Amy McPartlin never saw the need to own a high-quality camera until she took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa in January 2015.
“I used my iPhone camera the whole trip,” says McPartlin. “The photos were so awful that I got home and bought a real camera.”
For the past year, McPartlin has been using her Sony Cyber-shot camera to take photos of the wildlife around Saint Paul.
“I go for walks with my dog, Bacon, and bring the camera,” she says. “We are super-lucky to be so close to the Mississippi River, with all the birds that fly through here.”
During an afternoon spent shooting at one of her favorite spots, Sucker Lake Park in Vadnais Heights, McPartlin came upon the subject of “Bass Fishing in the City,” her photo that won third place in the Activities & Events division of our Picture Saint Paul photo contest.
“I saw this guy just catching bass after bass,” she recalls. “It was the perfect moment for a photo.”
McPartlin says the image is one of her favorites because it is both peaceful and dynamic, much like the Twin Cities area she loves.
“Part of why I love living here is because we have these little oases in the metropolitan area,” she says. “This guy was all decked out, it was a beautiful day, the bass were jumping and it was just perfect timing.”
When she is not out taking pictures, McPartlin has a knack for painting pet portraits that capture the subjects’ personalities.
View additional photos from our 2015 photo contest winners here.
