Out of 2,702 entries received, National Geographic chose Redmond resident Damien Murphy’s stunning image of a pristine, snowy hill as one of 20 winners in its “Visions of Paradise” photography contest.
The visual portrayals of what the entrants regarded as “Heaven on Earth” are showcased in the “Visions of Paradise” book now in bookstores (National Geographic Books, $35).
“Paradise seems to be most likely in places that are remote, untouched, original, defined, organic and just plain simple. … But paradise can also be a moment in time that is lost forever,” editor Bronwen Latimer explained in the book introduction.
Murphy shot his winning photo on a hike near Gold Creek.
A native of Ireland, he moved to Washington in 1997 and works as a software engineer at Microsoft. Since settling here, he’s made nature exploration a regular pastime and always takes a camera or two along with him, not knowing what wonders he might behold along the way.
Murphy’s first two entries to photo contests from the Washington Trails Association won honorable mentions and his third entry nabbed the grand prize, appearing on the cover of the association’s magazine.
He heard of the National Geographic contest in November and entered at the last minute, with the snow scene that he already had in his portfolio.
“It just fit the theme, as my version of Paradise,” said Murphy. Early this month, he found out he was a winner. National Geographic will present him with a customized copy of the book, featuring his photo on the cover.
So he must feel a little like a rock star, right?
“My folks back in Ireland are underwhelmed,” he replied, smiling. “After the Washington Trails awards, this was just another. It’s probably just Irish understatement.”
Of course, he has taken some good-natured ribbing from his co-workers, about his celebrity status. But that’s not what it’s all about, he noted.
“I want to just keep doing more. I’ve been drooling over the new Nikons,” he added. “I also like mountain-biking and am trying to figure out how to carry a camera while doing that.”
You can view Murphy’s “Visions of Paradise” photo at www.nationalgeographic.com/myvision.
