Americans are so very fortunate to have the vibrant park systems that we know.

I have always had at least one park within walking distance to wherever I lived. The cities in Missouri have some fun local parks, and I’ve been to a couple of national parks too, but I’m more of a state park person. Missouri does it right.

I grew up frequenting Rockwoods Reservation and love how that area has grown back after being decimated by mining in the early 1900s. It’s worth a visit if you get the chance. The trails are wonderful and have great views.

A friend of mine grew up near Powder Valley Nature Center and has raved about it for years. I have a long list of parks that I want to get to with the family, so when the Missouri Department of Conservation opened up an Urban Nature Photo Contest there, just a couple of months after I finally got a nice pro camera to up my pretend-photographer game, I knew I had to enter.

I quickly learned — The only rule of nature photography is: Take as many photos as possible.

If you click and shoot and hit different angles, you’ll get something!

I took my kids over to Powder Valley and we had so much fun. I need to get a better distance lens; I missed some good shots of a wild turkey. And I need a better micro lens for the little bugs. But it’s a beautiful area full of so much life.

I loved it so much that my husband and I went back for a date, just the two of us, and he had fun scoping out the landscape. I’ll admit it. I’m a cheap date. All I need is an open space and we can hang out forever.

This contest limits photographers to three shots each, so narrowing it down was hard, but these three should be hanging at the Powder Valley Nature Center visitor building until May 30th this month.

Here are my contest entries:

I’ll be heading over there to see everyone’s awesome work, and to vote for the best.

I’d love for any of you Missourians to head that way and vote for my work (If you think it’s worthy) or for whatever picture you think is the best!

I’ve never entered a photo competition before, and it’s been such a fun experience. I’m just happy to have the ability to up my game and enter in the first place.