A photograph of Bethel Beach in Onemo by Barbara Houston of Quinton was among 10 top winners in the 2019 Virginia Vistas Photo Contest. Scenic Virginia conducts the annual photo contest, which also included more than 20 honorable mention awards this year.

Houston’s photo shows a sunrise at the beach, which stretches along the shoreline of Chesapeake Bay at the end of Route 609, Bethel Beach Road, in Mathews County. It took the top prize in the Coastal & Chesapeake Bay Category of the contest.

A photograph of sunrise at Harrison Lake in Charles City County, also by Barbara Houston, took the Best in Show award. A Fan Favorite voted on by Facebook followers was won by Buddy Secor of Stafford, for a gorgeous sunrise reflecting upon the Potomac at Aquia Creek Landing in Stafford County.

Houston said she took the photograph a few days after Christmas 2018. While she lives in New Kent, she said that she loves to visit Mathews County to pursue nature photography.

“Bethel Beach is a great place for sunrises, birding, and nature photography,” Houston said. “I visit there several times a year and usually have the place to myself in the early morning hours. This particular morning, it was quite brisk and I arrived just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. For this photo, I noticed the piece of driftwood down on the beach and tried to capture it with the beautiful sunrise and cloud formations. It was an amazing morning on the beach in December!”

Readers can see more of her work at barbarahoustonphotography.com.  

Leighton Powell, executive director of Scenic Virginia, said the contest received more than 1,000 entries of beautiful scenes across the state. “There is so much to love in our beautiful Virginia, and our annual photo contest reminds Virginians how lucky we are to call this place home,” Powell said.

Powell added that note card sets of the winning photos are available for purchase. A set of 10 cards (one of each winning photo) is $20, plus $3 for shipping and handling. To place an order, call Scenic Virginia at 804-643-VIEW (643-8439) or email@scenicvirginia.org.

A release said Scenic Virginia is a statewide conservation group dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the scenic beauty of the state. To learn more about the organization, visit www.scenicvirginia.org and follow the group on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.