PORT LUDLOW — Stephen Cunliffe had been an amateur photographer for years, and friends and family had always encouraged him to enter contests.

When the Port Ludlow resident finally did this fall, his picture, “Avocet Kiss,” of a bird gingerly dipping its beak into lake water won the grand prize.

“I had the encouragement to enter, and I had just taken this picture a couple months before,” Cunliffe, 63, said.

“It is probably the best image I have taken in nature photography.”

The photo was taken while on a trip to Eastern Washington in April, he said.

“They pass through that area in April during their migration,” he said.

“It is a great time to see them.”

10 finalists

The contestants in the annual Canon Photography in the Parks contest are first evaluated by judges who select 10 finalists. Then Canon allows other photographers to vote, said Cunliffe.

“This year more than 20,000 people voted,” he quoted the organizers as saying.

He found out about his prize just before Christmas.

“It was really cool because the prize, this camera, is the exact one that I was planning on buying for myself,” he said.

$3,000 camera

The digital camera retails for about $3,000.

“At my age, I am not meant to believe in Santa anymore, but I am sure he put in an appearance this year,” he said.

Cunliffe, who is traveling to Southern California for several months, said he will receive the camera while on vacation.

“I’ll get to play with it down there,” he said.

“This is just such a remarkable stroke of luck.

“I think the thing that really makes the picture is that the bird’s bill is touching the water but not breaking it.

“That really adds to the image.”

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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.