When It Comes to winning awards in photography, this isn’t Bob Israel’s first rodeo. After being featured in our February issue for his photo Winter’s Waning, Israel’s work is featured on this page again—this time for something a little more springy.
Israel’s photo Stretching Out won third place in the Wildlife & Nature category of our 2016 Lens on Lake Minnetonka photo contest. Stretching Out features a loon gliding over Black Lake last August.
“The loon was basically hanging out on the lake. I decided to wait with it in the hope that it would stretch its wings, and the loon did not disappoint. I was glad that I was patient enough to wait, and I was lucky the loon obliged,” says Israel, who lives in Mound.
Israel initially captured the photo for a team photography event called 48 in 48, where participants had 48 hours to capture stills of 48 subjects. Not only did Stretching Out earn him a spot in the contest, but it also won in the 48 in 48 bird category. The photo was captured on a Sony A7r2 camera with an adapted Sony A-Mount 70-400/4-5.6 lens.
Israel hopes that his images of the diverse wildlife around the lake inspire viewers to have a greater appreciation for nature. “There’s such an abundance of wildlife on Lake Minnetonka. It only takes a few moments to slow down, look around and appreciate what this lake has to offer.”
