Meet the Judges
Product of the 90's, this Georgia born and raised, father of four has a keen eye for capturing his time in the woods. You can find this Nashvillian spending his free time with friends and family in the outdoors.
I'm a duck hunter who plays football. Born and raised in Kimberly, Alabama, now living in De Valls, Arkansas. My favorite things include finishing mallard ducks in the woods, throwing touchdowns, and watching my new lab willow having a blast. I love country music and shooting pool-- and those two go best at Red Oak Duck Camp.
A freelance photographer, born and raised in East Tennessee, now living in Charleston,SC. A few of my favorite things include, a good sunrise, a good sunset, my hound Tuco with a mallard in his mouth, a tarpon jumping, the first sunburn of the year, good buddies gathered around a campfire, good buddies gathered around a bar, big old 8 points, when the mountains are blue, and early spring mornings sitting amongst the oak trees.
Katie serves as the Managing Editor for Modern Huntsman Magazine and Contributing Editor for Working Ranch Magazine. You’ll likely find her, pen in hand, documenting the history and tradition, beauty and adventure to be found hunting, fishing, and ranching the American West.
A freelance photographer specializing in the outdoor industry, he loves a fine whiskey, a good retriever, and time in the outdoors with his two sons. He grew up on a tract of land in the mountains of East Tennessee where he found his greatest passion of chasing turkeys from an early age. He was later introduced to public land waterfowl in Arkansas soon after, and chasing mallards in the woods became just as strong of a passion as chasing turkeys through the mountains of Tennessee.
The Prizes
This year, our judges selected winners for five total categories, each taking home a prize package of their own.
The Grand Prize
The grand prize winner will earn a 2-night hunt package and gets to join our crew at Fowl Plains next season to chase a variety of Waterfowl and Upland species in the plains of Central Kansas.
Each category winner will receive an $800 gift card to Gunner.com for any gear of their choice.
Grand Prize Ribbon Winner
Chris Ingram takes home this year's Gunner Effect Grand Prize Ribbon with a stellar capture of a hunter and his Gundog sharing a moment together in the grouse woods.
The setting and seasonality of the hunt is perfect. The framing and composition provides negative space but leads your eye to the main characters of the image. The use of light and vibrancy of color are all there for us.
Ultimately, though, what stood out to our panel of judges and led us to select this image was the timing of the moment, and raw emotion conveyed through the screen of a Gundog and his companion sharing a moment in the woods together.
You can step into the moment, feel the sunlight on your face and the joy of walking through the woods with your best friend. We don’t know if this is a moment of celebration, or a consolation lick after a swing and a miss, but what we do know is the bond reflected by this hunter and Gundog is what brings us back to the field time and again with our four-legged friends.
Thanks to you, Chris, and the thousands of others who gave us a peek into your lives through the bond you share with your dogs. We're already looking forward to next year.
Grand Prize Ribbon Winning Photo: Chris Ingram
Upland
These are the dogs that run all day just to get warmed up. They put in the steps — miles and miles of them. More than a companion, a gundog is an instrumental player in the pursuit of upland game. We tasked our entrants to show us dogs’ skill and drive for the sport.
Upland Category Ribbon Winning Photo by:
Jordan H.
Best Mug
These photos highlight your dog’s good side — the focus is all on them. This portrait has soul. We wanted to see the stories untold in the eyes of dogs.
Waterfowl
Late nights, early mornings, long commutes, harsh conditions, inclement weather, hard work — this pursuit isn’t for the faint of heart, and you know you can count on your four-legged hunting partner to bring the stoke day-in and day-out. That’s what we asked entrants to showcase here.
Waterfowl Ribbon Winning Photo:
Randi H.
Man's Best Friend
Dogs make our lives better — this is what we were looking to see highlighted in this year’s Man’s Best Friend category. We wanted to step back from the moments in the field, and focus on the subtle joy that comes from the bond between a dog and their family.
Man's Best Friend Ribbon Winning Photo by:
Brandon P.
Interested in reading more great dog photos? Check out the winners and finalists from #GunnerEffect21
