, a toned gelatin silver print taken in St. Augustine, is a Spanish word meaning “to be enmeshed in the movement of the moment,” says Millan. The photo “reflects the infinite wonder of the earth we walk on,” she says, “the endless fascination, breathless mystery and power of nature; how it was here long before me and will be long after.” Credit: Maida Millan
“Don’t count the years… make the years count,” by Jonathan P. Drago. “I took this photograph of my grandfather on his 80th birthday,” says Drago. “On each of my 28 birthdays thus far, I received a card from him saying, ‘Don’t count the years… make the years count.’ I feel this photograph captures the fact that he still follows his own great advice, even after 80 years.” Credit: Jonathan P. Drago
“Ephemerality,” by Patrick Smith. Using a neutral density filter and a wireless remote, Smith shot multiple blurred self-portraits. “I don’t know what it was that day that made me want to get naked in the woods,” says Smith. Credit: Patrick Smiith
“Flamingo,” by John Mazzello: Using “a special thing that they used to call film,” Mazzello found his timeless shot at a car show. “When i first walked up and squatted down, the girl wasn’t there — then she walked in and looked in the window. It just sorta happened.” Credit: John Mazzello
“Twilight Through a Window,” by Nina Thrasher. The photo was taken at a 40th birthday party for the artist Edgar Sanchez Cumbas at an old cigar factory. “I really liked the way the light looked through this window,” says Thrasher. Credit: Nina Thrasher
“Rite of Passage,” by Jamie McWade. Taken in the Dominican Republic when her boyfriend was in the Peace Corps there, McWade’s shot captures time passing in a worn pair of boots given to a teenager by his elders — a sign that he has made the transition from barefoot boy to working man. Credit: Jamie McWade
“Sam (forever Brothers),” by Tony A. Blue. “This is a very special piece to me,” says Blue. “My brother passed away in 2008 and this is my attempt to honor his time on earth. … He was like my hero as well as my brother, so it was important to me to have him out front and to have the whole world revolve around him.” Credit: Tony A. Blue
“Ashes to Ashes,” by Steven S. Gregory. The roofline of this house caught Gregory’s eyes from the interstate in Pennsylvania. He left the main road and tracked the house down, wading through a creek to get there. The “Christina’s World” aura of the place reminded him of the Chadds Ford area of Pennsylvania where he grew up. Credit: Steven S. Gregory
“Steady,” by Andrew Vernon. “One of the unique things about long exposure,” says Vernon, “is its ability to capture time within the confines of a single image. ‘Steady’ is a 25-second-long exposure photograph which was made near the Clearwater Causeway.” Credit: Andrew Vernon
“Time Passes,” by Julie Busch Branaman. Katie, the woman in the photo, was the subject of a story on elder care that photojournalist Branaman shot in Washington state. “Here was this 94-year-old woman painting her front porch with one hand on the walker and one hand on the paintbrush.” A few hours later Katie was folding laundry on her bed, and “for one split second she buried her face in her hands to take a little breather.” Credit: Julie Busch Branaman
“Time Traveler,” by Joseph Priser. “We all travel through time in one fashion or another,” says Priser. “I was lucky enough to capture this ‘Time Traveler’ as he was going into the light.” The picture captures a moment in time for the photographer, too; this was the first photo he took as an art student in Atlanta in 1972. Credit: Joseph Priser