Two Utah photographers won awards in this year’s Ski Salt Lake Shootout. Both Lee Cohen and Steve Lloyd snagged some recognition for their photos of skiers in their element among Salt Lake’s ski resorts.
According to the folks at Visit Salt Lake, local uber-photographer Lee Cohen won first place in the “Urban Meets Mountain” category with his photo of a skier rapelling off a cliff with the Salt Lake skyline as the backdrop.
“The category was created to showcase the urban setting of Salt Lake and its proximity to four world-class resorts and outdoor recreation,” said Laura Barnes, Tourism Communications Manager for Visit Salt Lake. “Lee’s image not only did that, but surpassed all of the judge’s expectations.”
Another Utah photographer, Steve Lloyd, won third place for his overall portfolio entry. “I feel so lucky to spend time with gifted athletes in the mountains and create images that represent the way I feel about being in the outdoors,” said Lloyd. “I hope that my work inspires people to do great things and to get out there.”
An out-of-state photographer received the top prize for his eight-image portfolio that won first place in the competition. Garrett Grove of Bellingham, Washington is the top dog at this year’s Ski Salt Lake Shootout and got $3,000 for the effort.
“Between the amount of snow that fell, the level of talent my skiers and snowboarder had, and how well they knew Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude, it was hard to go wrong,” Grove said after receiving the first-place award. “It was all there, all week. I just had to hold up my end of the deal.”
But there’s one more award left to give out, and that’s the one that you get to pick. Starting now, the public can check out each competing photographer’s best shot on Visit Salt Lake’s Facebook contest page and vote for their favorite image. The image that receives the most “likes” during the next week wins, with the photographer and athlete taking home an additional cash prize.
In addition, fans who participate in the contest by “liking” images will be automatically entered to win a 3-day, 3-night Ski Salt lake trip for two, including lodging and lift tickets. The Facebook contest website is http://www.facebook.com/VisitSaltLake?sk=app_7146470109.
Go to www.visitsaltlake.com/shootout/details/ for contest details, entry guidelines, past Shootout winners, testimonials from past participants and video footage of the event.
Congrats to Lee Cohen and Steve Lloyd for representing Utah with their award winning photos!