Woodward, Okla. — Sarah Harless, of Sayre, was the big winner at this year’s Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum’s annual photography contest.

Not only did Harless receive the title and $500 for “Best of Show” for her scenic image titled “Wheels of Time,”  but she also received the $125 “Theme” award for her landscape image titled “Agave.”

Both photos also received awards in their respective categories.  “Wheels of Time” took 1st in the scenic category and “Agave” took 3rd in the landscape category.

Harless also won the 1st place prize in landscape for her image of the “Wichita Mountains,” bringing her total prize money up to $850.  In addition, she received another 4 honorable mentions.

But Harless wasn’t the only one to receive multiple awards.  Local photographers Vi Thomas and Sarah Castor also received multiple prizes.  See below for a full list of winners.

For guest judge Heath Shelton these multiple awards speak to the photographers’ talents as the contest was judged blindly, with no names revealed during the judging process.

Shelton, a Certified Professional Photographer who owns his own photography studio in Guthrie, said it was the technical excellence that set Harless’ images apart for him.

Of “Wheels of Time” and why he selected it for Best of Show, Shelton said, “it was technically well done; the creator controlled the depth of field quite well.”

In addition, he said he appreciated “the storytelling of the image,” which depicts a number of old wagon wheels leaning against a wall.

“When I look at an image, I always try to put myself in the story, and looking at this I can imagine that my wagon wheel broke,” he said, noting that he could imagine placing that broken wheel alongside the others in the photograph.

Shelton said the creativity and impact of an image are also important to him when discussing the quality of an image.  In fact, he said these are sometimes more important than technical excellence.

It was creativity, he said, that led him to select “Mixing Paint” by Chester Weems, of Yukon, as the 2nd place winner in the floral category even though the image doesn’t depict an actual flower.

For Shelton, the ability of a photographer to look at and capture something in a different way helps to make a better image.  He said that was the case with “Mixing Paint,” in which the photographer captured a flower-like pattern in swirls of blue and pink paint.

For your chance to see all the winners Shelton selected and to watch a DVD of him explaining each of his choices, visit the Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum beginning this Saturday.

Museum Director Robert Roberson said that out of 245 entries submitted for the contest, approximately 150 photographs will be displayed in a 2-month photography show in the museum’s art gallery.  The photographs will be on display through Oct. 30, at which time a reception will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. honoring the winners.

Shelton said he plans to attend the reception and will be available to speak to any photographers who have questions about why they were or were not selected to participate in the show.  He said he especially would like to speak with those whose images weren’t included in the show as he would like to offer advice on how to make their images better.

Roberson said, regardless of whether they won a prize or not, “those who make it into the show should consider themselves very honored.”

Although Roberson said total entries were down from last year, the museum was able to collect enough money from entry fees to give out prizes in 6 categories.  Originally photographs were submitted in 5 categories: 1) scenic/landscape, 2) portraits, 3) floral, 4) animal & insect, and 5) black & white images, which are judged together regardless of subject matter.

However, because of a large number of entries in the first category, Roberson said, “we’re splitting scenic and landscape so we can give out more prize money.”

The following is a list of winners by category, with the titles of the winning images listed in quotation marks:

Scenic:  1st place, Sarah Harless of Sayre, “Wheels of Time;” 2nd place, Rick Even of Norman, “Breakfast Quilt;” 3rd place, Mark Williams of Norman, “Fred Jones Museum After Storm”

Landscape:  1st place, Sarah Harless of Sayre, “Wichita Mountains;” 2nd place Teresa James, “Field of Gold;” 3rd place, Sarah Harless of Sayre, “Agave”

Portrait:  1st place, Vi Thomas of Woodward, “Indian Dancer;” 2nd place, Sarah Castor of Woodward, “She’s a Starr;” 3rd place, Sarah Castor of Woodward, “Wide Open Spaces”

Floral:  1st place, Vi Thomas of Woodward, “Sunflower;” 2nd place, Chester Weems of Yukon, “Mixing Paint;” 3rd place, Teresa James of Vici, “Garden of Eden”

Animal & Insect:  1st place, Rowynn Ricks of Woodward, “Untitled;” 2nd place, Sue Selman of Buffalo, “Peakboo;” 3rd place, Melissa Haas, “I’m Watching You”

Black & White:  1st place, Kathleen Covington of Woodward, “End Of The Line;” 2nd place, Donna Beatley of Mooreland, “Geometric Contrasts Of a Succulent Nature;” 3rd place, Vi Thomas of Woodward, “Come Ride With Me”

Honorable Mentions:  Sarah Harless of Sayre for “Morning Fog,” “Adobe,” “Sunset Rodeo,” and “Old Timer;” Sarah Castor of Woodward for “Bruster Baby;” Rick Even of Norman for “Waiting for Spring” and “H-mmmm;” and Rowynn Ricks for “Untitled.”