Horstman wins Best of Show in fair photo contest

Descanso photographer Leah Horstman received the Best of Show recognition at the San Diego County Fair’s Exhibition of Photography.
“Best of Show is quite an honor,” Horstman said.
Horstman’s photo “Climbing Ice” received the Best of Show award as well as first place in the Winter category, and “Climbing Ice” also received a Donated Award from Nelson Photo Supplies.
“It’s a huge honor,” Horstman said. “I was very excited.”
“Climbing Ice” was taken on December 24 at the upper falls of Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, which is in Alberta, Canada. An ice climber is present.
“It’s a very interesting picture,” said Exhibition of Photography coordinator Gene Wild.
The falls were frozen at the time of Horstman’s photograph the day before Christmas. “It was really icy that day,” Horstman said.
Horstman hiked up three kilometers to take the shot. “It’s three kilometers in the ice and snow,” she said.
Horstman used clampons for the hike and was also carrying a large backpack. “It took a couple of hours to get up there in those conditions,” she said.
Daylight is also limited in Alberta so close to the winter solstice. “It doesn’t get light until eightish and by three the sun’s going down,” Horstman said. “The days are very short that time of year.”
The darkness allowed Horstman to shoot a full moon, and that photograph was also accepted for the Exhibition of Photography. She left at approximately 4:00 a.m. that day but did not begin her Johnston Canyon hike until daylight.
When Horstman saw the hiker climbing the falls she initially worried that he would detract from the natural emphasis. She quickly reversed that thinking and saw the hiker as a positive.
“She recognized that hiker made the shot,” Wild said.
“He’s so small in that. It really puts how vast those falls are into perspective,” Horstman said.
“It shows the scale. It adds interest,” Wild said.
“It was a very special shot, and he was gracious enough to be wearing a red jacket so the shot just worked,” Horstman said.
“There’s a difference between an image and a snapshot,” Horstman said. “With him in it, it becomes an image and the whole story comes to life.”
In 2017 and 2018 the Best of Show photos were of birds. Horstman noted that the subject itself doesn’t necessarily create a premier photograph. “It’s the emotion and the story behind the image,” she said. “An image that shows emotion and tells a story is always going to do well at a competition like this.”
Approximately 4,400 photos were submitted for this year’s Exhibition of Photography and 1,426 of those were selected to hang. Horstman entered 16 photos, 12 were accepted for the exhibition, and six of those won awards.