A passion for photography prompted a Brookfield girl to snap a few frames at the Brookfield Zoo. Her talent landed her first place in Brookfield Zoo’s photo contest.
Chelsea Doyle, 11, said her interest in photography came from her neighbor. While Chelsea and her neighbor were on an all-day trip at the zoo, Chelsea said she took photos of many animals and decided to enter the photo contest.
“We went back and played with the photos and decided (the butterfly) would be the best,”
Chelsea said. “I have always liked drawing them. I have never liked too many insects before but we had fun taking pictures of them.”
When Chelsea entered the butterfly exhibit, she said the insects didn’t seem to mind people around them. In the exhibit, butterflies are not caged; they fly around and land on patrons.
“First, I zoomed in, and they pretty much stood still and we enhanced it a little bit, too,” Chelsea said. “To get it that close, we zoomed in on the computer.”
Sondra Katzen, spokesperson for the zoo, said more than 400 photos were submitted to the Chicago Zoological Society and a panel of professional photographers selected a grand-prize winner, and first-, second- and third-place winners in the adult and children’s categories as well.
For coming in first place in the children’s category, Chelsea received a portable DVD player, a camera and an FP3 player, which is similar to an MP3 player. Chelsea said she ended up sharing her gifts with her younger sister and neighbors.
Chelsea takes photos for enjoyment, but she said the zoo’s contest is something she will enter again.
“I am probably going to enter it again,” she said. “I enjoyed going on the photography trip, and it was a fun experience.”
