Jan Lewis Wins 2023 Michigan Audubon Photography Awards

We are thrilled to share that the 2023 Michigan Audubon Photography Awards winner is Jan Lewis, with her action-packed image of two Sharp-tailed Grouse mid-battle.

Lewis, a Michigan Audubon member and hobbyist photographer, captured her winning photograph during a 2-day private workshop in the Upper Peninsula near Pickford this past March. “The grouse lek is on private land, where we had permission to set up a photography blind,” she said. The group arrived 30 minutes before sunrise when the birds flew in.

“The males paraded around the lek, stamping their feet, puffing out their purple air sacs. They would face off, then eventually lunge at each other,” Lewis described. “The fights generally lasted only a few seconds but occasionally a little longer. Capturing the action required a great deal of patience, total silence, high shutter speeds, and plenty of hand and foot warmers to fight the cold temperatures!”

Lewis came to birding through her love of photography. “When my children were younger, my camera was primarily focused on them, family vacations, and events. Once an empty nester, I started to point my camera toward nature subjects, but it was largely flower and landscape photography. I joined the Grand Rapids Camera Club to connect with others who shared a common interest, and it became a venue for me to share my images and expand my photography subjects,” she shared.

“In 2014, I went to Costa Rica with my older sister, a botanist and birder. I credit this trip with really igniting my interest in birds as a photographic subject. So many amazingly beautiful feathered friends! I returned to Costa Rica in 2017 on a bird photography trip led by someone I had ‘met’ on social media. One thing led to another,” she added. “Before long, I joined Grand Rapids Audubon Club to learn more and connect with others who loved birds. Initially, my birding trips were entirely photography focused, but in the process, I have become a true birder who happens to carry a camera.”

Lewis has had several of her images published and has won numerous competitions, including an honorable mention in the 2021 Michigan Audubon Photography Awards.

Earning honorable mentions this year are Enya DeFeijter, June Kuiper, and Jenifer Selwa.

All photographers will host a weeklong takeover of Michigan Audubon’s Instagram account in the coming months and be featured on the Michigan Audubon website at michiganaudubon.org/MAPA.

Thank you to all Michigan Audubon members who submitted photos to the 2023 Michigan Audubon Photography Awards! We continue to be amazed and inspired by your work that brings us closer to the birds we treasure.