#52weeksofnature Photo Contest Week 7 Winner

The winner of Week 7 of our #52weeksofnature photo contest is Dakota Bransfield (@dakotaa__b). A bird's eye view of a fresh snowfall never gets old. This aerial photo taken just outside of Portland has the perfect balance of color, light and contrast. Dakota has won a $100 gift code to hippytree.com and we are donating $100 to the Surfrider Foundation in his name. Learn more about Dakota below.

Where was the image shot?
While driving the back roads of Oregon not too far from the Portland area.

What camera did you use and what were the settings?
Camera: DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Lens: Stock
Shutter Speed: Auto
Aperture: Auto
ISO: Auto

Was there any special preparation required to capture the photo?
This was spur of the moment. I was on my way back towards Portland from visiting Silver Falls and decided to try and find some good aerial shots. I got lucky with this one!

How long have you been shooting?
I decided to start to shooting consistently about two years ago, but have been interested in photography and messing around with iPhones and GoPros for three to four years.

What's your camera of choice?
I currently shoot with a Sony a7 and love it. I've been lucky to be able to upgrade and equip it with some of the G Master lenses along the way!

What’s your favorite subject matter to shoot?
A few years back I really got into traveling and wanting to see the beautiful things the country has to offer. In my opinion there's no better place to do that than the PNW.

Do you shoot with a crew or shoot solo?
Both. I have a few good friends I like to shoot with whenever possible to help push creativity and different perspectives on things, but I’ve done my fair share of lonely shoots as well.

What excites you about photography?
Capturing a moment in time forever is what grabs me the most. It’s amazing to be able to show your unique perspective to the world.