Alan Hendrickson of North Bend won first place in the animal category for his shot, above, of a snowshoe rabbit on Stevens Pass.

“We are beginner snowshoe enthusiasts, and normally go to Snoqualmie Pass,” Hendrickson told the Record in an e-mail. “But rain in the pass sent us toward Stevens for a new adventure. My new Nikon D7100 around my neck, we had just stopped for a sip of water, and this little cutie crawled out from under a tree.

“Fortunately, the movement caught my wife’s eye and she quietly waved me over,” said Hendrickson. “But, he was either curious, or brave, or a ham for the camera, because he posed for a variety of shots as I stomped around in the deep snow trying to optimize the lighting.”

Good photography is hard, says Hendrickson, who took his first photography workshop 40 years ago. “It takes an artistic eye, extreme patience and diligence to get the perfect shot, and, these days, a degree in engineering (which I happen to have!) for managing the camera.  Good lighting is probably the most challenging.  Maybe that is our lack of sun!  The lucky shots are fun, but hard work, a good eye and attention to detail make a lot more luck.”

• See more Animal photography on the Valley Record Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/32315452@N03/sets/72157643328275994/

Clara Leonard snapped a quick shot of a hummingbird;

Terry Adams captured a mountain goat and kid on camera on the back of Mount Si.

“Mommy’s bee” by Deborah Meyers.

A boy and his pup, by Carol Moore;